You have various options when you want to restart your Auk with new plants:
- Sow new seeds
- Use cuttings from other plants
- Transplant potted herbs (like store-bought ones) to avoid waiting for new ones to grow
Read more about starting over in just some of the pots.
Option 1: Sow new seeds
Used soil often contains old nutrients and roots, and has an incorrect pH balance that can affect germination and growth. We recommend new soil for the best possible growth. You can buy new coconut soil here.
Step by step:
- Empty the pots and clean the pots and base plate.
- Add new coconut soil to the pots and sow your seeds.
- Set your Auk back to plant phase 1 by pressing the 1-button for about 5 seconds.
Option 2: Use cuttings
You can also kickstart your growth using cuttings, as shown in this video. Cuttings are simply cut-off parts of another plant. Many cuttings can be put straight into the soil.
Tips for successful cuttings:
- Remove large leaves, leaving only small ones on the cuttings.
- Make sure to cover the nodes in the soil – that's where new roots grow. The nodes are the points on the stem where the leaves grow out; remove the leaves on the nodes that will be covered by soil.
- Make sure there's plenty of moisture. If needed, you can add extra water around the cuttings.
- Turn off the light for the first few days. Cuttings might dry out if they get a lot of light at the start, as they take some time to make new roots.
The key to successful cuttings is for the plants to grow roots. Some plants do this easily, others don’t, so you’ll have to experiment. If the cuttings die when you put them straight into the soil, next time - try putting them in a glass of water until they develop a few centimeters of roots before planting.
Option 3: Transplant other herbs, e.g. store-bought potted herbs
You can transplant other plants into your Auk:
- Take the plants out of their pots. Tip: cut open the plastic and try to protect the roots as much as possible - it's the roots that absorb nutrients and water.
- Put them in an Auk pot. If it’s tricky to fit them in, either squeeze them together or break up the soil.
- Add some coconut soil (available here) if there is empty space left in the pot. The soil needs to be in contact with the water in the base plate - this is essential for water uptake.
- Set your Auk to phase 5.
In the beginning, these plants will typically "fall over" from the shock of repotting. Don’t worry, they’ll soon recover :)
An Auk with store-bought plants transplanted. Store-bought plants are often made to grow fast, so they are not always as strong. But it usually works well!
Good luck with your new plants 🌱