Your Smart Garden comes with a set of white U-shaped lids to cover each plant cup.
We highly recommend keeping the U-shaped lids on at all times.
These lids optimise water consumption by helping to reduce water evaporation from the soil. They also minimise the amount of space between the lid and soil so mold can't thrive. Furthermore, by covering the majority of the soil's surface from the light, they make it more difficult for algae to grow.
The only thing that needs to be removed is the germination dome when the plant grows tall enough to reach the top of the dome.
Also, remember to keep the U-shaped lids, transparent germination domes, and plastic cups as they are reusable!