Plants are not getting enough water

If you find your plants are not getting enough water, check out these helpful tips for trouble shooting. If the problem persists, please Contact Us for support. 

1. How may hours is your pump running?

The number of hours your pump needs to run can vary due to factors such as type and maturity of plants in your garden, room temperature and humidity. How long you pump needs to run depends on the age of plants and environmental factors in your home. i.e. generally you will have more evaporation in summer than winter, due to warmer temperatures and drier air. Mature plants will transpire much more water than tiny seedlings. The verde-Garden is designed to oxygenate the water, through its pumping action. Oxygenation is vital for plant health. Here are some general guidelines:

Seed Germination & Seedlings

• The coco pucks should stay moist but do not need to be heavily saturated.
• You can set your pump to ON for 30 minutes, and OFF for 4 hours. Repeat this cycle 4x per day. The pump should be off at night. 
• Keep an eye on your coco pucks, if they are drying out between cycles increase the ON time and decrease the OFF time. If your plant leaves are wilted in between watering cycles that is another sign that you need to increase watering. 
• Seedlings should start to develop white roots that will push through the coco coir puck and net pot. As you add nutrients it can dye the root ends, but should should see new white roots continously growing. 
• You can run your pump 8 hours on and 16 hours off with your light, but keep and eye on the roots to ensure they are white and healthy, some beige root sis normal due to the dying form the nutirents. The key is whether your pants look healthy and are taking on new growth. If your plants are wilting, it means they need more water. To learn about signs of overwatering go to: Yellow Leaves - Cause & Fixes

Beyond Seedling to Mature Plants

Once you are through the seedling stage the plants will require a minimum of 8 hours of water, up to 12 hours. The pump should be run during the day, the same time your light is on. 

The verdeGarden should never be in direct sunlight as it can cause UV damage to the unit; however, if there is sunlight in addition to the LED light, this can also be a factor and may require running the pump for additional hours. 

2. Check the the T-irrigation tube and clip

*We have update the irrigation tube clip, if yours has become unsecure, please contact us for a new one. At the top of your garden is the T-irrigation tube. The irrigation tubes should be securely fastened into the center clip as pictured below and be pushed all the way down so the irrigation tubes are resting on the top net pots. 

 

3. Ensure the Coco seed pucks are sitting on the bottom of the net pots

The coco coir seed puck must be on the bottom of the net pot and it should be centered as best you can. It is OK to remove some grow medium if needed.

4. Check that the water is flowing from the upper pots down through the lower pots

Water is meant to flow from the T-irrigation tube through the top pots on each side. The water should then flow through the subsequent lower pots until reaching the reservoir.

In rare occasions the water can hit the grow medium (clay or glass pellets) and refract off to the side of the garden, rather than down the middle. Generally once the plants have established roots this is not a problem as they fill the inside of the garden and can seek out water, but as seeds or seedlings, one must ensure the coco pucks are moist. 

Tricks to solve this

• Determine where the problem is. Staring at the top remove one pot at a time. A towel is handy to catch drips and a tupperwear container to temporarily store the pots/plants. Confirm:
• Water is flowing through the top t-irrigation tubes on both sides
• The bottom of the pot and coco coir puck is moist
• Look inside the garden through the pot-hole to confirm that water is running down the center as a thin film.
• If the pot is dry, spin the pot above it a 1/8 turn clockwise at a time and see if this redirects the water. Let the water run for a few minutes before re-checking the dry pot. 
• After spinning the pot above the dried-out pot 365 degrees, if the pot below is still dry, remove up to the bottom 1/3 of grow medium from the pot above. This should mitigate the water refracting off and allow it to drip directly below. 

5. Start new seeds (even if some plants are more mature) 

Unless you have a mono-crop, it is natural to have plants at different stages of growth in your garden at the same time. When adding new seeds revert back to just water and follow the feeding guide for your seedlings. The more mature plants growth will temporarily be slowed down, but it is common to have plants at different stages in your indoor garden and fresh water flushes are a part of this process. As the seedlings grow follow their nutrient requirement's.

6. Help your plants establish roots and seek out nutrients

As soon as you see little green sprouts, it is second nature to start wanting to feed your plants nutrients, but WAIT.  Are the seedling below ready for nutrients? Technically yes because they have four leaves each, but technically wait another week or two. The two rounder leaves are not actually leaves, while the longer darker ones are. Waiting another one to two weeks before adding nutrients forces the seedling to send out roots to find nutrients. This can help ensure your plants are receiving the water they need and with more established roots, they will grow healthier and faster.

Not working? Or need help?

We would love to help you! Please feel free to contact us and we can set-up a call or video chat to help you through any growing challenges. Contact Us