Once you have connected your Plantui indoor garden and the plant capsules are growing, you just need to wait for the miracle of growth.
The Plantui Smart Garden takes care of optimising the water, light and nutrients, but there are still some small gardening jobs left for you to do once in a while.
In practice, the maintenance of the Plantui indoor garden requires the following:
- Adding water and nutrients
- Adding height blocks
- Cutting roots that have grown too long
- Frequent harvesting of the crop
Read below to see how you can take the best care of your Plantui garden.
Maintenance instructions
It’s easy to look after Plantui plants:
- Add a height block or prune the plants when they reach the light hat.
- Add water plus the plant nutrient that came with the plants about every two weeks. Check the water level every week in the smaller P3 device and at least every two weeks in the bigger P6 device.
- Prune and use the plants as they grow. Also, cut the roots when they grow too long.
- Wash the water bowl, pump and tray after every growth cycle*.
*We recommend three months as a growth cycle. The cycle is longer with some plants because of their natural growth rate.
Adding height blocks
When the plant has germinated and the first leaves have appeared on top of the plant capsule, it is time to add the first height block. This can be the height block that came with the device or an additional boosting light block available to purchase as an accessory.
When the plants get close to the light hat, you need to add another height block. If the plants have grown big, this could be the right time to harvest and reduce the size of the plants. This means additional height blocks won’t be necessary.
Height blocks change the light and watering
The Plantui is a smart indoor garden. This means it changes the light and water frequency automatically to suit each growth stage (depending on the height and boosting light blocks). Without a height block the smart garden emits purple light suitable for germination. The height blocks change the light settings automatically, intensifying and combining the lights in order to improve the photosynthesis of the plant.
Green wave lengths are added to the light, with the aesthetic result of pleasant lighting for the eyes. Plantui’s growth light is modelled after the northern sunlight in order to generate a combination of good taste, high levels of vitamins and trace elements in the plant.
Even the watering frequency changes as height blocks are added. Without a height block the smart garden waters the germinating plants twice a day for two minutes at a time. With one height block the plants get water twice a day for one minute at a time. With three or more height blocks the pump starts seven times a day for one minute at a time.
Adding water
You can check the water level by lifting the plant tray and plants and peeking inside the water bowl. If needed, add water but only up to the line. You can also add water and nutrient through the watering hole.
Remember when adding water to also add plant nutrient – one spoonful per litre. A measuring spoon of 2 g (1.5 ml) comes with the device.
If there is no water at all, the device will blink a blue (Plantui 6) or violet (Plantui 3) light. The water pump also makes a louder noise when there’s insufficient water. If water is not added at all, the device will eventually shut down completely. This prevents the device from breaking or overheating when water runs out.
When you add water, check if the roots have grown too long. Roots that reach the water bowl can easily be cut shorter to avoid entering and breaking the pump.
Plant nutrient
The secret behind the delicious taste and fast growth rate of Plantui’s plants is a carefully selected, naturally balanced plant nutrient, in addition to the utilisation of light and hydroponic technology.
Plantui’s plant nutrient consists of all the substances that a plant needs, such as nitrogen, calcium and magnesium. In hydroponic gardening, the nutrients are readily available for the plants in the nutrient solution. This makes it easier for them to be absorbed by plants. Plantui’s plant nutrient is designed in cooperation with Finnish hydroponics experts and is suitable for all Plantui plants.
