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Starting Seeds in the Flex Micro for a Flex Connect Farm

How to start seeds in the Flex Micro and get them ready for your Flex Connect farms.

Start seeds for your Flex Connect farms in a flood and drain system: plant 150 seeds per Flex Farm, keep them covered for 2 days, then move them under the light until they are ready to transplant at 10 to 14 days.

Please take a look at the Sprout Stand Assembly Manual for proper assembly instructions. This system is a flood and drain system with light, creating the ideal environment for the germination stage. Your system will have multiple trays. Each tray holds 4 nursery flats. Each nursery flat fits 1 sheet of Rockwool (200 seeds). The Sprout Stand also uses the universal setpoints for pH and TDS.

Sprout Stand Pump & Light Settings:

  • Pump: Turn on for 15 minutes every 6 hours
    • Note: 1 tab is pushed in every 6 hours and the orange switch is on the timer setting
  • Light: On 24/7

Pump: Turn on for 15 minutes every 6 hours

  • Note: 1 tab is pushed in every 6 hours and the orange switch is on the timer setting

Note: 1 tab is pushed in every 6 hours and the orange switch is on the timer setting

Light: On 24/7

Steps to Start Seed & Transplant

  1. Determine how many seeds you need to plant based on how many Flex Farms are in your rotation.
    1. Ex: For 3 Flex Farms you will be planting 450 seeds (150 seeds per Flex Farm).
  2. Place the corresponding amount of Rockwool plugs needed in the perforated nursery flats.
  3. Stack a non-perforated nursery flat under the perforated nursery flat.
  4. Completely saturate the rockwool in tap water for a few minutes.
  5. Carefully remove all excess water into a sink drain & plant your corresponding seeds in the rockwool plugs based on the blend you are growing.
  6. Place the trays in a warm (not in direct sunlight or heat) area. Place plastic sheeting or humidity domes over the nursery trays.
    1. The best practice for the highest germination rate is to spray the top of the rockwool immediately and at least twice a day but no less than once a day.
  7. After 2 days, remove the nursery tray cover, unstack the non-perforated nursery tray, and place the perforated nursery tray in the Sprout Tower flat.
    1. At this point, your Sprout Tower Pump & Light should be on according to the settings above.
  8. After 10-14 days (when the leaves start to intersect & you can no longer see the rockwool looking from above) transplant the lettuce sprouts into the rotation's corresponding Flex Farms.

Things to Note:

  • Turn the lights off using the switch on the side of the light panel whenever nursery trays are not in the flood tray to reduce energy consumption & algae growth
  • Stagger pump timers when using multiple pumps to flood multiple trays to ensure water levels do not go below the pump level when the tray is flooding
  • It is crucial to follow the universal setpoints to maximize yields
  • Use masking tape on the rim of the nursery flat to note the seeding date, corresponding rotation, & seed varieties

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