Why are my sprouts moldy????

[faith4u]

I am so frustrated. I bought a FreshLife Sprouter and have been making sprouts with it. Alfalfa, radish, clover etc....

For some reason though, they keep molding. They are smelling bad and I don't want to eat them. The last batch that I just made had tons of seeds that didn't grow at all.

These are new seeds too. I bought them from the Sprout People.

The only thing I can think might be an issue is the water I am using. I am using tap water instead of filtered water. Could that be it?

I do put food grade hydrogen peroxide in the water and I change it daily just like they say to.

Any ideas?

[Veganforlife]

Oh wow! I have two Fresh Life Sprouters and the extra barrel and have never had that problem. I DO use filtered water. And I get my seeds from www.sproutpeople.com
I would contact the company. They are very helpful and can possibly answer these questions for you.
If they are moldy - do not eat them. You'll get ill, I'm sure. I'll see what I can find out for you too.

[Veganforlife]

Helpful Notes (taken off the website)

Soaking your seeds overnight before placing them in the sprouter will help
the sprouts grow faster.

We recommend using organically grown seeds for better results. For more
information about seeds, please inquire with a customer department
at Tribest Corp.

Old seeds (more than a year old) may produce rotten sprouts or
may delay their growth.

If the water does not sprinkle within 30 seconds after the machine is
turned on, reassemble the WATER PRESSURE CONTROL TUBES.

We recommend minimizing the exposure of the sprouts to light by
covering the lid with a dark colored cloth, especially for yellow sprouts,
such as soybean sprout. In green sprouts, this will yield a more
tender taste. Just remove the cloth cover a few hours before harvesting
in order to activate the chlorophyll in the sprouts.

If fatter sprouts are desired, add some weight on top of the UPPER
SEED TRAY (example: pebbles). Make sure that what you use for weight
is clean.

We recommend changing the water in the WATER BARREL every
1-2 days. If using a solution of 35% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide
(1 table spoon to a barrel of water), this may not be necessary. It is
normal and natural to have some foam floating on the water in the
WATER BARREL during cultivation.

[Veganforlife]

This taken from www.sproutpeople.com

My Sprouts are moldy.

99.9% of you aren't seeing mold (if you're using our seeds), you are seeing Root Hairs. If you are growing Broccoli, Radish or another Brassica, or a Grain, and you see this "fuzz" just before you Rinse - that is Root Hairs. Just Rinse and they fall back against the main root. You won't see them again until your next Rinse. Don't feel bad - you are the 2, 247th person to make that mistake this year =;-D

That said.....
It is possible to grow mold or fungus on your sprouts, but if you are using good seed and have a sterile Sprouter, it is easily correctable. If your seed is old, buy fresh (read about Seed Storage) and store it well. You should sterilize your Sprouter every few crops (at least) - if you haven't done that, do it - it makes a HUGE difference to have a clean Sprouter. Mold is usually associated with high humidity or lack of air-circulation. The most common causes of are:

1. A Sprouter with poor air-circulation.
2. Insufficient Draining after Rinses
3. High humidity in your home.
4. A not clean enough Sprouter.
5. Growing your Sprouts in a cabinet.
6. Rinsing with warm or hot water.

The first thing to do is Sterilize your Sprouter. Next try moving your Sprouter to a spot with better air-circulation and Draining more after every Rinse. If Heat and Humidity are high, and moving the Sprouter won't do it, turn a fan on (not blowing right at the sprouts) to move the air, add an extra Rinse to your daily routine, or at the very least, use cold water instead of cool when you Rinse. Never use anything warmer than cool (60-70°) water unless your SEED SUPPLIER has told you it is necessary for a particular seed! Changing your Sprouter may remedy the problem completely, but that is a last resort. But, if you are using a stacking tray Sprouter with siphons (Bio-Set, Biosta, NK Kitchen) you really should consider replacing it - the whole idea behind those is to maintain high humidity and prevent air-circulation. That just doesn't work for a broad range of sprouts. Go to our Sprouter page and click on each of the Sprouters we offer to see what will work best for you, or view our suggestions on every Seed Detail (i.e. here is the DETAIL page for Broccoli) page, to see what we think works best for each seed. If NONE of these things solve your problem, you should buy fresh seeds.

[spicyfull]

I don't know about the Peroxide..Sounds like you are using too many Seeds...Try using less............

[RowanC]

I've never heard of putting peroxide in sprouts. Why?

[Veganforlife]

I think it's to control bacteria and "stuff".
dunno
::shrugging shoulders::

[NoGMO!]

I think you can add a few drops of GSE...

[R4L]

hydrogen peroxide or sodium hypochlorite is even better (both must be "food grade"). The purpose is to prevent mold, bacteria etc. This shouldn't be a problem unless you have a very humid/hot climate. If your machine allows, you could reduce the quantity of water (less frequent rinsing). Unfiltered water will not, in itself, cause mold.