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Ever thought about using a microgreens growing kit at home? We love incorporating microgreens into a healthy diet for an added nutritional boost to your dishes. Microgreens are easy to grow and a great way to get started growing food at home.
If you’re just getting started, it can be helpful to have a microgreens growing kit too. Today we’re covering our top microgreens growing kit options for beginners. These sets will come with everything you need to get started growing your own microgreens at home.
Interested in more uses for microgreens, or not sure how to incorporate them into your diet? We’ve got you covered! Check out our best microgreens seed mixes article for more ideas on recipes and food to pair with your microgreens.
We love Hamama's microgreens kit. If you're a total beginner, Hamama takes the guesswork out of growing microgreens at home. Heck, even if you're experienced in gardening this is an easy way to start growing microgreens without the guess work.
Hamama's kits start at $35 if you sign up for an auto delivery of 3 seed blanket refills monthly. Each blanket takes about 7-10 days to grow, so with one growing tray 3 is really all you could feasibly fit into one month anyways. If you choose to purchase the kit without an auto delivery option you'll get your grow kit for $49.
Each grow kit comes with a reusable grow tray, easy growing instructions, and 3 seed quilts. To begin growing your microgreens, you fill the growing tray to the fill line with water and then place your seed blanket on top. That's all there is to it!
Around day 5 your seeds will be sprouting and you'll remove the top layer to allow the sprouts to grow further. From there you wait a few more days (total of 7-10 days for most seeds) and then they're ready to harvest! Add to your salads, sandwiches, sushi, and more!
A refill for Hamama can be purchased in bulk, you can also opt in for auto delivery, or purchase seeds in packets of 3 for $17, or $5.66 per quilt.
Urban Leaf is another great option for growing microgreens at home. Their microgreens growing kit is similar to Hamama's in that it come with everything you need and is relatively easy to get started.
Their beginner kit comes with 3 different reusable grow trays, 3 germination domes, and 9 grow mats with 3 different types of seeds (enough to grow 12 separate batches).
These grow trays are smaller than Hamama, but it gives you more flexibility so you can grow different types at one time. This could be a good option for those that only want small amounts of each type.
The process to grow is very simple, you add water to the self watering tray. Then from there you place your grow mats, then your seeds, and then the germination dome. Most seeds are ready for harvesting about a week after planting. Your beginner kit will also come with simple instructions on how to plant and grow your microgreens.
For refills you can get grow mats for $1.75 per mat and seed kits (that contain enough seeds for 3 trays worth) come in at $6.50 per packet.
If you're not sure if you're fully committed, then the Mountain Seed Valley Microgreens kit from Amazon. This kit is a little bare bones compared to Urban Leaf and Hamama, but if you've never tried microgreens or are unsure about if you'll like growing them this could be a good starting point to get you into it.
Each microgreens growing kit from Mountain Seed Valley comes with two reusable grow trays and 4 different types of seeds, allowing you to try a few different kinds. This kit comes at a base price of $30, so its a bit cheaper than other options. However, these reusable grow trays are less sturdy than other brands and likely wont last quite as long.
We recommend this option if you're on a budget or looking for a lower cost way to get started easily with a microgreens growing kit. Another option if you're strapped for cash is to avoid a kit and purchase the components separately. For a full guide check out our step by step guide on how to grow and harvest microgreens at home.
Do you like growing microgreens? What is your favorite microgreens growing kit? Let us know in the comments below!
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You may or may not have heard of coco peat before. Its been growing in popularity in the gardening industry as a form of growing medium, or addition to soil mixes. Today we’re covering what coco peat is, and the different uses and benefits of using coco peat in gardening.
Coco peat is a type of coco coir, and is a natural biproduct of coconuts. Its made from the pith inside a coconut husk, which is in between the outside fibers of a coconut shell and the white meat inside.
Coco peat typically comes in vacuum sealed bricks, but before you use it you should soak in water and break up into a light and airy growing medium.
You can get coco peat at most gardening stores, or order it online. We like this brand on Amazon, but there are many options to pick from that do basically the same job.
Coco peat is often used in gardening, which is the primary use we’re going to discuss in this article. However, there are other applications of coco peat too. For example, coco peat can be used as a component in insulation during construction projects.
In gardening, it can be used in a variety of ways. It can be used in hydroponic gardening as a growing medium. It can also be mixed into potting soil to provide nutrients and drainage for potted plants. You can also use it by itself as a growing medium for potted plants.
One of the main reasons we love using coco peat as a growing medium in gardening is that you can reuse it. While we dont recommend reusing potting soil season after season, with proper care coco peat can be reused time and time again.
To reuse coco peat season after season you need to rinse it in between use. Simply rinse the coco peat and let air dry before putting away for safekeeping or reusing again.
Coco peat is naturally rich in nutrients that will help boost plant growth. Nutrients like potassium, zinc, iron, and manganese are all present naturally in coco peat.
If you’re using coco peat as a growing medium by itself, you’ll still want to use a fertilizer to supplement all these naturally occurring nutrients. However, adding coco peat as a mix into potting soil can help give your plants the extra vitamin boost it needs to thrive.
One of the main uses for coco peat is to mix into potting soil to give soil both drainage and aeration. Lack of drainage is a common problem for both house plants and in container gardening.
Coco peat is a light and airy medium, which helps prevent soil from getting too compacted and retaining too much moisture after watering your plants. This helps prevent root rot and a myriad of other issues that comes with perpetually moist roots.
The lightness of coco peat also helps bring air to the roots of your plants, which may not sound like a good thing, but it is. This aeration is healthy for roots and will help them thrive!
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A plant humidifier can help many types of plants thrive during drier months. There are some types of plants that need higher levels of humidity than the average plant though.
Today we’re covering both our top pick for plant humidifiers, and a few varieties of plants that would really benefit from extra humidity from a plant humidifier.
Looking for a full comparison on plant humidifiers? Check out our plant humidifiers buyer’s guide for more information.
Humidifiers can be bought at big box stores like Walmart, Target, etc. However you may not find the seleciton that you need to add humidity to your entire room. Often these humidifiers are small and can only support a small radius around the unit.
Amazon has a large selection of humidifiers that plants will benefit from. You can find a range of capacities and features, allowing you to select the unit that exactly suits your needs. Keep reading for our top pick of humidifiers below!
After searching high and low, our top pick for plant humidifiers is the Levoit humidifier. This warm and cool mist ultrasonic humidifier has multiple humidity levels and a long run time. Its capacity is up to 6L (1. 59 gals), so depending on the size you need you may want to size up or down to cover the appropriate area in your home.
Not all plants require the same levels of humidity. While many plants will benefit from a plant humidifier during drier seasons, some plants will benefit year round and thrive in higher humidity environments.
Fiddle leaf figs are notoriously hard to care for. They’re super finnicky for many reasons aside from humidity. However, adding humidity in your home can benefit fiddle leaf figs.
Fiddle leaf figs are tropical plants, which means in nature they’re found in high heat and humidity areas. While you cant recreate the rainforest in your home, you can help supplement dry air with a plant humidifier.
Monsteras are another plant from the tropics. Similar to fiddle leaf figs, this plant will benefit greatly from extra humidity. Signs of low humidity for this plant can include the edges of the leaves curling or browning.
Ferns love moisture in multiple forms. In their soil, on their leaves, and in the air. Ferns enjoy their roots being watered frequently. You can also mist their leaves regularly to add moisture to the plant. And of course, another way to add moisture is to use a plant humidifier.
Carnivorous plants like the Venus fly trap typically grow in low country areas like North Carolina where humidity is naturally very high. They’ll greatly benefit from the extra humidity that you’d get from a plant humidifier.
Air plants are typically low maintenance plants, but they’ll benefit from added moisture. To water air plants, we recommend soaking in water for several minutes rather than just spritzing with water. Additionally, Adding extra humidity to their room will help them thrive.
Symptoms of low humidity in a plant can be somewhat difficult to identify. They often manifest themselves in ways that under watering would. Some plants will show low humidity in their leaves. The edges could start browning, others may just look droopy.
We recommend using a plant humidifier regardless of the type of plant you have. Most plants will benefit from increased humidity at certain points in the year. Winter months are particularly dry and can wreak havoc on more sensitive plants. Adding humidity to your home can help them perk up and weather the drier months.
While adding a humidifier is the most efficient way to increase humidity, it is not the only way.
One alternative is to group your plants into the same area. By grouping your plants they’ll actually help humidify the air around them. The effect will be small, but it could help nudge your plants along in their growth.
Another alternative is to create a humidity tray for your plants. To create a humidity tray, make a bed of gravel on a tray and add water. Place your plants on top of this tray and as the water evaporates this will add humidity into the air. This effect, like the grouping method, will be slight. However it can help add a little extra humidity into the air for your plants.
Many often think that misting their plant’s leaves adds humidity into the air for their plants. While is does add moisture, it only stays in the air for a few minutes, and wont really have a lasting effect on the humidity levels for your plants. There are other benefits to misting your plant’s leaves, but the humidity won’t significantly change from this method.
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