Growing Guide

Let’s Start Growing…

Like all living things, plants need care to flourish. The following are useful tips to guide you throughout your planting journey:

• A plant’s life cycle is divided into 4 phases:

1. Germination Phase: Where seeds sprout and become young seedlings.

2. Vegetative Phase: When plant growth happens and it is ready to be transplanted into the system.

3. Growth Phase: When the plants are mature enough, in the case of leafy greens and herbs, start harvesting. If you are not growing a fruit-producing plant, harvest before flowering.

4. Flowering/Fruiting Phase: All plants tend to produce flowers. Leafy greens are not meant to be left until the flowering stage. On the other hand, fruit-producing plants have to produce flowers from which the fruit comes out.

1- 5 Minutes a Day: Dedicate 5-15 minutes daily to check the EC & PH of your plants. Spray it and make sure it is getting enough sunlight.

2- Spray: You need to constantly spray your plants; consider it their daily shower. Some need 2-3 showers a day during the summer; after all, they’ve been working since the first sign of sunrise.

3- Cut-Don’t-Pull: You will need to use scissors to cut the plants. Any pulling of the plant puts its root system and the plant next to it at great risk.

4- YOBO: You Only Buy Once. We know that EC and PH meters are a bit expensive, but they’re essential to keep your plants alive and vibrant, and also to know how much nutrients must be added to your water reservoir.

5- Hydro-smart: Try to leave the tank water in open air for 24 hours prior to using it, to allow bad chloride to evaporate.

6- Crazy-Tomato: Grow each plant based on its season. Each plant needs certain environmental conditions to give you the best yield.

Planting Phases:

Phase 1:

Seed germination usually takes 3-6 weeks to establish strong seedlings and transplant into the system.

To get started:

• Take out 8 rockwool cubes, submerge in water for a few hours, then put in a germination box (any small plastic box with holes). It is normal for the rockwool to exert some water.

Note: For better and quicker results, soak your seeds in water before putting them in the rockwool. Some seeds, such as mint and celery, require this.

• Make a hole and place 2 seeds into each rockwool cube. Place the seeds in the hole with a toothpick, then cover each hole back with the toothpick to seal any openings.

• Spray the rockwool in the holes and all around. Close the box with the rockwool inside and put it in a very dark area for 48 hours. Don’t open the box at all. Note: Some seeds, such as mint and celery, need light from the beginning to start sprouting.

• After 48 hours, water your rockwool. Note: it must be wet at all times; if not, it will become useless.

• According to your seed type, you will start seeing small sprouts coming out of the holes. Seeds take 2 to 16 days to sprout.

• Once sprouting starts, it’s time for sunlight. Note: Leaving it in the dark at this phase will weaken the plants.

• If a seed does not sprout, leave it in the dark. If it doesn’t start sprouting within triple its advised time, then it’s a ruined seed. You can reuse the rockwool again. Note: Soak the rockwool in hot water before reusing it and remove the old seeds. Put new seeds and start planting using the same method.

• During this phase, the plants are very delicate and need proper care. Make sure they’re getting enough water and sunlight daily. Try a sunny spot indoors to avoid birds and insects. Note: If the sprouts become long and thin, it means they’re looking for sunlight and need to be taken outside immediately.

• After about 1 week under sunlight, choose the strongest and healthiest sprout, and cut the rest with scissors.

• After about 3 weeks under sunlight and regular watering, roots will start budding out of the rockwool cubes from the bottom, looking for water. That’s the root system forming its base and structure.

• Put the rockwool inside the net pot, by hanging it at the edge of the pot, while leaving room for roots to expand at the bottom.

• Leave the pots in a water-filled plate. Expose it to sunlight and water daily, never let it dry out.

• After a few days, the roots will start growing out of the rockwool cube, and you will have a young plant. This will be a sign for the next phase: transplant.

Things to consider:

• Rockwool is delicate and needs air. Make sure not to smash or press it.

• Keep PH levels of water between 5.8-6.0 whether for the soaked rockwool, soaked seeds, or spraying water.

• Crops like lettuce, kale, tomatoes, and broccoli prefer wide spacing to grow at their full potential.

• Basil, mint, arugula, and tomatoes are summer plants and grow best during that season. In winter, you can grow almost any crop. Some great winter plants are lettuce, broccoli, wild rocket, parsley, and coriander.

Important Definitions:

• EC of water is the electric conductivity of the water inside the reservoir. In hydroponics, it is generally interpreted as the level of food the plant has available. Each plant needs a specific range during its growth cycle to avoid burning the leaves out. That’s why you need the EC Meter.

Increase EC levels by adding Hydro Solution A+B and decrease by adding water. Note: Cairo water is around 0.5 EC.

EC in early stages doesn’t change unless you add water. However, when plants are big and consume more food, you will need to check it every 4-7 days to make sure it’s okay.

• PH of Water is a figure expressing the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. In other words, it’s the potential hydrogen inside the water. Like EC, hydrogen needs to be within a certain range to avoid slowing down your plants.

Use PH down to lower PH. On a scale, add 1-1.5 ML of PH down in about 10 L of water. A plant’s PH levels should range from 5.5 PH to 7.5 PH. Lower than 5.5 is too acidic, and higher than 7.5 is too alkaline.

Learn what your plant needs first and never leave plants in the wrong ranges for longer than 2 hours. 6.0 PH is a good range for almost all plants.

Note: Cairo Water is around 7-7.5 PH.

Phase 2

During the second phase, you are basically preparing and putting the plants in their home until you eat them.

To get started with the second phase, first you need to prepare the NFT system before transplanting:

• Fill the “reservoir” with water, preferably the water you left out for 24 hours.
• Use your EC Meter to measure the electric conductivity of your tap water without adding any solution.
• Add the food for the plants. Start with hydro solution A: for each 10 liters of water, add 25ml of solution A and stir for a couple of seconds. Then add 25ml of solution B and stir well. This amount will raise the water from approximately 0.5 EC to 1.6 EC.
• If you are growing a plant that needs more than 1.6 EC, you need to add more solution A and solution B (per 10 liters of water).
• If you are growing a plant that needs less than 1.6 EC, you need to reduce solution A and solution B by adding water until you reach the proper range (per 10 liters of water).
• Keep measuring and adjusting until you get the desired range. Once EC is set, you need to adjust PH levels. Hydro Solutions usually bring it down a little, but you still need to make sure it is within the proper range.
• Use your PH meter to determine current PH level, add 1-1.5 ml of PH down to the reservoir for each 10L of water.
• Measure your PH again and adjust it by adding more PH down if needed. Add a maximum of 0.25 ml per time, until it settles on the desired range. Once you achieve the required range, your plants will be good to go for at least 2-4 days.
• Once you double check your water and it is within the desired range of EC & PH, close the box carefully. Note: You should make sure that no light reaches the water inside the reservoir.

Transferring the young plants into the system:

• Put the net pots inside each hole in the tubes.
• Use the reflective aluminum on the reservoir to prevent the overheating of water.
• Now you’re ready to connect the power plug to start the system. (Adding a timer is optional)
• Enjoy watching your plants grow.

Things to consider

• 50 L reservoir users should multiply all advised quantities of solution by X 5.
• In case you’re using a timer make sure it’s working properly.
• Read the EC & PH Meters’ manual for proper use and remember to stir the device in the water well before taking your reading.
• Measure the PH level every 4-6 days at least because bad PH can slow things down.
• Bad EC will burn your plants.
• Spray your plants 2-3 times during extremely hot days, in winter once a day or every 2 days is enough.
• Expose the plants to sunlight during cold days and place it in shade during hot days.

Phase 3

The third phase consists of maintaining your plants and taking good care of them. More care means more yield, better quality of leaves and flavor, and less effort on healing your plants. In other words, consistency is key.

• Measure EC & PH from time to time to make sure everything is okay and spray your plants regularly. Plants function best when the temperature is around 18-26 ^oC
• Make sure the water level is high and it reaches all roots. In the early stages you’ll need to add water every 6-8 days. While, in the later stages you’ll add water every 4-6 days. Rates might accelerate during hot summer days.
• PH will change frequently, which means the plants are doing fine. The more consistent the change, the better your plant is doing. EC will change from time to time or when you add water.
• With time you will get the grasp of the scale, but until then our rule of thumb is as follows: to achieve the desired amount of PH and EC levels, add half of the amount of A and B solution that you added previously to the water. Continue adding solution amounts in halves until you reach the required level.
• Adding PH should be by the milliliters, 1-1.5 ml per 10 Liters of water. If it still needs to be decreased, add extra 0.25 ml every time and measure, until you reach the desired range.
• Make sure you don’t overcrowd plants or have plants hovering over others, thus taking light away from them. If you choose to leave 2 plants per rockwool, make sure you take good care of both and expose both to sufficient light and water.
• Maintain your routine until you see good results and you become comfortable to try your plant out.
• About 2-4 weeks after transplanting, most of the leafy greens and herbs should be ready to harvest. Plants will grow more if you take from it without killing it. (Basil will grow 2 heads for each head cut from top). Use thin scissors to cut ready leaves.
• Enjoy your plant growing and give us your feedback, and always ask for help!

Things to consider:

• For tall plants (i.e., basil), never harvest from the middle, collect only from the outside and top.
• Most plants regrow 2 or 3 times. If you have harvested the whole plant and are waiting for regrowth, changing the water is recommended.
• During the early stages try to be near the minimum of EC range, while towards the end try to always achieve a high EC level.
• Write down all your EC & PH readings to remember and understand how frequent it changes. By time you will know the right amount of solution to add, until then, a few mistakes could occur which gives you room for growth. Don’t sweat the small stuff!
• Watch your plants for signs, it should look bright colored and healthy. If you see anything weird, a quick Internet search will give you answers.
• Whenever you add water remeasure EC & PH and adjust accordingly.
• Learn from your experience and read how to get better and faster results.