Flex Connect Starting Seeds & the Flex Micro Grow Stage
How to start your seeds and prepare them for transplant into your Flex Farm
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:
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Pump: Turn on for 15 minutes every 6 hours
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Note: 1 tab is pushed in every 6 hours and the orange switch is on the timer setting
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Light: On 24/7
Pump: Turn on for 15 minutes every 6 hours
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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
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Determine how many seeds you need to plant based on how many Flex Farms are in your rotation.
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Ex: For 3 Flex Farms you will be planting 450 seeds (150 seeds per Flex Farm).
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Place the corresponding amount of Rockwool plugs needed in the perforated nursery flats.
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Stack a non-perforated nursery flat under the perforated nursery flat.
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Completely saturate the rockwool in tap water for a few minutes.
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Carefully remove all excess water into a sink drain & plant your corresponding seeds in the rockwool plugs based on the blend you are growing.
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Place the trays in a warm (not in direct sunlight or heat) area. Place plastic sheeting or humidity domes over the nursery trays.
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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.
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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.
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At this point, your Sprout Tower Pump & Light should be on according to the settings above.
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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 rotations corresponding Flex Farms.
Things to Note:
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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
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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
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It is crucial to follow the universal setpoints to maximize yields
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Use masking tape on the rim of the nursery flat to note the seeding date, corresponding rotation, & seed varieties