How to Brew?
A beginners guide to growing with Witches Brew™
Semi-hydro, without the scary hydro part.
New to semi-hydro? Don’t overthink it. Witches Brew™ replaces traditional potting soil with an inorganic growing medium. Instead of soil holding water and nutrients around the roots, your plant grows in Witches Brew and drinks from a small water reservoir below.
No pumps. No complicated setup. No hydroponics degree required.
PICK YOUR POT
You’ll need an inner pot with plenty of openings for water and airflow (net) and an outer pot that can hold water (catche) to create your reservoir.
A net pot or slotted nursery pot placed inside a cache pot works perfectly—but you don’t need anything fancy.
DIY IT: You can make your own self-watering setup using a plastic nursery pot or plastic cup. Add drainage holes or slots near the bottom and place it inside any watertight container that leaves room for a small water reservoir below.
The inner pot holds your plant + Witches Brew. The outer pot holds the water. That’s really all semi-hydro needs.
POT IT UP
Moving a plant from soil?
Gently remove as much soil as possible from the roots. Add a little Witches Brew™ to the bottom of your pot, position your plant, then fill around the roots with more Brew. Give the pot a few gentle taps or shakes to help everything settle—no need to pack it down.
Starting with a propagation? Even easier.
Propagations can be placed directly into Witches Brew to root. Nestle the cutting into the Brew, keeping the appropriate node in contact with the moist medium. As the cutting roots, those new roots develop right in the environment they’ll continue growing in—no soil-to-semi-hydro transition later.
ADD WATER
Place your planted inner pot inside the reservoir and add water. You only need a small reservoir at the bottom—the roots do not need to sit completely submerged. Witches Brew™ will wick moisture upward while still allowing plenty of airflow around the roots.
Want a larger reservoir?
Add a wicking cord through the bottom of your inner pot and let it extend into the water below. This allows you to keep a deeper reservoir without the inner pot sitting directly in the water. A wick is optional, not required for a standard setup.
FEED + REFILL
Because Witches Brew contains no organic matter, your plant gets its nutrients from you. Add a hydroponic-compatible fertilizer to your water according to the fertilizer’s directions.
Then just keep an eye on the reservoir and refill as needed.
That’s it. You’re brewing.