Growing Wheatgrass
QUICK TIPS:
- Buy a plastic growing tray
- Get some organic potting soil
- Soak seeds in water (submerged) for 6 hours
- After soaking, drain and rinse
- Fill tray about ½ full with moist soil
- Sprinkle soaked seeds evenly over soil until you can’t see the soil
- Cover with a wetted piece of paper
- Keep soil moist
another tip: to avoid mould, water your tray from the bottom. You have made holes in the plastic tray and put another tray under where you put some water (add kelp and good salt in the water is even better)
Wow Catherine – great suggestions – Thank you!
I just saw Jon’s video on how to grow wheatgrass. I am attempting to grow the wheatgrass for the first time. Currently I’ve got wheat berries (2 cups of wheat) that I’ve already soaked overnight and have been sprouting for 2 days in a salad spinner – they’re ready for spreading on the soil. But I have noticed the wheat berries have ‘fuzz’ growing on them- should I throw them away? Did they grow mould because they are overcrowded in the container and not spread out? And is 2 days too long a period of sprouting?
Thanks
Maria
Hi Maria,
A little bit of fuzz on the roots are usually just the root system which is very tiny and looks like fuzz. But this very easily can grow into mold. You can try to sprout for a little bit shorter time to see what happens.
Janine
The Gabriel Method Team
Hi Janine -Gabriel Method Team,
Thanks for your reply, I will try sprouting for shorter period next time. I have since discovered I have mould growing on the wheatgrass I purchased last week – I had sat the wheatgrass tray in a tray of water because I was told not to water them from the top because the grass was beginning to grow yellow. Can I still use the grass that has the mould growing at the bottom if I cut it not to close to the soil and if I wash it well? Another query – about the paper. What paper do I use? and shouldn’t I be concerned about chemicals in the paper being leached out into the soil and grass?
Thanks
Maria
I grew it once and once it got long and beautiful, I found my cats sleeping in it 🙂 Ok question, if I cut an area and juice it, will it grow up again or do I use the whole tray section at a time and scrap it and start new.
Hi Diane,
Usually you can cut your wheat grass every 2 to 3 days. When it is around 4 inches, cut it with sharp scissors but leave about 2 inches in tact. It will keep growing from that and you just keep cutting every few days.
Janine
The Gabriel Method Team
Hopefully the next vid to crop is put up soon. Also, I’d like to know about changing the soil?
Hi Karl,
When you grow wheat grass in soil, it is good to replace the soil completely after two harvests since the soil will be depleted of its nutrient content.
Janine
The Gabriel Method Team
To grow the next crop do you have to change the soil?
Yes
Hi Jal,
When you grow wheat grass in soil, it is good to replace the soil completely after two harvests since the soil will be depleted of its nutrient content.
Janine
The Gabriel Method Team
What do I do after I grow wheat grass. I dont have a wheatgrass juicer where i live so can I put it in the regular fruit /veg juicer.
Hi Jal,
Most juicers do not extract enough of the nutrients of the wheat grass. If you choose to juice it with a regular juicer not designed for wheat grass, a masticating juicer would work better than a centrifugal juicer but the best would be a wheat grass juicer.
Janine
The Gabriel Method Team
i meant allergic to wheat, sorry
if i am currently allergic to can i eat this?
Hi Sian,
If you are allergic to wheat, it may be best to find your nutrients in other leafy vegetables like kale or chard.
Janine
The Gabriel Method
where s the video that shows you how to extract it?
Hi Nicole,
You can juice wheat grass using a specific wheat grass juicer (either manual or electric ones are available).
Janine
The Gabriel Method Team
The big question is how do you compost the mat that is left after growing efficiently, as if you do this regularly a) you get a lot of these ‘mats’, and b) it can mount up in the cost of compost and is much cheaper if you can compost them. However, I have always found them quite difficult to compost. If anyone has found a good method I am very interested. It is this that slowed me in my wheatgrass growing!
Hi Lisa,
When you say the mats, I am assuming the paper you put down? If you use organic paper, you should be able to compost it without an issue.
Janine
The Gabriel Method Team
What an easy process. I wonder why it’s always so expensive in juice bars?
Ok, so I’ve started growing wheat grass and I’m up to the second half of the process exposing it to light but I notice I’ve got a bit of fuzzy mould growing on some of the wheat. Do I throw it out and start again? I don’t think I can escape mould living in Queensland.
For full explanations and resources on growing wheatgrass and other sprouts checkout http://www.sproutman.com. You can grow wheatgrass successfully without soil. In all cases the evidence of fungus needs to be washed away before it turns to mold. Spraying is critical but too much moisture leads to mold. I read a review on Amazon that stated “On mold seasalt water can help, also just lifting up the root mat when it is strong enough to hold together, & watering under it instead of on top.” I haven’t tried that but …
I also saw another review that included a tip if you don’t have a wheatgrass juicer. Add a handful of wheatgrass and a glass of purified water to your blender. After purifying it you can pour the liquid through a bag, such as a hemp cloth sprouting bag, to remove the pulp.
Another tip from an Amazon reviewer: “Adding some Grapefruit Seed Extract (Anti-Mold) and Liquid Kelp (Nutrition) to the water each day grows some of the most organic, fresh, and nutrition rich foods on planet for pennies in a few days, anywhere.”