I’m a long time user and interested in possibly switching to the new pro plant pods. I’d like a little more information from those who have used them. We only grow herbs – basil, cilantro, parsley, etc. I’ve been thinking we might need to replace the wicks because in recent months, our plants have grown less lustrous and it seems like we’re going through more pods because we’re not getting as much growth. It looks like the pro pods might be a good solution, but I have a couple questions.
First, do these also have a wick that needs to be replaced? It sounds like the water needs to be kept at specific level; I assume this means it does not cover the actual cup itself?
When you replace the pods, do you clip all the roots before pulling it out and disposing of the pod soil?
It would be nice to see a video of how the pods work, and what other users do and what they think before we go ahead and buy them.
You need wicks. The cups work exactly the same as the regular ones, but they let the roots grow out into the water after sprouting. This means you need to clean the water and the whole base more often but plants that need more time to grow and have a lot of roots grow better. This is most evident with fruiting plants.
I would suggest just getting new wicks wit your plant selection. Cheaper and easier.
As much as I have tested the pro-cup is suitable for every plant and is the biggest game changer when growing greens and fruiting plants.
Pro-cups come with lids, wicks, and domes. So if you only want to change the wicks I recommend buying the wicks only. But it might be a good idea to experiment with the pro-cups because it will give better yields and keep plants alive longer. The pro-cups have slits in the plastic so the roots can grow freely into water.
You can also try washing/cleaning the wicks. I use food vinegar mixed with hot water to clean them from algae, root residues, and calcium and magnesium (carbonate) salts. There’s quite hard water in my location. Some use hydrogen peroxide solution too. It might help with cleaning the wicks, but at some point, the wicks lose their water-wicking properties, and it is not recommended to keep them in pods when no pods are inserted. All these things affect the quality.
Yes, you can clip the roots growing out of the wicks. Or with pro-cups, you can try to save some of those roots if you plan on keeping the plants alive longer.
I understand you would like to see a video of how the pro-cup works right, not the pod itself?
Roots tend to grow towards the water and that’s the beauty of it. The pro-cup will still have the wick attached to have sufficient water uptake.
@Debora Do the pro cups require new domes or do the old ones work as well. If the old ones work, is it possible to get the cups without the domes? I mean no need to have plenty of those domes and not way to use it… and throwing them away is also a bit… well wasteful.
