Preventing Green Algae On Your Plants And In Your Gardyn

Are you seeing a green build-up on your yCubes and/or inside your Gardyn? This is most likely algae. Depending on where you see algae and how much is there, it can contribute to other challenges with Gardyn health, so it helps to address it early if you see it.

While a little algae does not pose a threat to you or your plants, it could - over time and in larger quantities - make it difficult for new sprouts to compete, invite unwelcome pests to your Gardyn, and upset the balance of pH in your system. An overabundance of algae can negatively impact the health and growth of your plants.

Algae grows when it comes into contact with light, nutrients, and water, so it can easily form once you’ve added plant food to your Gardyn system.

Algae most commonly grows on top of the rockwool in yCubes, in yPods, and in your Gardyn's columns.

To prevent algae from growing inside your device, the easiest thing you can do is regularly add our plant-based water treatment solution, HydroBoost.

HydroBoost helps prevent and reduce unwanted algae, biofilm, nutrient, and salt deposits within your device so you can enjoy a cleaner Gardyn, healthier plants, and less frequent whole-device cleanings!

To prevent algae from forming on the outer surface of yCubes, you must remove one of the sources the algae needs to survive. The easiest one to control is light.

These stylish silicone inserts come in multiple colors, and fit perfectly on your yCubes to block light from creating algae on the rockwool's surface. yCovers help improve your plants' health and growth while keeping your Gardyn clean.

Plants are ready for yCovers when they're ready for plant food, which means they have true leaves and you've thinned the sprouts.

You can still add the yCover, as it will help reduce the algae's growth once it starts blocking the light. If you prefer, you can also remove the algae first by gently rubbing it away under running water. Just be mindful not to damage your plant, or compress the rockwool.

Remove yCovers only if they're blocking or inhibiting the growth of the plant in some way. If this is happening, your plant is typically large enough to naturally shade its own rockwool and help prevent algae growth.

If you have any spaces where you don't want to place a yCube, be sure to cover them with Gardyn Caps. These help prevent anything unwanted from entering, or in algae's case, growing, inside your device.

Refreshing your tank at least monthly is one of the best things you can do to keep your Gardyn device and plants healthy. If you're really wanting to clean your Gardyn, consider a quarterly Light Cleaning to sterilize your Gardyn - though if you're using HydroBoost, you can skip this!

Questions? Reach us at support@mygardyn.com, or chat with us! We're here to help.