Pruning is an essential task in maintaining your garden and should be performed as frequently as possible (every few days would be ideal).
Plants will want to grow very quickly towards the light. Instead of extending the grow bar it is usually better to trim the plant which will promote bushier (sideways) growth. You will find that your harvest size will increase and your totam planter will look more beautiful at the same time.
Where to cut #
Pruning is very simple when you are comfortable with finding where to cut.
Most plants grow symmetrically, with leaves in sets of two either side of the stem. Simply find a node and cut above it, you will see that two leaves have already started forming from it, or will shortly after. Each leaf becomes a new stem and each new stem can be pruned similarly.
Below is a diagram to show where to cut (source: backyardgardenclub.org)
Dominant Plants #
Totam is a compact system, and although plants should be encouraged to overlap, the amount should be limited to prevent fast growing plants from dominating. You can use your own judgment for this, if plants are visibly over dominating, prune them back.
Plant Care #
Pollination #
Flowering and fruiting plants may need pollination; the most common example being tomato plants. When their yellow flowers open they need to be pollinated in order for the flowers to turn into tomatoes.
To pollinate a plant you can use the brush provided to gently move the flower and release the pollen. Scan the QR code at the front of this manual for more guidance.
Water Quality #
Your plants take nutrients from the water and leave any nutrients that they don’t want or need. Over time the concentration of unwanted nutrients will build and can reach a level that has a negative impact on plant health.
To counteract this, empty the tank fully once a month and refill with fresh nutrient solution.
Tap water can contain large amounts of dissolved solids which can prevent plants taking up certain nutrients. If your plants continue to show signs of poor health, try using reverse osmosis or distilled water with the provided nutrients.
Indoor Temperature #
Plants generally prefer to be at room temperature, so avoid placing your totam planter in hot or cold spots in the home.
Transplanting #
When plants become too big for totam planter, it is advised to transplant them. Totam Go accepts plants from totam planter and owed to the fact that it uses a similar watering solution, it is the safest way to transplant without common issues such as plant shock.
Plants can also be transplanted to indoor or outdoor pots with soil or other grow mediums, take care to not change the conditions too drastically to avoid your plants going into shock.