Am I doing this right?

[Shawn]

Yes they all look good. Some plants have taller center trunk/stems while others are shorter. All depends on the genetics of the seed. However I am noticing you have more than one plant per pod. That can get mighty crowded. I suggest that you thin them down and leave the healthiest and most mature plant.

[campingcorgis]

I agree with Shawn's comments above.  For basil, you want one plant per pod.

Although, I'm kind of wondering why you have tape on the back there?  If you want to do the recommended R&R (rinse & refill), the 28th day is coming up and that tape will hinder the process, I would think.  

You can read more about maintenance in the AGA category lHow To's, Q&A, Problems & Solutions - and give a post if you have questions.

Oh, and welcome to AGA pbh93!  Glad to meet you!  Nice looking basil you've got growing!

[pbh93]

Thank you guys so much for the feedback! So when there are let's say 3 stems coming out of 1 pod - I should cut all except for the one that looks most mature (presumably most thick and lush)?

And regarding the tape - it comes off easily- the person that gave me this aerogarden had put it on because she felt the top was a little lose but it seems just fine without it.

[pbh93]

So I just noticed something odd on a couple of the stems - looks like the stem is slitting open, it's quite odd - any thoughts? (see pics)


Attachment DeletedAttachment Deleted

[Sher]

No, that does not look normal. I don't know what is causing it. But  I would cut off those stems at the base. The other leavss should grow a lot bushier.

Are you using the recommended amount if Aerogarden nutrients? Are you usjng softened water? Something is causing the stem to hold so much water that it is splitting, it looks to me.

[Shawn]

I have had that on my plants.  I did not worry about it unless the plant started to wither.  But you really should prune out all those extra plants.  They will rival for water and get way too bushy to grown fully.

[bigshot]

That happened with me with my genovese basil. I trimmed the large leaves at the top and then pinched the new growth at the tip top to encourage it to leaf up lower. Genovese gets leggy fast and if you let it go, it will turn into a tree trunk. I prefer other types of basil for that reason.

[pbh93]

Oh my ok I ended up cutting off the stems that were splitting open to make room for the others so they aren't fighting for water. Hoping I didn't totally botch this thing! 

Thank you all

[Sher]

Nov 9, 2021 12:53:01 GMT -5 pbh93 said:

Oh my ok I ended up cutting off the stems that were splitting open to make room for the others so they aren't fighting for water. Hoping I didn't totally botch this thing! 

Thank you all

Hope everything bounces back better than ever!

[pbh93]

Hii friends!

Back with another question - this guy (see pic) the outter side stems are super long - do I cut off both sides and hope they resprout? I know you typically cut the center but what would happen if I cut both of the sides where I colored it blue off? Attachment Deleted

Thanks!! !

[Shawn]

pbh93 , I would not cut those as I do not see any new growth at the bottom.  Unless you do not mind losing those.  However if you look where I placed the red mark in the following picture, I would cut there as I see new growth. 

If you are looking for shorter more rounder plants I can suggest a few.  They are not AG seeds however.  Basil plants can have long stalks like in your case and some are shorter.  It depends on the plant.

[pbh93]

Thank you so much! Happy Thanksgiving!!

[pbh93]

I got another doozy for you - It almost looks like one of the stems I cut off a couple weeks ago is growing mold - it's like white and fuzzy.

Attachment DeletedAttachment Deleted



And then some of the leaves in that pod look weird - (will add pics in next post)

[pbh93]

Continued from previous post - these are the leaves in the same pod as the weird fuzzy stump.

Attachment DeletedAttachment Deleted

[Sher]

pbh93, it looks like it might be mold to me.

i would remove all the affected leaves, rinse and refill your bowl, add nutrients and 1 teaspoon hydrogen peroxide (from the drug store) if it's a 6 pod unit (1 T if it's a 9 pod unit), then put a small fan nearby to keep the plant dry enough so it will not grow mold.

Hope that helps.

[pbh93]

Thank you- I just took it out and it seems like it is all over the roots? Very upsetting :( see pics

Attachment Deleted

What do you all recommend I do?

[Shawn]

There is a fuzzy mold that is not harmful at all. Please refer to the Aerogarden Q&A Thread.  It is the first topic listed.

As for the leases, was there condensation?  That can cause it on the leaves. Just cut those off.  Also make sure the water stays cool.  Throw some ice cubes in the bowl.

If very concerned throw a teaspoon of peroxide in the bowl when you fill it or do and R&R.

[pbh93]

Hii! 

Back with one more question - is this acceptable to do? Attachment Deleted- I cut off the stem to this pod bc it was just not growing right (very narrow, stem looked dead at the bottom, whatever was growing was growing very small and very like compactly together and narrowly - I'm clearly an awful explainer) - All the roots are intertwined together under the hood so I was scared to do anything with those so I just cut the stem off and put electrical tape - please let me know if this is ok. 

Thanks so much and happy holidays to all!!

[lynnee]

pbh93, what you did should be okay. It does leave a dead plant in the AG.

What I do when taking out a plant that isn't growing right--and I have no idea whether this is the "right" thing--is pull the entire pod out with as many of the roots as possible. So far this has worked for me, in that the remaining plants continue to do fine.

To pull the pod out, I usually have to cut some of the plant's roots free of the tangle underneath. I try to disturb the roots of the neighboring plants as little as possible, so I just cut straight down from the pod that I'm removing. Usually most of the roots that belong to the plant I'm removing will pull free of the tangle, and the ones left behind don't seem to do anything terrible.

I really like the flat black plastic "spacers" that AG sells for covering empty holes in the grow deck, but your electrical tape should block out light equally well.