AeroGarden Salad Series User manual

SALAD
SERIES
Tending & Harvesting Guide
PLANTING DATE:
SEED KIT TYPE:
English

W
elcome
Thank you for your
purchase of our
AeroGarden.We
have spent years
developing and
refining our technology to create
a growing system that assures
you will have a pleasurable and
successful year-round gardening
experience.
I sincerely hope you enjoy your
AeroGarden and sharing your
healthy harvest with your family
and friends.
Best Regards,
Michael Bissonnette
Founder and Chairman
AeroGrow International, Inc.
W hoever
plants a garden
plants happiness.
– CHINESE PROVERB

Planting Your Garden
Plant Your Garden ............................3
Tending Your Garden
Remove Domes ..............................4
Add Water....................................5
Feed Garden .................................5
Raise Lamp Hood (Light[s])....................6
Keep Your Garden Healthy ....................6
Plant Problems & Remedies...................7
Harvesting Your Garden
Harvest Your Garden..........................8
Appendices
Reminders About Planting Your Garden.......9
Questions & Answers – Light(s) ..............10
Set Your Light Timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Troubleshooting ............................11
Replace Bulb(s)..............................13
CONTENTS
Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com

Pl a n t i n g Yo u r ga r d e n
3
Planting Your Garden
Whether this is the first or fifth garden you are
planting in your AeroGarden, you will need to
reference your Quick Start Guide.
If you have planted a garden in your AeroGarden
prior to this one, please refer to “Replanting Your
AeroGarden” in the Quick Start Guide before you
proceed.
If you no longer have your model’s Quick Start
Guide, you can obtain the latest version of it at
www.aerogardensupport.com
P
lant Your Garden
A little bit of care for your Garden will ensure rapid growth
and bountiful harvests.You will see sprouts in 1 to 3 days.
In about 3 weeks,you will experience the transformation
of your seeds into salad greens ready for your table.

te n d i n g Yo u r ga r d e n
R
emove Domes
•A few days after planting
your AeroGarden, tiny plants
will appear through the
holes in each Seed Pod Label.
When this occurs, remove
the Domes from each Seed
Pod with emerging plants
and discard or recycle.
Do not remove the Label!
•To reduce plant stress, we
recommend removing the
Domes shortly after the
light(s) turn off or near the
end of the light cycle.
•You do not need to thin your
plants as the AeroGarden
can support multiple plants
in each Seed Pod.
Never remove Labels.They promote germination,
inhibit algae growth and identify your plants.
Each Seed Pod Label shows
the number of days until
seeds sprout.
Don’t let this happen!
If your plant is curled
inside the Dome, it was left
on too long.Immediately
remove Dome.
4
Tending Your Garden
Please take a moment to review this section shortly
after planting your Garden (see page 9 for Reminders
About Planting Your Garden).

5
Tending Your Garden
A
dd Water
• Use room-temperature water. Very hot or very
cold water will hurt your plants.
• We recommend using municipal tap, bottled or
purified water. Well or softened water SHOULD
NOT be used because the extra minerals in
these sources may be harmful to aeroponically
grown plants.
!
There should always be water in the Bowl of your
AeroGarden. For instructions, see the “Add Water
Using a Spouted Container” section in your Quick
Start Guide.
F
eed Garden
Note: We recommend checking for bugs every time you
add nutrients.See Troubleshooting on page 12 of
this Guide for details.
Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com
Every 2 weeks you will need to add one nutrient
tablet (3-pod AeroGardens) or two nutrient
tablets (6- or 7-pod AeroGardens) to the
Bowl. For instructions, see “Add Nutrients” (Feed
Garden - Basic Feeding) in the Control Panel Features
section of your Quick Start Guide.

R
aise Lamp Hood (Light[s])
If Grow Bulb(s) are too close to plants, the leaves may
brown and burn. If they are too far away, your plants
will“stretch”toward the light(s) and look unhealthy.
6
Tending Your Garden
As your plants begin to grow, you should provide
1-2” (2.5-5cm) of space between the top of plants
and the light(s).
For instructions, refer to the “Raise Lamp Hood
(Light[s])” section in your Quick Start Guide.
K
eep Your Garden Healthy
Keeping a watchful eye on your Garden is not
only a joy, but also a smart way to make sure your
plants stay healthy.
As your plants grow,
you may see some
dead or brown leaves
around the base of
your plants.This is
perfectly normal.
•Remove these
leaves with scissors
or pinch off with
your fingers.
•Keep Grow Surface
clear of dead leaves.

7
Tending Your Garden
These pictures show plants from a Salad Series
Seed Kit that are stressed. Follow suggestions to
restore your Garden’s health.
Wilted
Plants are not getting enough
water. Check water level.
Burned
Plant is too close to Grow
Bulb(s). Raise the Lamp Hood.
Curled Inside Dome
Dome was left on too long.
Immediately remove Dome.
Bolting
Plant is at end of productive
growth period and has long
stalks growing from plant base.
Harvest entire plant by cutting
at base.
P
lant Problems & Remedies
Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com

Ha r v e s t i n g Yo u r ga r d e n
8
Harvesting Your Garden
•Remove whole leaves
by cutting the base
of leaf with pruning
shears or household
scissors, or by gently
pinching off with
your fingers.
•Spread your
harvesting evenly
across your Garden.
You can continue to harvest up to a third of the leaves
every few days. Leaves will be replaced by new growth.
•After harvesting lettuce, lower Lamp Hood if
necessary (see Quick Start Guide for instructions).
Do not remove more
than a third of the
leaves from any single
Seed Pod at one time.
After approximately 3 weeks, you can begin
harvesting your Salad Garden!
H
arvest Your Garden –
All Salad Green Varieties
Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com

9
Appendices
aP P e n d i c e s
Please use the Quick Start Guide included in your
original AeroGarden box for more detailed setup
instructions. If you no longer have your Quick Start
Guide, you can find the latest version of it at…
www.aerogardensupport.com.
Setting up Your Garden
Is the Lamp Arm firmly
inserted into the Base?
Are Grow Bulb(s)
firmly inserted into
Lamp Hood?
Is Lamp Cord plugged
into Lamp Hood?
Is Bowl securely
placed in Base*?
Is there water in Bowl
up to “Fill To Here”?
Is Lamp Hood at
lowest setting?
Planting Your Garden
Is there a Seed Pod
in every Grow
Surface opening?
Did you put a Dome
on each Seed Pod?
Did you add Starting
Nutrient tablet(s)?
Did you record
planting date on the
cover of this Guide?
Starting Your Garden
Did you plug in
AeroGarden?
•Are Grow
Bulb(s) on?
Replanting Your
Garden (if this is not
your first planting)
Did you reset the
nutrient timer on
your AeroGarden?
(See “Replanting Your
AeroGarden” in Quick
Start Guide.)
1
3
2
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
R
eminders About Planting
Your Garden
* If your AeroGarden has an Air Hose, connect it to
the Bowl at this time.

10
Appendices
Q
uestions & Answers–Light(s)
S
et Your Light Timer
Do I need to turn light(s) on and off manually?
No.Your AeroGarden includes a built-in timer that
turns your light(s) on and off at specific intervals.
These intervals are designed to maximize the growth
of lettuce plants.The timing system started as soon
as you plugged in your AeroGarden.
Does it matter what time of day the light(s) go off?
No. It makes no difference to the plants when your
light(s) go on and off. Some people like to have them
turn off when they go to bed and come on in the
morning when they wake up.Others prefer to use the
AeroGarden as a nightlight.
Can I change the time of day the light(s) go OFF?
On select models – yes. If it is possible to change the
time your light(s) go off, instructions will be found in
a section titled, “Personalize Your Light Timer” in the
Quick Start Guide.
Your AeroGarden has light(s) and a built-in timer
that automatically provide your plants with the
optimal amount of light needed to grow an
abundance of healthy greens.
If the option is available to set the light timer* on your
AeroGarden, you will find instructions in the “Person-
alize Your Light Timer” section of your Quick Start Guide.
* Not available on all AeroGarden models – consult Quick
Start Guide – available at www.aerogardensupport.com.
Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com

T
roubleshooting
11
Appendices
What do I do when a Grow Bulb burns out?
Replacement bulbs can be ordered from your
retailer or at www.aerogardensupport.com.
What should I do if my Grow Bulb(s) aren’t working?
Make sure Grow Bulb(s) are firmly inserted in the
Lamp Hood. Also check that your Garden is plugged
into a working electrical outlet and the Lamp Cord is
plugged into the Lamp Hood.
What if I want to move my Garden to another
location?
Go right ahead! Keep in mind that each AeroGarden
model has different features. Unplugging a Garden
in the middle of its growth cycle could cause your
AeroGarden’s light timer to reset.
Before moving your
AeroGarden,consult your Quick Start Guide to see how
light timer is affected when your model is unplugged.
To move your AeroGarden, be sure to pick it up by
holding the Lamp Arm with one hand and sliding
your other hand under the bottom of the Base.
My Salad Garden doesn’t look healthy.
What can I do?
If you are concerned about the health of your
Garden, please go through the following…
•Keep light(s) as close to plants as possible, without
leaves touching the Grow Bulb(s).
•Replace Grow Bulb(s) every 6 months (see Quick
Start Guide for model-specific instructions).
•Follow the harvesting instructions on page 8.
•Don’t use softened or well water.
•Make sure your garden is in a location that is not
too hot (70°F or 21°C maximum).
•Only harvest up to 1/3 of each Seed Pod every
few days.

12
Appendices
What if I see bugs?
Although leafy green plants are rarely attacked by
bugs, it is good to know what to do just in case.
If you see bugs, they probably found their way into
your home by hitching a ride on clothing or cut
flowers.They are clever about hiding under leaves
and in the joints between leaves and plant stems, so
they can be difficult to see at first.
Initial signs that you have bugs are either your
plants look unhealthy or you may see a sticky
substance on your AeroGarden’s Grow Surface.
This is the easiest way we’ve found to get rid of bugs:
Unplug AeroGarden and remove the Bowl from
the Base.
Carefully lift entire Seed Pod and plant out of
the Grow Surface.
Turn plant upside down in a sink and gently run
room temperature water over the underside of
leaves to rinse bugs off.
Check your plant for any remaining bugs – rinse
again if necessary – and then return plant and
Seed Pod to the AeroGarden.
Check all surrounding plants to make sure bugs
haven’t spread.If they have, follow the above
steps with any other buggy plants.
Replace Bowl on Base and plug in AeroGarden.
How do I take care of my Garden when I go out
of town?
Add water to raise the level up to“Fill To Here. ” A
newly planted Garden with Domes removed may
not need care for up to 2 weeks. However, if your
Garden is mature and you will be out of town
1
2
3
4
5
6
Continued on next page
Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com

13
Appendices
T
roubleshooting (Continued)
for several days, we recommend that you make
arrangements for someone to care for your Garden
while you are away.
You may want to set your light(s) to go on at night
for added home security while you are away. If this
option is available, it will be in the “Personalize Your
Light Timer” section in your Quick Start Guide.
What do I do when my Garden has completed
its growth cycle?
For step-by-step instructions regarding the care of
your AeroGarden after plants have stopped growing,
refer to the “Prepare for your Next Garden” section in
the Quick Start Guide.
R
eplace Bulb(s)
Grow Bulb(s) should be replaced after 6 months
of use. See “Replace Grow Bulb(s)” in your Quick Start
Guide for replacement instructions.
Replacement bulbs can be ordered from your retailer or at
www.aerogardensupport.com.
Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com

14
Appendices
G
ardening Notes

© 2006-2008 AeroGrow International, Inc. U.S. Patents Pending
AeroGrow International, Inc.
Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com