Salad On A Plate

Fancy a sideline in something delicious for your table? How about a ready and abundant supply of fresh salads or herbs using one of your existing AutoPot module trays? For a minimal outlay and a few minutes set up time you can adapt a 1Pot, easy2grow, or 1Pot XL tray to give you all of the above. Keen to show you how it’s done we’ve had AQUAplate back on trial at HQ.

In a sense AQUAplate is the very essence of back-to-basics growing. A little innovation that gives the plants just what they need to produce copiously. For both you, the gardener, and us, the creators, it’s a ridiculously simple spin on AutoPot that hits the spot every time it’s revisited. When you’re surveying your growing space, admiring your diabolical successes and feats of delicate ingenuity, AQUAplate is where your eye alights and delights in the pleasure of how simple it can all be. Basil, watercress, dill, chives, mint, parsley, rocket, spinach, and any number of salad leaves, come ye all, and get plentiful! Growing hungry? Let’s step up to the plate. It’s set up time.

Arrange your reservoir, pipework, AQUAvalve, and tray as usual with the reservoir turned off. Pop the root control PotSock (supplied with the AQUAplate kit) into your module tray gold face up. Now slot your young plants into the neoprene collars included with the kit. Fit those collars into the mesh pots supplied. If you prefer, rooted plant plugs can be used in place of the collars. The planted-up mesh pots are placed into the AQUAplate itself.

The AQUAplate then simply drops into the module tray, sitting in the rim (in place of your usual pot) with roots hanging directly in water and nutrient solution beneath. This time around we’re running GreenPlanet Dual Fuel at an EC of 2.0 with pH to 5.8 but we’ve tried all kinds of mineral and organic feeds to great effect. Gird your loins because once you switch your reservoir on that direct access to feed causes an absolute sensation with the aforementioned plant types. Our recent test has had the AutoPot villagers (staff) carting peppery watercress off the premises and home to their delighted kin. Seems mad that we pay them as well.

Be your tray 1Pot, easy2grow, or XL we have an AQUAplate for you in the, literal, shape of AQUAplate Square or Circle. The seamless integration that AQUAplate affords you saves time, expense and allows you to grow even more of what you love with minimal attendance required. As you’re able to bring your AQUAvalve-equipped module trays to this party you are, as ever with AutoPot, growing without the need for power or running water – ideal for holiday watering and feeding. Just pack a decent pair of shears for when you get back.