My Salad Greens are pale and spindly.

Lettuce is known as a "cool season crop", which thrives in cooler temperatures and which will try to go to seed if it gets too warm. When lettuce fails to grow properly or gets spindly it is often trying to do what is known as "bolt", which means that it is trying to send up a flower stalk in order to go to seed.

Lettuce will do this under one of two circumstances: either when it experiences repeated daytime temperatures above 72 degrees, or when it is nearing the end of its natural lifespan. If you are growing lettuce in your AeroGarden, place the Garden in an area of your home that does not regularly get warmer than 72 degrees. Unfortunately, once lettuce has bolted, it will never be short, crisp and bright green again.

Some people like to grow Salad Greens in the cooler months, and then a "warm season crop" like Chili Peppers or Cherry Tomatoes in the warmer months. Also, AeroGrow’s Romaine Seed Kit can withstand higher temperatures (up to about 85 degrees) without bolting.

Another thing that can cause irregular growth of Salad Greens is the type of water you are using in your AeroGarden. The water used in aeroponic gardening needs to fall within a certain range of pH and dissolved-mineral content. Most city water supplies fall within this range and are fine for use in the AeroGarden.However, if you are using well water, softened water (often found in apartment complexes), spring water, or particularly hard water (such as that found in some mountain communities, parts of the desert Southwest and Florida), the dissolved mineral content or pH may be far enough outside the optimal range that it can inhibit both the germination and growth of your plants.

Neither boiling nor filtering water will significantly reduce its mineral content, and remember that water that is excellent for people to drink is not necessarily the best for aeroponic plant growing. Therefore if you are unable to use ordinary city tap water, we recommend that you use inexpensive bottled water labeled “drinking water” or “distilled water” (not “spring water”) instead. These types of water are available at most supermarkets. For more detailed information about water, water filters and water softeners, click here.