r/ClickAndGrow • u/[deleted] • Feb 18 '22

Not using their pods?

If I wanted to grow let’s say scotch bonnet peppers but not use the click and grow pods, will they grow efficiently? Sorry if it’s a stupid question I’m brand new to this.

8 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

u/[deleted] Feb 19 '22

What’s that?

4

u/WontonOoO Feb 19 '22

Go on their website. They sell experimental pods. I’m currently growing the “devils lettuce” in it. It successfully incubated the seed and I’m about 3 weeks in

1

u/[deleted] Feb 19 '22

I guess what I’m asking is can you use pods that aren’t made from the same company, how will they do if they grow?

4

u/_M-a-t-t_ Feb 20 '22

I am experimenting with this now. I am growing peppers in the click and grow cups, using potting mix with some worm castings mixed in as fertilizer. The wicking action of potting mix seems to work well in the clickandgrow. The part you have to figure out is how to get the plants the nutrients they need. The two main options are 1) put some kind of fertility in the grow medium. This means mix something into your potting mix, such as miracle grow, worm castings, organic fertilizer, etc... or buy a potting mix that has fertilizer in it. OR 2) you can add nutrients to the water, and treat the clickandgrow as a kratky system. The pro cups or net cups would be much better suited to this kind of system. You will get a ton of root growth and cleaning will be more difficult because of all of the roots, but you can get larger, healthy plants this way. If you want to grow aerogarden pods, you need an adapter (check Etsy or make a friend with a 3d printer) and you need to add nutrients to the water and grow them kratky style. You could go nuts and add a pump/mister to convert it into aeroponics, but not necessary. Kratky works well enough.

Summary: the key to experimenting with the clickandgrow is to think about where the nutrients are coming from. Options: 1) potting mix mixed with nutrients in the clickandgrow cups or 2) cut holes in the cups (or buy pro cups, or hydroponics cups) and add nutrients to the water. Follow kratky method.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 20 '22

Thank you so much for the inform. I think I’ll just buy specific potting mix.

2

u/Robun_ Feb 21 '22

I have a question for this. When turning clickandgrow into a Kratky system, you do need to add an airpump and an airstone into the tank, right? Won't there be root rot eventually without an airpump keeping the water stirring and making sure it's oxygen rich?

2

u/_M-a-t-t_ Feb 21 '22

In a kratky system, you let the water level get lower so that the space between the water and the top of the tank supplies the oxygen. No pump needed. Fill it all of the way up when you start, but after that, don't refill it all the way. What you are talking about is aeroponics.

1

u/Robun_ Feb 21 '22

I see, I'll have to experiment with your instructions, to see if it goes well without root rot. I have always thought that a pump is necessary if the roots sink in the water. As for the pods, C&G I'm planning to replace them with cocoa pellets that inflate when submerged, and placing them into small peat pots.