Worth knowing after setting up your farm
With your farm successfully set up, your plants are perfectly prepared for the start of the germination phase. The homefarm offers a range of useful functions, so the following information will be particularly helpful for you.
The following topics are described briefly and precisely here:
1. Why do the LED bars flash?
2. How does the push notification for the water level on my smartphone work?
3. How should I set the height of the LED bars?
4. Which lighting schedule should be chosen?
5. How do I use the liquid nutrients after setup?
6. How should the plant capsules and microgreen pads be stored?
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1. Why do the LED bars flash?
The built-in water level sensors measure the water level and flash every
15-20 seconds when there is too little water and it therefore needs topping up. Each of the three plant rows of the homefarm has a water level sensor fitted behind the metal plate.
2. How does the push notification for the water level on my smartphone work?
The push notifications are sent to your phone at eight-hour intervals. That means that as soon as the sensor detects a low water level, the first message is sent to your phone after 8 hours. For the notifications to be sent, it is important to grant the urbanhive app notification permission.
3. How should I set the height of the LED bars?
The right position of the LED bars is crucial for growing successfully with your homefarm. Too close to the lights, plants can suffer "sunburn" and scorch. If the distance is too great, the light conditions are not optimal and the plants put their energy into growing tall. That means the main shoots grow towards the energy source (leggy growth). As a result less leaf mass develops and the harvest is smaller. So adjust the LED bars regularly to the growth of your plants and group plants of similar height in one plant box for perfect light conditions. Especially with newly inserted plant capsules, the LED units should be as low as possible to encourage optimal growth.
4. Which lighting schedule should be chosen?
We recommend a lighting time of 16 hours a day. It is also important to give the plants a rest phase / dark phase to regenerate, since important processes take place during this phase. The rest phase should therefore not take place during the day but at night, without any additional light. An optimal period is between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
5. Using the liquid nutrients
To support your plants optimally, make sure they get enough nutrients. Use our carefully selected liquid nutrients, which contain important natural elements such as nitrogen, phosphate, potassium oxide and trace elements. Add the nutrients when inserting new plant capsules and every time you top up the water.
6. How should the plant capsules and microgreen pads be stored?
Store your plant capsules and microgreens in a dry, dark place. Under these conditions they usually keep for about a year, as the germination capacity of the seeds is preserved. Unsuitable storage, however, can reduce the seeds' germination capacity.
If anything is unclear or you have specific questions, you can contact our support team at any time (happy@urbanhive.de).