Grow Accessories: Propagators, Feeds, Shears & Drying Racks

Say you're two days out from a seed delivery. Tent's up, light's hung, and the shelf next to it is empty. The order we'd buy in is propagation first, feed second, cutting and training tools third, and the drying rack last, because you won't need it for two months. Here's how the shelf splits up.

From Coco Plug to Fabric Pot

The Coco Germination Plugs are compressed coir that swell around 40% when you soak them, and they smell like wet forest floor while they do it. Six of them drop straight into the slots of the Zamnesia Seed Propagator, and the vented clear lid holds humidity in while light still reaches the seedlings. If you're getting both anyway, take the Seed Propagation Bundle instead of the propagator on its own, since it's the same two items already matched. Plagron covers the same ground with its Seedbox Germination Kit and Seedbooster Plus, and there are Feminized and Autoflower Starter Bundles if you'd rather have seeds and starting gear in one go. We also stock an infrared Mushroom Heat Mat and deionised water for mushroom grows, both cultivation gear rather than seed kit. After the seedling stage: a transplanter pot, a geotextile fabric pot for airflow around the roots, or a wall planter when the floor is full. Then label everything. Wooden pot markers, the exclusive markers, and plain labelling stickers all beat guessing which plant is which in week five.

Grow Feed, Bloom Feed, and the Buddy Packs

A grow feed carries the plant through leaf and stem building. A bloom feed takes over once flowers set. A booster goes on top of either one for a specific job, like the Zamnesia Monster Buds line: PK 13-14 for the flowering push, Max Yield as a bloom stimulator, Max Flavour for terpene and resin work. Plagron and Biobizz do the base bottles, Terra Grow, Alga Grow, Alga Bloom, Bio Grow, Bio Bloom, plus Calmag, Power Roots, Pure Zym and Green Sensation, and Monster Bud Mix Living Soil or a Coco Brick 10L handles what's in the pot. Watch out for the label warnings on the concentrates. Max Yield sits at pH 4.7, so gloves on and keep it away from your eyes, and stick to the dosing on the bottle you bought rather than stacking three boosters at once. The Buddy Packs are a different approach: 18 single sachets of weighed companion plant seed plus four mixes called SCARE, DEFENDER, STEALTH and NUTRIENT. Borage, red and white clover, and alfalfa work on nutrients in the soil. Marigold deters beetles, leaf hoppers, and the bad nematodes. The herbs, basil, coriander, dill, chervil, peppermint, lemon balm, lavender, chamomile, and yarrow, mask scent and pull pollinators in. They're plants you sow alongside your crop, so they take time to establish and won't rescue a plant that's already in trouble.

Shears, Clips, Timers, and the Rack at the End

Professional pruning shears do the general work, leaf cutter shears handle sugar leaves, and the Bud Cutter Bonsai gets into tight spots. Add gardening or latex gloves, a measuring cup, and the ultra fine misting bottle. For training, the Royal Queen Seeds LST clips bend a branch flat instead of cutting it, which keeps the canopy even. Our 2-pack rope ratchet hangers run 2.5 m with nickel-plated buckles and hold up to 68 kg, so a filter or light stays where you put it, unlike basic rope and a hook that slowly sags. Velcro cable ties, the FanGuard silicone connector, and cotton filter sleeves in 100mm and 150mm tidy up the ducting side of the tents, lights and fans. For climate, there's a large screen thermo-hygrometer, the Vanguard Hydroponics digital hygrotemp, a VDL analog timer, a 24h plug-in timer, pH test strips, and Toshiba AA and AAA batteries for the gear that needs them. The herb drying rack closes the whole thing out.

Buying three things and nothing else? Plugs, a propagator, and one decent pair of shears. Buy the drying rack before you need it, because the alternative is coat hangers and a bad week.