If you want to replace plants in some of the pots, you have a few options: 

  1. Sow new seeds. Make sure the new plants get enough light
  2. Use cuttings from other plants
  3. Transplant store-bought plants to avoid waiting for new plants to grow


Read more on starting over in all of the pots.

 

Option 1: Sow new seeds

Change the soil and sow new seeds

Used soil often contains old nutrients and roots, and has an incorrect pH balance that can affect germination and growth. Feel free to experiment with reusing it, but we recommend new soil for the best germination. Get new coconut soil here.

Empty and clean the pots before adding new soil and sowing seeds (check out how to sow for the best result).


Make sure the new plants get enough light

The new plants must get enough light. Place the new pots straight below the plant light and lower the light bar. Make sure that larger, established plants don’t overshadow the new ones.

Newly sown seeds in the pots in the middle. We’ve lowered the light slightly to ensure that they get enough light. The light should be lowered even further than in the picture, and make sure that the surrounding plants don’t overshadow the new ones.


Larger plants will grow towards the light and may stretch over the newly sown pots. Trim or thin the larger plants to ensure that the new seedlings get enough light.


Set Auk to the correct plant phase
If you only change two pots, you can set Auk to phase 3, and it will go its course as usual. 

If you change four pots, set your Auk to phase 2, and it will give slightly less water and nutrients. Check whether the larger plants are getting enough water; if not, add some water, and if they become too dry, you can switch to phase 3 instead.

 

Option 2: Use cuttings 

You can kickstart by using cuttings – see video here. Cuttings are simply cut-off sections of another plant. You can stick the cuttings straight into the soil.

It may take time for the cuttings to develop roots and start to grow. As soon as they grow new leaves, they’ll need a lot of light, so make sure the other plants don’t overshadow them.

Tips for success with 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. 
  • Turn off the light for the first few days. Cuttings might dry out if they get too much light in the beginning, as they take time to create new roots.

Option 3: Transplant other, potted herbs in some of the pots

You can transplant other, potted herbs (store-bought ones) into some of the pots. This often works well since they will be the same size as the other, grown plants.

  1. Take the plants out of their pots. Tip: cut the box open to protect the plants and roots.
  2. Put them in an Auk pot. If it’s tricky to fit them in, either squeeze them together or break up the soil. Try to protect the roots as much as possible.
  3. Add some coconut soil (available here) if there is space in the pot. This allows the soil to make contact with the water in the base plate, which is very important.
  4. Let the Auk continue in the phase it is in (phase 5 for grown plants).

At first, the store-bought plants might "fall over" from the shock of being transplanted. Don’t worry, they’ll soon recover.

 

Good luck with your new plants! :)