Unpack the Box
The Aerospring consists of a 75 litre bucket, a lid for the bucket with a small service port, 9 or 12 hexagonal planter sections, a shower head with lid, 9 or 12 water pipe conduits and a top of the line water pump with hose and connectors. Your starter kit also includes all the necessary liquid nutrients and a grow kit - seeds are not included.
You'll need to find an ideal spot around the house to accommodate your Aerospring - preferably a balcony, terrace or a sunny spot in your house with access to an electrical outlet. A few hours of full sun with some shade throughout the day or partial sun is ideal. If you don't have a suitable outdoor space, you can place it indoors by adding the Aerospring Indoor kit to the Aerospring Standard.
Assemble the modules
Once you've found an area around the house to set up your Aerospring, begin by mounting and securing one of the hexagonal planter sections to the base to the lid with three wingnut screws. Thread and connect the first water pipe conduit to the base planter, then start building the sections by inserting one hexagonal module into the other followed by threading in another water pipe conduit.
Finish the assembly by affixing the shower head and lid as well as clicking in the water pump hose to the water conduit connector on the underside of the bucket lid.
Fill the bucket with water leaving a 10 cm buffer from the rim.
Place seedling cups into the individual grow sites of the Aerospring, making sure that any visible roots are placed into the pods of the hexagonal chamber.
Plug the water pump into an electrical outlet and switch your Aerospring on!
Maintenance
Once set up, your Aerospring garden maintenance routine should take no more than 5 minutes every few days. A wifi timer can be employed to schedule the watering. You'll need to top water up if your plants drink a lot of water and trim any wilting leaves & foliage from your garden regularly. Inspect your garden for pests frequently and treat any infestations by spraying your plants with horticultural soap sprays or other organic pest control formulations. A good hydroponic gardener will check the EC and pH regularly to ensure good nutrient uptake. Your bi-monthly maintenance includes emptying the water in the bucket (you can use the water to fertilise some of your soil plants), refilling it with fresh water and re-dosing the nutrients.
Germination
Naturally, you'll need to grow some plants. The starter seedling set only includes rockwool cubes and cups due to export restrictions on seeds. Purchase fresh seeds from your local garden centre and choose plants to suit your climate.
The rockwool cubes are designed for direct seeding but you can also choose to germinate in an inert medium like vermiculite and transfer the sprouts into the rockwool cubes later. This process is easier with smaller sized seeds. Provide ample light, moisture, the right temperature and little sprouts will emerge shortly.
Some seeds will emerge within days, others require a little more time. As soon as roots pop through the bottom of the rockwool cubes and first true leaves emerge, they're ready to be placed in the Aerospring. For those who want to skip the entire seedling process, in Singapore we offer young plants for sale so that you can enjoy your first harvest sooner!
Nutrition
Hydroponic fertilizers and those intended for use in soil contain three major nutrients: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K).
Hydroponic fertilizers are usually in a more refined form with fewer impurities making them both more stable and soluble for better absorption.
Developed by German experts in agricultural plant nutrition, Aerospring Gardens' HexGrow nutrients from Compo are a complete minerals based nutrient solution specifically designed to promote the growth of all types of leafy green and flowering crops.
