Cleaning Your Garden is Easy!

Before starting a new Seed Pod Kit, you’ll want to clean your garden for a fresh start.

Before using your new hydroponic seed kits, you'll want to clean your garden for a fresh start. Be careful you don’t throw away your filter by accident! It’s easy to do when removing plant roots.

Start by dismantling your garden and cleaning out your plants and any leftover roots.

Roots can grow into the filter, so be sure to clean it out and reinstall after you’ve finished cleaning the bowl. If the filter looks too worn, replace the filter to prolong the life of your pump.

While you are doing maintenance on your garden, you may want to consider using Airstones. This will give plants growing in older model gardens that use aerators and bubblers an oxygen boost for better growth!

After each planting, you should clean and sanitize your AeroGarden. This helps prevent the growth of root pathogens that can destroy your crop.

If you have a dishwasher:

Put your grow deck and bowl in the top rack of the dishwasher
Run through a warm or cold water cycle (do not use a hot water or heat dry cycle)
Reassemble and start your next garden

If you don’t have a dishwasher:

Fill the bowl with either water and a ¼ cup of chlorine bleach OR just 5 cups of distilled white vinegar. No need to use water if you’re using the vinegar. Vinegar will also help prevent and clean up mineral deposits in your garden.
Let the water pump or aerator circulate the bleach solution for 5 minutes
Empty the bleach solution, rinse well, and then fill with clear water (no bleach)
Allow the pump or aerator to circulate the clear water for 5 minutes
Empty and rinse once more to ensure that all bleach is rinsed from bowl
Reassemble and start using your indoor hydroponic system

You can also separate the grow deck to clean any stray roots. The grow deck can be separated on almost all models of AeroGardens. Sometimes roots will grow through the nozzles on the grow deck and prevent proper water flow, and separating and cleaning the grow deck can help keep the water flowing efficiently. First, remove the grow deck from the bowl of your AeroGarden and place it upside down on a flat surface. Locate the tabs on the underside of the deck and push the tabs inward and down. The tabs are flexible and designed to be separated. Use a scrub brush or similar cleaning tool to remove the roots and any other debris from the grow deck. Snap back together and replace.