What Is a Grow Kit
A grow kit is a set of materials or components that allows you to grow your own plant. Here at MNLGrowkits, we sometimes call this “Plant in a Box” or “A Gift That Grows.”
A complete grow kit should contain everything you need to germinate your seeds and sustain it until the vegetative and / or harvest stage -- the part where you get to reap what you sow.
At the very least, your grow kit must have these components:
- Seeds
- Soil or potting mixture
- Pot or container
- Instruction Manual
- Fertilizer (bonus if your grow kit has this)
- Wooden Plant Markers (bonus if your grow kit has this)
These components are the necessities of every grow kit. Water should be the only thing that you add that isn’t part of the grow kit.
If one of the components are missing, then that means you will need to buy them separately. Make sure you check the components before you buy your grow kits.
A Little Bit of History
As first to offer grow kits that lets you grow your own organic plants in the country, we believe that it has to be well-thought of. Every component has to complement one another.
Since 2015, when we first started, we assumed majority of our customers are first-time growers. Today, we know that over 90% are first-time growers. That is why we continuously make an effort to educate them and help them bring out the green thumb in them.
5 Facts About Our Grow Kits
1) A Product of R&D
Our grow kits are a product of research and development -- from the design of the labels, the packaging, the plants, and the components. These weren’t thrown haphazardly together just to come up with a product.
For example, our soil mixture is specifically formulated to retain moisture and have enough nutrients so you can grow the plants until the vegetative stage. It’s a combination of coconut coir dust, sand, organic fertilizers and other plant enhancing ingredients mixed in specific quantities to make sure you’ll have a successful grow. .
Based on the feedback we get from our customers, we tried different formulations and tested it ourselves to determine if the results we wanted will be achieved. To date, our potting mixture have undergone 7 different formulations.
2) Organic
While this may be a difficult subject to explain in one article, our grow kits are can be considered organic because we do not have (nor advise adding) any harmful ingredients like pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
If you follow the infographic we place in every grow kit, together with all the tips we give, the plant that will grow is an organic plant -- meaning gardening without adding synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
3) Locally Sourced
All our materials are locally sourced. They come from different suppliers across the Philippines. We believe in supporting our local suppliers in any way we can.
4) 97% Recyclable
Majority of the products are recyclable and biodegradable. And yes, we are striving towards 100%. The component that isn’t recyclable is the ziplock container for the seeds.
The main reason we use that is to avoid contamination and exposure to air. Once the seeds are exposed to air, the seed germination rate will be affected.
5) 100% Love
While this is not exactly about the grow kit itself, it’s included here because it is part of who we are as MNLGrowkits.
Every one of us undergo a product detailing session with our resident agriculturist (yes, that actually exists and we have one on our team). This is a mandatory training to learn the basics of planting and our own products.
This equips us with the knowledge to answer questions like what plant is the easiest to grow or the right depth to sow seeds or even what to do when their plant gets eaten by insects.
We are a small group of millenials who work from anywhere. Our meetings are usually online, in coffee shops, or in coworking spaces. We are all different and have different backgrounds.
But one thing we have in common is our shared goal of bringing agriculture into the city. After all, nature is the only thing we all share and need. And we are doing our part -- one plant at a time.