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Wiping Light Bars & Pruning your Plants (Part 4 of 4)

Part 4 of 4: How to finish your twice-a-week visit while your nutrients and pH settle

After Checking & Adjusting your Nutrients & pH (Part 3 of 4), you can finish your visit at the wall. Follow the instructions in this article to wipe your Light Bars and prune your crop. Both jobs are done with your plants in the wall and your pump running, so nothing has to be shut down for them. Follow the steps in Keeping your Flex Acre Clean before you begin.

Gather Tools:

  • 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Clean Towels
  • Pruning Shears

Step 1: Wipe the Doors

  1. Open your first door.
  2. Wipe down the door with 3% hydrogen peroxide, keeping it clear of the Light Bar connection points.
  3. Repeat on your remaining 3 doors.

The connection points are where each Light Bar plugs into the next one on the door. They are the one place on the door that liquid must not reach, so work around them rather than over them.

Step 2: Clean the Light Bars

  1. Spray 3% hydrogen peroxide onto a clean towel, as this keeps liquid off your Light Bars.
  2. Wipe each Light Bar with the damp towel.
  3. Focus on the lower Light Bars by your Tank Lid, as salt is more likely to be present there.
  4. Work across all 4 doors until every Light Bar is clear.

Wiping your Light Bars keeps them clear and provides the maximum amount of light to your crops. Each door carries 10 Light Bars, so plan on 40 in total across your Flex Acre.

CAUTION: SPRAY YOUR TOWEL, NOT YOUR LIGHT BARS. THE LIGHT BARS ARE NOT WATERPROOF.

Step 3: Prune your Plants

  1. Clean your pruning shears.
  2. Sanitize your pruning shears.
  3. Look at the base of each plant for the oldest growth.
  4. Cut away any dead or yellowing leaves.
  5. Transfer the trimmings into your compost bin.

Dead and yellowing leaves are typically the oldest growth at the base, so start low on the plant and work up. Your crop stays in the wall for this and your Panels stay in their Root Chambers. The wall itself is stripped and sanitized after harvest, which is covered in Cleaning your Panel Wall After Harvest (Part 1 of 3).

Step 4: Scan the Crop

  1. Look across the wall on each side for yellowing leaves.
  2. Look for stunted growth.
  3. Look for purple discoloration.

Keep this pass to a look rather than a diagnosis. A correction starts with a pH check, as a pH out of range is the most common reason nutrients stop being available to the crop. Contact our support team if the signs continue once your pH is back in range.

Your Light Bars are clear and your crop is pruned—well done!

Next: Flex Acre Maintenance Schedule — to see what is due next.