iHarvest Assembly Instructions

iHarvest® Assembly Directions

Iharvest Hydroponic Indoor Gardening System

 

Warning:

*Read all instructions carefully before operating the unit

*Do not leave small children unattended around the iHarvest®.  It could be a drowning hazard.

*Unit must be mounted against a wall or similar support.  Unit may cause injury or death without being secured to a wall.

*The iHarvest® is intended for indoor use only.

*Never plug any cables into an outlet with wet hands, or when the surrounding area is wet.

*Ensure there are no damaged or missing parts before operating.

*Do not use the unit if the power cord or plug becomes damaged

*Mixing pH supplements or nutrients with your bare hands is likely to cause skin irritation.  Wear gloves or wash your hands immediately after using pH supplements or nutrients.

 

Welcome:

Whether you are new to hydroponics or you’ve done this before, iHarvest® is designed to be the easiest and most beautiful gardening system you will ever assemble, operate and maintain.  It is also designed to provide an attractive wall of fresh, healthy fruits & vegetables for you, your friends and your family to enjoy.  The iHarvest® takes up very little floor space, giving you the ability to grow vegetables where you live.  You are about to reap the rewards of beautiful, healthy fruits and vegetables all year long.

 

Overview of the iHarvest®:

 

iHarvest Parts

 

Packing List:

Within your two iHarvest® Boxes, you will find the following items:

  • Reservoir (Quantity 1)
  • Reservoir Cover (Quantity 1)
  • Access Cover (Quantity 1)
  • Funnel Section (Quantity 1)
  • 6-Pot Units (Quantity 5)
  • Trellis (Quantity 6)
  • Shower Section (Quantity 1)
  • Top Cover (Quantity 1)
  • Plastic Double Nozzle (Quantity 1)
  • LED Lights (Quantity 2)
  • LED Light Stands (Quantity 2)
  • LED Light Bases and Bolts (Quantity 2)
  • Pump (Quantity 1)
  • Hose (Quantity 1)
  • pH/EC Tester (Quantity 1)
  • 15-Minute Timer (Quantity 1)
  • 15 or 30-Minute Timer (Quantity 1)
  • Net Cups (Quantity 35)
  • Filter Sock (Quantity 1)
  • Metal Latch (Quantity 1)
  • Screw (Quantity 1)
  • Plastic Mesh in Shape of Funnel Section and two long plastic bolts

Installation:

iHarvest® Location:

  1. The iHarvest® must be placed against a wall for stability.
  2. The iHarvest® is for indoor use only.
  3. Place the iHarvest® in proximity of an electrical outlet
  4. Place your iHarvest® in a location that is level. If not level, some of your plants will not get the proper amount of nutrients, and leaks are also possible.

 

Assembly:

Reservoir and Pump:

  1. Unpack all materials from the box, and make sure that the reservoir unit is empty
  2. Place the reservoir unit upright on the ground, in the approximate area of final installation (Remember, the iHarvest® must be placed indoors, in a position where its back can be secured against a wall.)
  3. Unpack the water pump
  4. Take one of the 16mm coupling nozzles out of the pump packaging and screw the nozzle into the pump
  5. Remove the tubing from the iHarvest® packaging, and attach it to the nozzle on the pump. Ensure the tubing slides down the nozzle as far as possible.  The tubing has a very tight fit so that it does not become loose.  A very small amount of cooking oil can help you attach the tube to the nozzle.  Squeezing the nozzle into the tubing at an angle also helps.
  6. Uncoil the pump’s electrical cord, and pass the electrical cord through the electrical cord slot in the reservoir (Do not plug in the unit).

         

  1. Place the water pump at the bottom of the reservoir, in the center of the reservoir. Use the suction cups to attach the pump to the bottom of the reservoir.

Body:

  1. Unpack the wall section of your iHarvest®
  2. Place the Funnel section on top of the reservoir
  3. Place the mesh padding on top of the funnel section. Then screw the mesh padding in place with two IGWorks fastening pins provided.

   4. Pull the tubing through the small hole on the right side of the Funnel         section.

     5.  Place a Trellis piece into the Funnel section (There is an arrow on the back of the trellis section. The arrow should point up when placed in the iHarvest®).

      6. Place a 6-Pot Unit on top of the Funnel section

      7. Place another Trellis piece on top of the 6-Pot Unit section

      8. Place the 4 additional 6-Pot Unit sections and trellis sections on alternatively, one at a time. Each time you stack an additional 6-Pot unit on top, pull the tubing up further so that it will not be at the bottom when you are done stacking the units.

 

Shower System:

  1. Remove the second 16mm coupling nozzle from the pump packaging, and place this coupler on the end of the hose located at the top of the 6-Pot Units. The tubing has a very tight fit so that it does not become loose.  A very small amount of cooking oil can help you attach the tube to the nozzle.  Squeezing the nozzle into the tubing at an angle also helps.
  2. Placing the threaded side of the coupling nozzle through the center of the shower system, screw the plastic double nozzle on top.

 

3. Slide the shower system on top of the 6-Pot Sections.

4. Carefully push the iHarvest® against the wall to the its final location, ensuring that the planter sections do not fall over.

5. Find the notch in the shower system at the top of the unit. Mark the wall where the center of the Metal Latch will be.

6. Screw the screw into the wall where the center of the notch is. This protects the iHarvest® and its users from the iHarvest® falling over.  Do not operate the iHarvest® without placing this screw in the wall, and later fastening the iHarvest® to the wall.

7. Place the Metal Latches hole over the screw, and slide it down so that it secures the iHarvest® to the wall.

8. Loosen or tighten the screw so that your iHarvest® stands up straight, and does not lean forward or back.

9. Place the top cover on top of the shower system

 

Pump Timer:

  1. Set the water-resistant 15-minute timer so that one pin is down, followed by 3 pins up. This sets the timer to 15 minutes on and 45 minutes off.  Use can a thin, flat-head screwdriver to push down on a single tab at a time.  Pushing down on a tab, will turn the pump on for 15 minute intervals.  Some timers come with a switch that can be switched between “ON” and “Timer”.  Make sure the timer is set to the “Timer” position, so that it is not always on.
  2. Ensure the surrounding area, the plug and your hands are dry.
  3. Plug the pump into the single outlet timer.
  4. Set the pump timer into the resting spot behind the iHarvest®.

 

Lights:

  1. Remove the light stands and bases from their boxes, and follow the directions included with the light stands.
  2. Once complete, ensure the surrounding area, the plug and your hands are dry.
  3. Plug the flat side of the LED light cords into the bottom of the LED lights
  4. Attach the lights with brackets to the metal stands in a position that will allow the lights to light the entire vertical planting area.

 

Lighting Timer:

  1. Set the 30-minute increment timer to be continuously on for 16 hours. You can choose a different schedule for the iHarvest® lights, but you will want your plants to have at least 8 hours of rest from light.
    1. Note: When the iHarvest® is first put into use, the strong LED lights will produce glare against the white surface.  This will go away as your plants grow.  If you are concerned with having glare in the evenings (especially during short winter days), set the lighting timer with two outlets to come on early in the morning and have it turn off before darkness.  You can re-adjust this later if you’d like.
  2. Ensure the surrounding area, the plug and your hands are dry.
  3. Slide the pronged sides of the LED light cords underneath the iHarvest® (pictured above).
  4. Plug the LED light cords into the dual outlet timer.
  5. Set the LED timer into its resting spots behind the iHarvest®, on the opposite side of the pumps timer.

 

Final Set-Up:

  1. Insert the mesh filter into the filter slot, inside the slot in the center of the reservoir
  2. Set the dial on the water pump to the lowest setting. If needed, you can increase the pressure later.
  3. Place the net cups into the growing slots
  4. Fill your iHarvest® with water. Do not fill the water to any level above the top of the filter.
  5. Place the reservoir cover on the reservoir, but leave the smaller access cover to the side.

 

Testing Your iHarvest®:

  1. Again, ensure the surrounding area, the plug and your hands are dry. Plug the timers into the wall.
  2. Make sure that the pump turns on and off every 15 minutes as it should, and make sure the lights turn on and off on the schedule you’ve chosen.
  3. The pump may turn on immediately, or it may require up to 15 minutes. Make sure that water is fed to the top of the iHarvest®, where it reaches the shower system and drains into each of the holes above your pots.  It is expected for this area to fill up with water, and excess water may fall over the internal corner edges and back down into the reservoir.  Your pump can be adjusted to increase the flow of water if necessary.

*Note: Your iHarvest will be significantly louder than usual during initial operation.  Adding plants will reduce the noise level.  Then, as plants begin to grow roots, water will glide down the roots internally and the noise will become gentle and soothing.

 

Growing Plants with Your iHarvest®:

Sprouting Plants:

  • Plants should be sprouted in the media provided. Dampen the media and place it in a plastic container with lid or plastic wrap covering it.  You may plant 2-3 seeds in each piece of media, but only allow one sprout to grow for each piece of media (otherwise overcrowding will occur).  The seedlings like to be kept in a warm, damp environment.  As soon as germination occurs, place the media in a net pot, and place the net pot in your iHarvest® with pump turned on.
    1. While sprouting plants in the iHarvest® is possible, you will have much better success sprouting them as described above.

Lighting:

  • Once your seeds have sprouted, they will need lots of light. Placing the lights iHarvest® lights close to the seedlings while making sure that each seedling is well lit will promote strong growth.  It will also help your seedlings become stocky, strong plants rather than long and stringy as they try to reach to find stronger light.

Measuring PH:

  • To make sure your water is the proper pH, use the enclosed pH meter, and make sure your pH is between 5.5 and 7.0. pH outside of this range can be adjusted by purchasing pH Up and pH down at your local hydroponics shop, or online.  Some vegetables prefer higher or lower pH.  Information regarding optimal pH balances for different hydroponically grown vegetables can be found by reading our blogs at IGWorks.com.

Measuring PPM:

  • PPM is a measure of the diluted nutrients in your water supply. These nutrients are essential for growing plants in your iHarvest®.  Hit the shift button on your EC/PPM meter until it says ‘PPM’ on the screen.  Then slowly add nutrients until your meter shows a reading of ~800.  This level is optimal for seedlings.  Make sure to stir the nutrients (or allow the pump to run for 15 minutes), to ensure the nutrients are properly diluted and dispersed before measuring.  Some vegetables prefer higher or lower EC levels.  Information regarding optimal EC levels for different hydroponically grown vegetables can be found by reading our blogs at IGWorks.com.

 

IHarvest® Maintenance:

  1. Mineral deposits may accumulate on your tower garden. A damp towel will usually wipe them off just fine.  In extreme cases, a mix of baking soda, water and a drop of dish soap can be used with a rag to easily wipe off these deposits.
  2. Check your water filter every month. The water filters can be washed and are reusable.  Replace them as necessary.
  3. Make sure to trim roots that fall into your water filter, so that they do not block the flow of water through the filter. Trimming of roots will also make sure that they do not clog the pump over time.
  4. Occasionally check the shower system. Make sure that the holes have not become clogged.  If they have, you can remove buildup of fertilizer or plant material using a toothpick.
  5. The iHarvest® contains a filter, which limits the amount of cleaning necessary. However, when desired, you may:
    1. Discharge water from your iHarvest® using a siphon pump or by detaching the hose from the pump. Make sure the pump will not turn on while doing this, as it can result in a mess.  Attach a second hose to the pump.  The hose may drain water to a bucket (make sure the bucket will not overflow), nearby sink, or outdoor garden.  Consider removing most, but not all of the water from your system.  This is because keeping the pump submerged while in use will extend its life.
    2. When disassembling the iHarvest®, remember to remove the latch rom the center of the shower system.