Wicks are the little white sticks that transfer water from the tank to the plant pod.
Wicks are generally very long lasting and do not need to be changed unless you are experiencing issues with them.
Plant pods not receiving water?
If you find that your plants are not getting any water, the following information should be of help.
If the wick is too high it might have trouble getting the water. If it is too low, then it might not reach the soil. Make sure that the wick is in the right position and fits the tube it sits in perfectly. You can see an image of the correct placements for Smart Herb Garden and Smart Garden below:
Some of our newer plastic cups do not have the tube included, as we are constantly looking to produce less plastic. In this case, simply make sure that the top of the wick is level with the inside of the plastic cup.
Sometimes, water is not transmitted even if the wick is in the correct position. This may be due to hard water build-up or root matter growing through the wicks. It's worth a shot to soak the wicks in a warm and mild food vinegar solution to help dissolve the limescale. However, if that does not help, you should replace the wicks with new ones. For this you would need to remove the wick from the tube - you can just pop it out with a pencil or another thin object and then insert new ones.
If you need any help on how to exactly change the wicks in your plastic cup, then we've got a nifty guide for you here:
New wicks are available on our spare parts page:
https://clickandgrow.com/collections/smart-garden-replacement-parts
How to make the wicks last longer?
To make sure your wicks stay working for as long as possible, there are two things that you should keep in mind.
Do not leave any empty cups in the garden
If the cup is empty and there is no soil to receive the water, the wicks may clog up quicker. After removing a plant, we would recommend adding a new one immediately.
If you wish to keep one of the cavities empty, we suggest you remove the cup from the garden and cover the hole so no light would reach directly to the water tank.
Fill you garden to fully each time you water it
Unless you are experiencing mold or algae* in your garden, we would recommend keeping the water level topped up to preserve the wicks as long as possible. We have found that wicks last longer if they are always at least half-way immersed in the water.
* You can find more information about mold and algae in your garden here.