AeroGarden Seed Starter Refill Pack

Terrific refill kit. I've tried some generic versions and they worked well, but I had to trim the sponges to get them to fit. These are a perfect fit! So convenient. The description references packets, but you get the little nutrient jar in the picture.There's nothing to it. Thoroughly clean out your garden. Wet the sponge, add in 4-5 seeds, pop it in the plastic holder (or the seed starter), and put it in the Aerogarden. Add 2 capfuls of the nutrients to a gallon of water and pour that in. That's it.I've had great success with both Aerogarden's nutrients, and General Hydroponics Flora Grow, Bloom, Micro Combo Fertilizer set, 1 Quart (Pack of 3). The Aerogarden one is easier. Add two capfuls. That's it. With GH, it's slightly more complicated. Add 1 teaspoon of Micro to your gallon. Add a little water and swish and rinse the measuring cup. IF your plants are past the 2 week point, then add 1 teaspoon of Grow. Add a little water and swish and rinse the measuring cup. IF your plants are also flowering plants, then add 1 teaspoon of bloom and finish filling the gallon.I've got 6 gardens in my pantry and they're all about 8-9 years old. The pumps died on 4 of them last year. I was thrilled to find out that I didn't have to buy all new gardens, but just added cheap aquarium pumps in one hole in each of the gardens. It was like $30 for all 4. Niiiiice.

Although there are many substantially cheaper seed sponges available, none work as well as Aerogarden. I’ve tried the others and noticed the material was not nearly as porous as Aerogarden’s. Germination rate was at best 50% while Aerogarden’s are nearly 100%. I use this system extensively in the spring to start a range of plants for the outdoor garden including herbs, flowers and vegetables. Germination is fast and a healthy root system quickly develops which facilitates a successful transplant to the outdoor garden.

I use these with my aerogarden seed starting insert that I have on my Harvest model. They work pretty well, although they do grow a lot of algae... especially when seeds take awhile to germinate. Once the seeds take root, they grow amazingly well and quickly, though. I've tried some of the knockoff brands, and if I can find one that works well I will change to buying that brand, because this brand is so much more expensive than others. It does come with a bottle of nutrients, though, which is helpful... although I have so many of them stocked up since I don't use that much just for seed starting.

I bought these seed starters to help me start seeds for my garden. LOVE THEM!! They are the only way to go when starting seeds. It was so easy to use. The whole system is so worth buying!!

Worked as advertised, only one was broken in the bag

We had mold and algae issues pretty much right off the bat with these refills. We got white/pink mold at the bases of the plant's stalks, and the channels that run the water to the plant's roots were bright green with algae.Our aerogarden was cycled through once with bleach/water and then a second time with vinegar/water between crops. The plastic baskets were also soaked in bleach/water, and the seeds we used have been used in other medium with no problems at all, so the only variable that I can point to as being the mold and algae culprits are these refills.I didn't sterilize them.... for 20 bucks for a bag of inserts and a 3oz bottle of fertilizer, I didn't think I'd have to and it wasn't mentioned anywhere in the instructions that they needed to be sterilized.... but I'll definitely do so the next time around.What did grow grew really well and really quickly. That picture is a crop of thai basil at about three weeks.These are also very expensive for what you get. I think the next time I'm going to try a third party besides aerogarden. Most of the negative reviews for the third party refills mentioned mold and algae so if I'm going to have to sterilize everything before I use it....why pay a premium for the aerogarden logo, right??Three stars instead of two just 'cause the seeds all germinated on the first try and the plants look great. I'm just not sure I actually want to consume them.

These were too long and narrow to fit the regular Aerogarden seed cups. However, by cutting about 1/3 off the end and adding it together as a shim next to the remaining 2/3, I was able to get them to fit snugly and well.I added two of these to my Aerogarden that was growing herbs, along with the 5 mature herb plants. Both (sweet basil and cinnamon basil, from third party sourced seeds) germinated within two days, and have started nicely.The modified sponges have been securely in place for almost a week, and the seedlings are growing straight. I expect that, when the roots grow long, the roots will hold the sponges well, and I have no worries that they will start to slip once the plant is heavier.While I was initially disappointed that these were not designed for the regular-sized pods, this is a simple work-around and a good price for sponges that are designed not to clog the Aerogrow mechanism.

We start seeds in the aerogrow and in regular seed starters right next to each other. The aerogrow plants are sturdier and larger and ready for transplant weeks before the others. If you pull some plants and don't block light from getting into the empty cells you will get algae. We tend to move all of the plants within a short amount of time.