PLEASE NOTE: On arrival your seedlings may appear a little yellow in color. This is normal as they have spent up to 5 days in a box without exposure to UV light. If your seedling still has seed leaves on it these will also be yellow. Click here to learn more about Seed Leaves. If you are concerned, please email pictures of the seedlings to sales@livingtowers.com within 48 hours of delivery. Please plant the seedlings, following the directions below, while you wait for our reply.
Upon receipt of your seedlings, there are some important steps to follow. The seedlings need to be placed in sunlight or under grow lights on the day they are delivered.
- Open box immediately and carefully remove the clear shipping trays.
- Inspect seedlings for damage and notify us immediately if there are any problems by emailing sales@livingtowers.com. Include pictures, your order number and your concerns.
- Your seedlings come with a plant marker showing the names so you can identify them. 1 per crop type is included.
- Remove each seedling from the tray carefully by grabbing the rockwool, not the plant. Please be especially careful with plants like squash, cucumber, beans and tomatoes that tend to have larger stems that may be intertwined with other seedlings. Be careful not to break them as you remove them.
- Water the seedlings thoroughly. NOTE: Dry rockwool repels water.
- If growing inside, gently swish the seedlings upside down in a bowl of water with a drop or two of insecticidal soap, half the recommended amount of neem oil (optional) and water. If you do not have insecticidal soap, a drop or two of dish soap will work in a pinch. Do not put the rockwool in the water. Use half of the amount specified on the bottle of neem oil. Use a couple of drops of soap per quart of water.
TRANSPLANTING TO A TOWER GARDEN - NEVER use softened water or City water that has not been filtered. You can use an inexpensive filter like this for chlorinated water. If your city uses Chloramine you will need a filter like this.
- If transplanting seedlings to an empty Tower Garden, use HALF STRENGTH MINERALS. This is 10ml of each A and B for every gallon of water. In a Tower Garden FLEX this is 200ml of each A and B. In a Tower Garden HOME this is 130ml of each.
SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT STRAWBERRIES - Our strawberries have been transplanted to a rockwool cube and secured in place with a rubber band while rooting. There is no need to remove the rubber band. Simply place them in the Tower Garden following the directions below.
- If temperatures are 85+ for outdoor Towers
- If you received them in the late afternoon/evening, you may place them directly in the Tower Garden planting them as outlined in step 10 below.
- If you received your seedlings in the morning, place them in a shallow tray with 1/2 inch of water and place them in a shady location for the rest of the day. The extreme heat and nutrients can be a little overwhelming for a seedling that has spent a few days in a box!
- It is fine to leave them in a sunny location for a week or more providing you water them every day, possibly twice a day.
- INSIDE, BEHIND A SUNNY WINDOW OR UNDER REGULAR LIGHTS IS NOT SUFFICIENT as many windows have UV filters on them that filter out the light the plants need and regular lights do not provide the UV plants need.
- If temperatures are below 85 you may place them directly in the Tower Garden, planting them as outlined in step 11 below.
- In the cooler months, if temperatures are at or below 45 overnight, bring the seedlings inside but put them back outside the next day. When you are ready to transplant them to your Tower Garden ™ follow steps below.
- It is important to plant your Tower like a pyramid. Large/vine plants at the bottom, going up to the smallest at the top. To help you decide where to plant your seedlings we have listed the seedlings we sell, in the order you would plant them below, from the top of the Tower Garden™ to the bottom. The configuration is decided based on the size the plant will grow to.
- Swiss Chard
- Onion
- Celery
- Chives
- Viola
- Strawberry
- Lettuce
- Herbs (except Basil and Chives)
- Greens (except Swiss Chard)
- Marigolds
- Basil
- Peppers
- Beans
- Eggplant
- Nasturtiums
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Melons/Cucumber
- Summer Squash/Zucchini
- Butternut/Spaghetti and other vining Squash
- Tomatoes
- Ensure the rockwool is touching the bottom of the netpot. If it is not, the seedling will not get watered. As mentioned above, half strength nutrients is all that is needed for a new Tower of seedlings. If adding to an existing Tower use regular strength. Balance the pH, set the timer. The growing guide can be found here.
- Seedlings may also be planted in the dirt. Ensure the rockwool is completely covered with dirt and thoroughly water. Do not bury the seedling itself.
- Most IMPORTANTLY: Have FUN watching your garden grow!
IF YOU ARE NOT TRANSPLANTING TO A TOWER GARDEN YET - If you are not able to transplant them to your Tower on the day they arrive be sure they are getting plenty of sun (6+ hours) or they are placed under grow lights and water daily. There is no need to add Tower Tonic. Regular lights and near windows does not provide the light they need.