Would like to try growing wheatgrass again, please help

[raweater]

Last time I tried growing wheatgrass it always grew tons of mold well before the grass was ready. How do I grow wheatgrass without getting mold?

I would ideally prefer a soil-less way of growing it.

Thanks

[DebB]

My best batch was time before last and I was really stingy on the watering. I've always read (and been told - here) not to overwater and for me, that's really key.

My last batch - I tossed it all yesterday it was mold city - 3 big trays - ugh!

I just planted 3 more trays this morning and I have my fingers crossed.

I haven't grown a mold free tray yet and I've been growing it now for about 4-5 months (sigh). But I keep on trying.

I've been experimenting with soilless methods too - you may want to search, I had nice information on my last thread about this. But, so far - I haven't had good luck with no soil, although that's how I would like to grow it as well.

I found this video (:) Spring is on the way - that's about as green as it gets here.)informative. Ohh! When I went to get the URL for this post, I see she replied to my questions, I didn't know that. I'm definitely going to try it her way and she offered to help. So - those are all my posts under her video.

This is definitely the way I want to go - I'm tired of the whole dirt thing! *Ü*

[DebB]

Now - I just planted those 3 trays in dirt today - - but I'm game if you are to post back trying Dorothy's (or anyone else's) soil free method.

I've been on this quest and want to do this successfully.

(I've been growing trays of sunflower greens and have never had one speck of mold - they're always lush and beautiful -- and, the trays I grow them in have no drainage holes! So this mold issue is definitely a wheat thing.) *Ü*

[Thats Life]

mmmmmmmm, mold! is it tasty mold

[levamssg]

I sprout the wheatberry for about 3 days or so ... until there are definite roots. I spread the sprouts really thick in a shallow tray with about 1 inch of soil, then sprinkle about 1/2" of soil on top and water it really well ... and set it on the counter to drain.

Every morning and evening I set it in the sink, spray it gently with the sprayer, let it drain and set it back on the counter to drain. Sometimes I miss one of the waterings .. doesn't seem to matter.

I haven't had mold problems. The tray gets plenty of air circulation, has good drainage and gets some sunlight.

[Mary Kay]

I have been growing wheat, kamut, oat and barley grass for a while. I do not presoak, but just put into soil and top with a little bit of soil. I water it, then so it doesn't get too wet, and to keep the surface wet, I'll often spray it with water.

I haven't had any mold problems except for the time when I put wheatgrass in 1/2 tray and presoaked sunflowers int he other half and topped them with another tray, rather than soil.

Is your soil storebought? As this would be sterilized. I buy storebought organic stuff and add azomite, DE and kelp to it.

Maybe try to not soak them, as handling them puts bacteria on them. they sprout just fine without being presoaked anyway.

HTH,

Mary Kay

[DebB]

Hi Mary Kay ~ I've never tried growing WG without presoaking it. Can you tell me how long it takes from planting to juicing? This sounds interesting!

Also - do you plant and keep it in sunlight the entire time? *Ü*

[Mary Kay]

Hi DebB,

I'll time it for you! I really don't know! It's something I've been meaning to do anyway, cuz I'm teaching some homeschoolers and we're going to plant some and I want it for one week later!

I'm guessing about a week. Maybe a tad longer.

How about you? How long does yours take? How long do you soak. Pls include soaking time too!

I just coincidentally put it in a sunny location because I've found that if it's warmer, it grows quicker. and the south side of our house is a bit warmer in the sun.

HTH,

Mary Kay

[DebB]

Thanks Mary Kay ~ I'm quite determined to grow WG the best that I can - ha!

Here's 2 pictures of what I'm currently growing. In my notes I see I planted this up last Sunday, Feb. 28 after letting it sprout for 3 days. It's about an inch tall.

I always soak the wheatberries at least 12 hours. Ideally then I plant them (in dirt - vs. soil free) the next day. This time I wasn't able to get to them for 3 days, so I allowed them to sprout in nut milk bags (rinsing twice a days) until I planted them on Sunday.

After planting this time I kept them covered with another tray (with no holes) for 3 days while the roots developed. I uncovered them just a couple days ago.

So far there's no sign of mold.

Another poster on one of the YT videos I subscribe to - we're bouncing ideas back and forth and he said he's going to try adding 2 drops of oregano oil in a spray bottle of oil and use that if mold develops since it's an antifungal and good for us. I'm going to give that a try too. He's also going to add 1 drop in his initial soak water next time and see if that will kill the mold that's on the wheat berries - I'll try it too since I happen to have some o. oil. *Ü*

[Mary Kay]

You know? We should have a race...LOL, I don't think it takes mine any longer to grow. And soaking is just one other step. Wondering why you cover with the other tray, rather than with soil?

The soil does kind of pop up on top of the grass, but I just go and brush it down while it's still very young, and then water it to further wash it down..

I have never gotten mold this way, but again, the one time I tried it with the cover, did.

I bought some food-grade hydrogen peroxide just for this purpose after seeing a YouTube vid on how Tree of Life does theirs (with a cover) , never used it and got the mold. Now, I figure why bother, I'll just top with a little soil to keep it wet.

Great to compare notes.

Thanks!

Mary Kay

[DebB]

That's a good question - why do I cover? lol Because that's what I've seen done on videos. Lots and lots of videos . . . I've never grown WG before and just jumped in following what other folks have done.

Ideally - I'd like to grow with no soil at all and not have to mess with the dirt. I'm SO open to trying it your way though - I'm really determined to find a way to grow this successfully.

I also keep a small fan on 24/7 to keep the air flowing and hold the mold at bay.

This is the first batch that I covered with the drip tray - to keep it dark vs. what I always did before (again, lots of vids say to do it) keep the trays covered with damp paper towels for 3 days. Well, that's just a mold trap from what I've experienced!

My next batch I'd like to try soil free and see how that works for me. But the next time I plant in dirt - I'll try how you do it! *Ü*

[Tuaoi]

I have yet to grow wheat grass, but I came across this article a while back...

http://rawmodelcom.blogspot.com/2008/06/home-growing-with-ocean-water.html

and thought to try this method if ever I got around to growing this. It looks very clean! :)

[Mary Kay]

Thanks Tuoai for the link. I did check it out.

and DebB, let me know how it works without soil. What I do know is someone said that it doesn't do as well on it's second growth, and tht when they squeezed it down by the base/root, it was hollow-like. which seems to indicate that it took everything it could from its little monocot - and that if it had soil, it may get some from the soil.

Ann Wigmore said that it begins to tap into the nutrients in the soil after three or four days, yet I have read others say it doesn't. Nevertheless, most that go soil-less, DO use kelp or some sort of fertilizer, which tells me that they do get nutrients from the soil.

One other thing, I did a quick search and most said that you absolutely cannot let it dry out, and they water twice-a-day when using a no-soil method.

It seems more natural to me to be grown in soil, and I keep it quite wet until it begins to grow a couple inches, at which time I'll even allow the soil to dry out occasionally - for short pds of time. I always water prior to cutting, preferably at least one hr.

I started with my method late this aft. The soil was cold because it was down in the basement so I put it in a sunny location, just to warm it up - not for the sun. So, we'll see how long it takes to get to be 6 or 7 ''.

Oh, I also found it interesting that everywhere I looked, they all say you MUST presprout. LOL, I never do - I don't even presoak the seeds!

So, pls lmk how your soil-less method works. and after the first cutting, let's each check out the root/base and see how played out it is. Also, lmk how your second cutting does.

An old boyfriend was a landscaper, and he says that grass is healthiest/less shocked if you cut off less than 1/3 of it. I think you can get more cuttings from it, but have also read it is most nutritious when you allow to grow tall and cut most off.

The experiments rage on! Can't wait to hear your results.

Mary Kay

[DebB]

Hi Mary Kay ~ Well, I don't let my WG grow for a second cutting. I've never had much luck with that - always kind of puny, so I just take the 1 cutting and call it good.

And to be honest - I don't even compost the remains. It takes a long time to break down in our compost piles and makes it too difficult for me to turn the compost with those big masses in there. I've even tried cutting them into pieces, but that's really hard to do. Forget about ripping them apart - that's quite a root system - ha! Sad to say, but I throw them away.

What do you all do?

I'll sure let you know how the soil free method goes. I was watching The Sproutman (Steve Meyerowitz) give a talk on growing WG soil free and he said it doesn't need the soil - everything it needs is in its berry. But like you said, perhaps he adds kelp or something, I don't know.

The gal (Dorothy) whose method I'll try doesn't add anything, waters them with tap water (I use my reverse osmosis and that just made me think of something since RO removes all minerals, good and bad - aha!) Maybe I'll add some of my mineral drops that I do for my drinking water to the WG water...

Anyway! I'll keep you posted. *Ü*

[Mary Kay]

That's great that we can experiment and keep others apprised. Thanks for doing that, DebB.

You asked what others do with their roots/soil ..LOL, my answer will no doubt be very different: There's only minimal grass left after the second cutting, but I give it to my chickens in the compost pile and they absolutely tear it apart.

Wonder if you couldn't save it up and give it to someone with a large garden/chickens etc. Might be a hassle though, depending on where you live. Kind of hate to see it go to waste.

My second cutting is not great, but is okay. I NEVER get it together to photograph stuff, but I'll try and photograph my second growth. I add lots of stuff to the soil - as mentioned...I wonder if this helps mine and mine is better on the second growth or if I'm just less picky? LOL I always use the second growth.

Mary Kay

[raweater]

Is your soil storebought? As this would be sterilized. I buy storebought organic stuff and add azomite, DE and kelp to it.

Where can I get azomite locally? Do plant stores sell that? What's DE?

[Mary Kay]

Azomite ---well, look it up that'll tell you better than I, but essentially, it's called that because it's A to Z minerals. It's a powder, generally mined in Utah. I got mine from wheatgrasskits.com Cheapest way is the large 44-lb bag. I just learned about it a few mos ago, and will be ordering lots more for my gardens, my chickens and I.

After I got it and decided I would do a teaspoon of it here and there mixed in with my water, I found out Weston Price recommends it for people 1 - 2 tsp a day.

DE is diatomaceous earth. Again, best to look it up. Similar to Azomite, but high in silica, so some believe is good to ingest as well. Again, I give this to my chickens and gardens and occasionally to myself.

Absolute BEST cheapest place to buy it is locally at a feed store. Buy a 50-lb bag for $30 - $45, and use in your garden etc.

Oh, btw, cheapest place to buy kelp is at the feedstore too. I think a 50-lb bag is $38. Gets those minerals in my chickens and my soil.

HTH,

Mary Kay

[Mary Kay]

Azomite ---well, look it up that'll tell you better than I, but essentially, it's called that because it's A to Z minerals. It's a powder, generally mined in Utah. I got mine from wheatgrasskits.com Cheapest way is the large 44-lb bag. I just learned about it a few mos ago, and will be ordering lots more for my gardens, my chickens and I.

After I got it and decided I would do a teaspoon of it here and there mixed in with my water, I found out Weston Price recommends it for people 1 - 2 tsp a day.

DE is diatomaceous earth. Again, best to look it up. Similar to Azomite, but high in silica, so some believe is good to ingest as well. Again, I give this to my chickens and gardens and occasionally to myself. Absolute BEST cheapest place to buy it is locally at a feed store. Buy a 50-lb bag for $30 - $45, and use in your garden etc.

Oh, btw, cheapest place to buy kelp is at the feedstore too. I think a 50-lb bag is $38. Gets those minerals in my chickens and my soil.

HTH,

Mary Kay

[DebB]

Hi Mary Kay ~ Okay, I'm ready to plant up 3 trays using your method. My trays are approx. 11x22".

Here are my questions:
Would you say about 2 cups of wheat berries?
Do I put about 1" soil in the tray, then spread berries, then cover with dirt?
Water in well?
Put right in sunlight?
Water how often, daily?

Ooooh, questions ~ questions... Thanking you in advance Mary Kay! *Ü*

[raweater]

I tried growing some again and got mold after it was a half inch but I had a cover on the tray, I took the cover off, watered again and today almost all the mold is gone.

I also bought an organic fertilizer for green plants and a 2 gallon hand pump compressed air sprayer to I can easily water and fertilize my wheatgrass, sprouts and plants (the fertilizer is dissolved in the water). The plant store I went to didn't have azomite.

[Mary Kay]

Raweater, see my post above --azomite can only be purchased online to my best knowledge, and DE and kelp are best purchased at FEED stores - cheapest is 50-lb bags. HTH.

DebB, I fill the tray to 2/3 with potting soil and water it. Then I put on the seeds (two cups sounds about right --I just use my hand) and kind of pat down on the seeds a little , then I cover it with 1/4 " seed starter mix and water gently. I like the seed starting stuff because it's more powdery --to cover the seeds --so there's no chunks of peat/other stuff like in the potting mix on top of the seeds to hinder growth or get pushed up by the sprouting seeds.

I have heard peat is not sustainable and is mixed in with potting soil --not ecologicaly sound, but haven't researched/found other alternatives - yet....

My wheatgrass tray I started one week ago Tuesday, was seven days later 4 - 5 " tall. Just to show you guys, I planted half a tray with wheatgrass, then the other half with a row of kamut, oats and barley and I labelled them. I photo'd but who knows when I'll get around to posting. I'm really bad about posting the photos. Will do eventually!

Kamut grows just a hair taller/quicker then wheat, then wheat, then barley, then oats are about half the height of wheatgrass. They're sparse too. I used an equal amt just to show you guys, but you generally need to add a little more oats. Could be my batch though.

This next one I started yesterday, I put everything all together, half wheatgrass then the other half comprised of kamut, oats and barley, with a little emphasis on the oats.

I premix my azomite, DE and kelp in a five gal bucket, so it's ready to use and just mix a little in the potting soil.

Since the base is already wet, I keep a spray bottle handy to keep the top part of the soil wet for the next couple days.

Once the grass gets to be an inch or so, I don't keep it REALLY wet like I do in the beginning. I actually let it become somewhat dry now and then. Will water every other day - maybe.

Except when I'm going to juice, then I water an hour before - if I can time it right, anyways.

Oh, I almost forgot, I planted most of the exposed soil in my garden with winter wheat (the same we use in our trays), last Nov and I'm guessing it's about an inch or two. These may be my last indoor trays. And in about 2 weeks to a month, I'm going to be juicing and freezing the outdoor stuff - up a storm! Cool huh? It's doing double duty --as a cover crop, then as food.

LOL, we should start a Grass-Growers Club.

Mary Kay

[Mary Kay]

Darn. Just wrote a post and it got deleted by me ....Here goes again....

[DebB]

Thanks so much for all the information Mary Kay. I was hoping to get the trays planted up today - but I should be able to do it this weekend.

I don't have special ammendments or the seed starter mix - so I'll see how it goes using regular potting soil. Whoo hoo! *Ü*

[DebB]

Hi Mary Kay ~ I've got wheatgrass poking through as of this morning. *Ü*

[Mary Kay]

It's easier, no? It may not have sounded like it because I was so "wordy" trying to be all specific and everything, but essentially, you wet the soil, throw in the seeds, cover with a little soil and keep it really wet for a few days until they pop up.

Should've used that as a summary before, instead of the novel I wrote...LOL

DebB, are you ONLY using wheatgrass? Might wanna do like I do and mix in others. I get mine at wheatgrasskits.com

Mary Kay

[DebB]

Yes - it is much easier than how I was doing it :)

Yes, I'm only using wheat grass. I've ordered from wheatgrass kits.com several times - so I'll have to check out their blends.

I still do want to try soil free, but I have probably 20+ bags of organic soil that I got on clearance at Home Depot last summer. I want to use it up as well! *Ü*

[Mary Kay]

Have you ever heard of Brix testing? Using a refractometer. I haven't gotten one --yet, but plan on it. It would be interesting to test some wheatgrass grown with and without soil to see if there's a difference.

Mary Kay

[DebB]

No, I haven't heard of Brix testing...

Steve Meyerowitz (The SproutMan) talks about soil free methods, as does Viktoris Kulvinskas (sp) - saying that the wheat seed has everything it needs to grow (to juicing stage) without using soil, so that sounds interesting to me.

Okay - I'm at wheatgrasskits.com and I'm not seeing oats or barley listed as sproutable.. They sell them as grain though.? I'm on this page (http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/sprouting/hulled_oat_grain.htm), looking at the chart halfway down the page, titled, "Organic Sprouting Seed and Grains Selection - Quick List".

[Mary Kay]

No, those aren't the right oats. these are:

http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/sprouting/whole_oat_grain.htm

And I totally forgot about another experiment....thanks for reminding me. But I feed my chickens oats as part of their mixture and I buy whole 50 lb bags of unhulled oats for $7.65 per bag!!!! Again, that's 50 lbs!....

I forgot to try these to see if they would grow.

I also went to an Amish lecture (about Brix testing btw!) and they spoke of Gerry oats --Geri oats? spelling? and said this oatgrass is the most nutritious....That some baby was not thriving on goat's milk --her mother died or something - unable to nurse, so they switched the goat to Geri/gerry --whatever it is oatgrass, which gets more nutrients, and suddenly there was a change in the baby. Hmmmm. I have to get in touch with that farmer anyway, so thanks for the reminder. I'll let you know what I find out.

The research rages on....LOL

Mary Kay

[Mary Kay]

I just found organic jerry oats online for $9.30 per bushel! I guess that's how you spell it --jerry. this fall, I can mix this with the winter wheat as a cover crop in my garden....that's what the Amish farmers were talking about.

More research needed though!

Better get off this puter and get out in the garden....LOL



Mary Kay

[DebB]

Day 9 of planting Mary Kay's method and not a speck of mold that I can see :) It'll be time to harvest in a few more days. *Ü*