parts

Requirements

For most herbs and leafy greens, we recommend at least 6 hours of direct daily sunlight. For plants that grow vegetables such as tomatoes or chillies, we suggest getting 9+ hours of direct daily sunlight.

Hydroponics 101

 

Hydroponics is a way of growing food without soil. The benefits are great including less water consumption, lower maintenance, fewer variables to worry about, and faster, stronger growth.As with all hobbies, it is a skill. The more you learn about it, the better your gardening results will be!

We've got a whole heap of helpful resources including our FAQs, blogs, and social media channels. If you would like to interact with other gathera gardeners, we've also got a gathera community group with over 1000 gathera's sharing progress updates on their gardening adventures.

 

Hydroponic nutrients

 

Plants need 17 essential elements to survive. Hydroponic nutrients contain both macronutrients (nitrogen, potassium and phosphate) which are required in large amounts by plants, as well as micronutrients (calcium magnesium, iron, boron, copper, chloride, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, sulphur and zinc) which are required in small quantities. The non-mineral elements (hydrogen, oxygen and carbon) are provided to the plants through water and air.

Different plants require different amounts of nutrients, and may require elements at different times throughout their growth. The growth nutrients that we provide with the kit are great for leaf and stem growth, and work well for all plants. If you really want to maximise the yield that you can get from fruiting plants such as tomatoes and chillies, then you can get a specific fertiliser for each of those.

The pH of a nutrient solution can affect how well each different mineral element dissolves in water, so for optimal growth you will want to adjust your pH solution using pH up or down liquid solutions, and a pH meter.

The dosage instructions on the nutrients will work great as a rule of thumb, but if you really want to perfect your dosage, and optimise your plant growth, we recommend checking our plant index, and measuring out nutrient concentration with a nutrient meter.

This may sound intimidating, but don't worry - mesuring nutrient concentration and pH are advanced techniques that you can pick up along the way. In getting started, you will get great growth with just the nutrients following the dosage instructions in this guide. For further learning, we have some great content in the learning section of our blog.

operation

Step 1

Put the rockwool cube in the silicone netcup (provided in both the 2L and 10L pots).

Step 2

Plant the seed of your choice in the rockwool, at least 1cm deep.

Step 3

For the 10L pot, insert the barbs of the netcup through the netcup lid, and then through the pot lid. For the 2L pot, simply push the netcup into the main hole so that it pressed in securely.

Step 4

Fill the planter with water up to almost the ver top. Only fill to the top the very first time that you add water. Each time you refill the pot, fill water to halfway only.

Step 5

Add our plant nutrients (50mL provided in both the kits) as per the instructions on the bottle. Mix thoroughly.

Step 6

Place the lid on the planter, and you're growing!

Rinse and drain 2-3 times daily until your sprouts have grown to adequate size.

Step 7

Sprouts can be placed in sunlight (or LED light) to help them photosynthesize and turn green – developing a richer flavour.

The sprouter kit can be put in the fridge to extend the life of plants if required.

Other tip

It's super exciting to lift the lid and see your plant roots, however lifting the lid breaks the microclimate under the lid by releasing all the built-up humidity. This can result in drooply plants on a hot day. To check your water level, it is easiest to lift the pot or move it. If it is heavy then you don't need to re-water it just yet!

For plants that usually need to be trellised, we've found it's quite east to simple raise the pot and let the plant grow over the edges and hang downward. No trellis required, it works for tomatoes, beans and other similar plants!

Caution

We've tested the pots under windy conditions nad havent had issues with the security of the pots. owever if you know that you're placing your pot in a high wind area, or on an apartment balcony, consider putting a small weight on your lid as a precaution. The pots are aluminium and are surprisingly light when empty!