my wheatgrass growing in 10 x 20 tray and no mold!

[dmb2002man]

Hey everyone,

Here is my attempt to grow organic red winter wheat berries and it worked out very well. I purchased my seeds from a local health food store for .99 cents pound. I am using organic dirt in a 10 x 20 try that i cut holes in and its dripping in to a solid tray below so water will release. I have 2 computer fans wired together to a plug so mold will not show up and it hasn't. This is day 7th of my growing from sprouting to this stage. I purchased my manual juicer from amazon for $49 with free shipping after reading the reviews. Im going to build me a custom pvc stand in the next few weeks and grow 4 trays at once. Look for more pictures soon.

http://photobucket.com/wheatgrass

thanks

[SunshineMN]

Your grass looks wonderful! I never thought about using computer fans for it. You have the same juicer we do. It works wonderful on fruits as well.

[dmb2002man]

Your grass looks wonderful! I never thought about using computer fans for it. You have the same juicer we do. It works wonderful on fruits as well.

hey thanks for letting me know. Im so pumped of trying this in the juicer. I own a vitamix blender so the only reason i bought the juicer was for wheatgrass as i drink a liter of greens everyday. The computer fans worked well in my hydroponic system to so figured i would try them on this and its working very well and hardly cost me anything to run these. No more buying wheatgrass shots at wholefoods for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Living Food]

Good for you! Wheatgrass juice is amazing stuff.

How much are you drinking every day?

[DebB]

Now THAT'S a beautiful tray of WG!!

[dmb2002man]

Good for you! Wheatgrass juice is amazing stuff.

How much are you drinking every day?

Just 1 or 2 oz per day since i do a liter of green juice anyways!

[dmb2002man]

Here is my last picture as I'm going to cut it today. I also posted a few more pictures in the above link on the trays. I did my final watering this morning. Hope you enjoy everyone.

[Raw Angel Mom]

You seem to have it figure it out. How is the climat in your area. Is this humid, dry etc.... The person that i buy my tray of wheat grass, doesn't have mold issue on winter season but summer, he seems to struggle more.

All the best!

[dmb2002man]

You seem to have it figure it out. How is the climat in your area. Is this humid, dry etc.... The person that i buy my tray of wheat grass, doesn't have mold issue on winter season but summer, he seems to struggle more.

All the best!

Its hot and humid all year here but i grow it inside @ 70 degree temp. Its 100 degrees here today! The key to it is fans and i pull up the wheatgrass and just water the bottom of the tray so it gets to the roots and then use my spray bottle on top.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Great tips, i might try to grow wheat grass again.

Do you think a little fan would work, or would be too much?

((((Thank you)))))

[dmb2002man]

Great tips, i might try to grow wheat grass again.

Do you think a little fan would work, or would be too much?

((((Thank you)))))

Any fan should work. Just make sure its moving the grass a little but not to much! My pc fans don't blow alot of air but its working well. If its a larger fan, just make sure its farther away than my setup and you will be just fine. The wheat grass is still growing strong and its day 9. I'm either going to cut it tonight or wait until tomorrow.

915391549155

[dmb2002man]

So i cut my wheatgrass today and got a whole bags worth!!!!!! Now its time for juice and let the wheatgrass keep on growing! Enjoy

91569157

Cheers to my shot of wheatgrass!

9158

[dmb2002man]

Been juicing 1 oz of wheatgrass everyday so far. Here is my wheatgrass growing again after the first cut. The juicer works awesome!

9160

[SunshineMN]

How many ounces do you get from a full tray? Looks like the next crop is growing well already. I can't wait to get started.

[delmar]

Is the light from your window all the light it gets/ needs?

[MysticTree]

I don't juice it every day but I would like too. I don't juice the regrowth. I give it to my hens. They like it so much. I'm going to make a second hen run and seed the existing run with wheat. Then when it's grown good and strong I'll let the hens back and seed the second run. I need to buy a big sack of wheat grain!

[dmb2002man]

How many ounces do you get from a full tray? Looks like the next crop is growing well already. I can't wait to get started.

I am not sure but i have juiced the last 3 days and still have a whole bag left. So by the time my second batch finishes I will probably be done with the first round. Seems it goes a long ways with the juicer i have.

[dmb2002man]

Is the light from your window all the light it gets/ needs?

Yup that's all the light it gets and needs. Doesn't get much from the window but its still growing great. I water it alot and keep the bottom roots moist with the fan running at all times. Then like once a day i will rotate that tray around so the part that is touching the window will be on the fan side.

[dmb2002man]

my second batch of wheatgrass is about finished growing and ready to cut. Yesterday i tried carrot/wheatgrass together in the manual juicer and it worked out pretty well. Im pretty excited about both and a friend of mine is suppose to come over to check out my vitamix and manual juicer since she wants to start eating healthy and was explaining to her to the other day how most people these days dont get the correct nutrients at all.

[Living Food]

dmb2002man, it seems like you're saying that you harvested all of the wheatgrass at once, but have only been juicing a little a day? It is much better to only harvest it as you use it, so that the grass is still fresh and alive right up until you consume it. Although a certain compound in wheatgrass increases about 40 times over a few hours after harvest (the name escapes me right now), the rest of the nutrients will have gone way down, especially if you harvested it days ago.

Just a thought.

[dmb2002man]

dmb2002man, it seems like you're saying that you harvested all of the wheatgrass at once, but have only been juicing a little a day? It is much better to only harvest it as you use it, so that the grass is still fresh and alive right up until you consume it. Although a certain compound in wheatgrass increases about 40 times over a few hours after harvest (the name escapes me right now), the rest of the nutrients will have gone way down, especially if you harvested it days ago.

Just a thought.

So are you saying to just cut enough each day off when i juice it and leave the rest going. It would take alot longer then to finish the first batch on a tray and as you cut it the cut part would continue to grow so how would you even know when your done with the second batch.

I did cut the batch off all at once and then i add to fridge in zip lock bag with paper towel. I've read on multiple websites that it will last in fridge and stay fresh from 7-10 days. Well I am finished with my first batch of juicing and now on my second. I juice 1 to 2 oz per day only. I actually started sprouting another 1.5 cups of the organic red berry wheatgrass and going to plant it today after work.

[MysticTree]

I did cut the batch off all at once and then i add to fridge in zip lock bag with paper towel. I've read on multiple websites that it will last in fridge and stay fresh from 7-10 days. Well I am finished with my first batch of juicing and now on my second. I juice 1 to 2 oz per day only. I actually started sprouting another 1.5 cups of the organic red berry wheatgrass and going to plant it today after work. It stays fresher if you leave it growing. Just cut and juice as you go.

[dmb2002man]

It stays fresher if you leave it growing. Just cut and juice as you go.

It says 7 days in airtight container without washing it. This is what I've been doing and before i juice it wash it off with cold water only. I will leave it growing with the seeds that I am sprouting now.

http://www.all-about-juicing.com/grow-wheatgrass.html

I see on this website it says to not even use the second batch as it will lose nutrients. I did notice my first batch was a little more green than the second.

http://www.wheatgrassman.com/site/1538595/page/621650

[MysticTree]

It says 7 days in airtight container without washing it. This is what I've been doing and before i juice it wash it off with cold water only. I will leave it growing with the seeds that I am sprouting now.

http://www.all-about-juicing.com/grow-wheatgrass.html

I see on this website it says to not even use the second batch as it will lose nutrients. I did notice my first batch was a little more green than the second.

http://www.wheatgrassman.com/site/1538595/page/621650

Cutting it as and when you want to juice it means getting optimum nutrients - you do need to time the batches so that you don't ave a glut one minute and nothing the next. I give all the regrowth to me hens. They love it.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

dmb2002man, it seems like you're saying that you harvested all of the wheatgrass at once, but have only been juicing a little a day? It is much better to only harvest it as you use it, so that the grass is still fresh and alive right up until you consume it.


Funny enough, testing has now shown that cutting the entire tray of wheatgrass on the exact day the jointing appears is the best thing to do...much better than cuttimng more off the same tray batch the next day. Growing wheatgrass an extra day is not good because the nutrition concentration actually goes down and the quality quickly declines in the cerial grasses; experts Michael Bergonzi (considered the world's best wheatgrass grower), Viktoras Kulvinskas and even HHI now do this when necessary. As Micheal says, each day it passes the jointing stage the grass massively ages and deteriorates. l agree. So it is actually best to harvest the entire tray on the jointing day and refrigerate the rest of the grass. lt is perhaps the only land food known that will stay nutritionally in tact for an entire week in a refrigerator.

l don't like that crop of wheatgrass. Some of the grass has gone to jointing stage at an inch high and some of the taller blades of grass are still single bladed. l wouldn't be happy with that grass at all....short and nasty. l would look for better seeds. l've had similar crops before, they are never good.

This is how well grown wheatgrass should look: (master grower Micheal Bergonzi)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BsEEW8Dor8k/R0BC_ky9CJI/AAAAAAAAACY/GjXw9UVdLBw/s1600-h/DSCF0139.JPG

He also gave a good talk recently about this same issue.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Cutting it as and when you want to juice it means getting optimum nutrients - .
Not with cerial grasses. They reach a peak on a special day and then sharply decline in concentrated nutrition.

[MysticTree]

Not with cerial grasses. They reach a peak on a special day and then sharply decline in concentrated nutrition.

Jeez I might as well go back to cooked food for all your pronouncements about nutrition. You are so contradictory.

[Living Food]

Very interesting. I know that the jointing stage is when the grass has the most minerals, but was under the impression that it was just before the jointing stage that the grass has the most energy and nutrients?

I understand the rationale about harvesting the whole crop so it doesn't go past it's prime, but I still don't like it - I doubt the life energy would remain in the grass for very long after it is cut. Maybe it's better then letting it go past its prime, but I'm glad that I juice the whole tray at once so I don't have to worry about it.

The nutrition level in grass steadily increases every day until it reaches the jointing stage, after which it rapidly decreases; this is because the jointing stage is when the grain head (still tiny in size and in the middle of the stalk) starts receiving all of the nutrients that were stored in the wheatgrass. Therefore, I think that if you're only going to juice a little of the grass at a time, you should start a few days before the jointing stage and time it so that your last batch of juice was harvested when the grass was at its prime. The juices before that may not have had optimal levels of nutrients, but I still think it's better then harvesting it all at the grasses prime and then storing it for a week. No matter what anyone else says, I'm still convinced that the grass will have lost considerable nutrients a week after harvest, and more importantly the life energy would be gone, whereas if you harvest a little every day it will still be there.

[MysticTree]

and, bear in mind I at least don't have a fridge even if you lot do.

[Living Food]

Not with cerial grasses. They reach a peak on a special day and then sharply decline in concentrated nutrition.

That's true, but I'm still skeptical that storing it for a week is better then juicing a little at a time. I still believe that the nutrition would deteriorate rapidly after it is cut.

Growing the grass outdoors would solve most of these problems. Growing wheatgrass indoors and forcing it to grow so rapidly is greatly inferior compared to allowing it to mature on its own outdoors in a natural environment.

That said, many people don't have the room to do that and wheatgrass grown indoors is still far better then no wheatgrass at all.

[Living Food]

and, bear in mind I at least don't have a fridge even if you lot do.

I would still just harvest and juice the grass as you need it. You're still getting loads of nutrients that way.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Jeez I might as well go back to cooked food for all your pronouncements about nutrition. You are so contradictory.

l only try going with the science Mystic Tree. l'll try to remember to post the charts showing the nutrient peak times and how sharply they rise and decline after the peak day. l've been aware of the problem for many years. l'll also try to remember to post some pics of the peak day and show folks here what to look for....there is always the golden day...the special day when that crop is ready to be juiced.

Truth being told....l cut it as l use it also. l'm not too fussed. l should cut and refrigerate, but l never do. Anyway...don't worry about it, just keep doing what you are doing. BUT...keep in mind that the older the grass gets the lighter in colour it gets too, so yes, it ages very quickly and loses heaps of the goodies within a couple of days. The second growth is only a fraction of the original nutritional value too, so it's always best composted or fed to hens.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Very interesting. I know that the jointing stage is when the grass has the most minerals, but was under the impression that it was just before the jointing stage that the grass has the most energy and nutrients?
The day when the joint appears. Not before, but straight after.


I understand the rationale about harvesting the whole crop so it doesn't go past it's prime, but I still don't like it - I doubt the life energy would remain in the grass for very long after it is cut. .
lf the big wheatgrass guns do it, then it's good enough for me. They don't have to cut it straight after the jointing stage, but they do, so there must be a very good nutritional reason for it. lt is most likely that Dr Valerie Hunt (world's leading bioenergetic doctor and pioneer in the field) did the testing for Hippocrates Health Institute and showed that it actually DOES last an entire week before it declines. All plants foods decline straight away, but not the cerial grasses according to the various big grassmen.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Growing the grass outdoors would solve most of these problems. Growing wheatgrass indoors and forcing it to grow so rapidly is greatly inferior compared to allowing it to mature on its own outdoors in a natural environment.
.

l have a very interesting article about that. l will post it when my soil based fenugreek greens are ready. This is my first fenugreek sprouts ever planted on soil and l am excited and it is going well. Also a source of the highly elusive vitamin D2. l might start growing both chia and fenugreek on soil as a regular thing...far too good to waste as soil-less sprouts. Chia and fenugreek are crying out for a soul, so l am gonna give `em one.

[Living Food]

How long do you grow fenugreek on soil? I've only ever grown it as a soil-less sprout.

[MysticTree]

I'm just so fed up with hearing that everything is so crucial with regard timing. Just eat the blasted stuff stuff or don't. Don't switch between saying things are best the soonest they are cut and that leaving them sit is bad and then say something else should sit cut whilst getting progressively less live. It doesn't make sense.

[MysticTree]

l have a very interesting article about that. l will post it when my soil based fenugreek greens are ready. This is my first fenugreek sprouts ever planted on soil and l am excited and it is going well. Also a source of the highly elusive vitamin D2. l might start growing both chia and fenugreek on soil as a regular thing...far too good to waste as soil-less sprouts. Chia and fenugreek are crying out for a soul, so l am gonna give `em one. it's got to be less than a couple of weeks since you said you had not the least interest in growing on soil. why the sudden U-turn?

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

How long do you grow fenugreek on soil? I've only ever grown it as a soil-less sprout.

Not sure yet, but it could be 10 or more days.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

it's got to be less than a couple of weeks since you said you had not the least interest in growing on soil. why the sudden U-turn?

l just happened to try it out the other day and have now taken a fancy to the idea. Something tells me it's a good idea, but we'll see... Anyway, since l can't use buckwheat full time because of the toxins, l would like another tray based green to take it's place, and l feel that fenugreek is a worthy and cheap sprout to give the special treatment. l'll soon find out if it makes a suitable microgreen....pics to come soon.

l'm not keen to do chia on soil, but l feel that the sprout is extra worthy of the royal treatment also, more worthy than fenugreek even.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

it's got to be less than a couple of weeks since you said you had not the least interest in growing on soil. why the sudden U-turn?

But the real reason for me wanting to grow fenugreek on soil is because l know they will be so much better on soil. They will grow bigger and more robust and the bigger leaves will get really dark green, + it is much less messing around to grow them on soil (no dehulling in a bowl of water and placing them back in jars for another day or two). All l need is to spend 30 seconds planting them and l am done, + an easy water each day.

When you grow fenugreek in jars you get a poor comparison. lt won't grow as well as on soil, the sprouts get cramped up and don't get the nice dark green leaves like they should have, and it takes time to dehull them in water and to turn the sprouts around so they all get some green. Sprouts in jars are imprisoned, but when on soil they are free to reach their true potential. l really feel that soil is best for this sprout.

[MysticTree]

You don't have to convince me; I'm the life-long gardener remember!

[Living Food]

l'm not keen to do chia on soil

Why not?

[dmb2002man]

Funny enough, testing has now shown that cutting the entire tray of wheatgrass on the exact day the jointing appears is the best thing to do...much better than cuttimng more off the same tray batch the next day. Growing wheatgrass an extra day is not good because the nutrition concentration actually goes down and the quality quickly declines in the cerial grasses; experts Michael Bergonzi (considered the world's best wheatgrass grower), Viktoras Kulvinskas and even HHI now do this when necessary. As Micheal says, each day it passes the jointing stage the grass massively ages and deteriorates. l agree. So it is actually best to harvest the entire tray on the jointing day and refrigerate the rest of the grass. lt is perhaps the only land food known that will stay nutritionally in tact for an entire week in a refrigerator.

l don't like that crop of wheatgrass. Some of the grass has gone to jointing stage at an inch high and some of the taller blades of grass are still single bladed. l wouldn't be happy with that grass at all....short and nasty. l would look for better seeds. l've had similar crops before, they are never good.

This is how well grown wheatgrass should look: (master grower Micheal Bergonzi)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BsEEW8Dor8k/R0BC_ky9CJI/AAAAAAAAACY/GjXw9UVdLBw/s1600-h/DSCF0139.JPG

He also gave a good talk recently about this same issue.

thanks for you info but i think my grass looked amazing. They looked alot better in person than with my camera. I bought organic red wheatgrass seeds from wholefoods and i think there fine. Im sure i will get better at this since its my first time with sprouting and growing them and the juice taste exactly like when i use to get shots at wholefoods.

[dmb2002man]

l only try going with the science Mystic Tree. l'll try to remember to post the charts showing the nutrient peak times and how sharply they rise and decline after the peak day. l've been aware of the problem for many years. l'll also try to remember to post some pics of the peak day and show folks here what to look for....there is always the golden day...the special day when that crop is ready to be juiced.

Truth being told....l cut it as l use it also. l'm not too fussed. l should cut and refrigerate, but l never do. Anyway...don't worry about it, just keep doing what you are doing. BUT...keep in mind that the older the grass gets the lighter in colour it gets too, so yes, it ages very quickly and loses heaps of the goodies within a couple of days. The second growth is only a fraction of the original nutritional value too, so it's always best composted or fed to hens.

i wont be using my second batch anymore as it just didn't look nearly as good as the first batch did. I will just be composting it in the future.

[dmb2002man]

I'm just so fed up with hearing that everything is so crucial with regard timing. Just eat the blasted stuff stuff or don't. Don't switch between saying things are best the soonest they are cut and that leaving them sit is bad and then say something else should sit cut whilst getting progressively less live. It doesn't make sense.

I totally agree with you about this. My grass may not be perfect but i am still getting loads of nutrition from it compared to not juicing it at all.

[MysticTree]

I totally agree with you about this. My grass may not be perfect but i am still getting loads of nutrition from it compared to not juicing it at all. totally agree and maybe we would get too much nutrition if we always ate everything at the highest level nutrient values.

[SunshineMN]

I think your grass looks great dmb!


I'm just so fed up with hearing that everything is so crucial with regard timing. Just eat the blasted stuff stuff or don't. Don't switch between saying things are best the soonest they are cut and that leaving them sit is bad and then say something else should sit cut whilst getting progressively less live. It doesn't make sense.

I so agree! I don't want to have to minutely control everything I eat like that. It's 100 times better than I used to eat. If I had to microcontrol everything it would drive me nuts and this is supposed to be more about freedom from all the mental issues that go along with food for me. I'm sure some times my sprouts are beyond what they should be. My mung sprouts grew root hairs when they were very short in fact. I ate them anyhow. It's still better than a boiled potato! I also eat all the seeds, I never pull them off the sprouts. However I am still looking forward to getting trays to grow microgreens, including a bunch of dried sweet corn I bought that sprouts but so slowly it's not worth the time (and the piece of corn stays too hard to eat!).

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

I totally agree with you about this. My grass may not be perfect but i am still getting loads of nutrition from it compared to not juicing it at all.

Very true.


You don't have to convince me; I'm the life-long gardener remember!

l know, very very true. l knew you would fully understand.


I don't want to have to minutely control everything I eat like that. It's 100 times better than I used to eat. If I had to microcontrol everything it would drive me nuts and this is supposed to be more about freedom from all the mental issues that go along with food for me. I'm sure some times my sprouts are beyond what they should be.
l fully understand. All l was doing was sharing information just for interest sake. l think it's good to know the information l said..to know a general guideline to aim for if you can, but the last thing l want is for people top worry about it. Sometimes l grow sprouts grow a day or two more than optimal (it's the nature of sprouting), but so what! l have some chickpeas that are a two days overgrown, but l am certainly not going to let it ruin my day.

[dmb2002man]

I think your grass looks great dmb!


thank you for saying that. I really appreciate it. I wanted to post my progress to help people out with growing wheatgrass and give all my knowledge. I just started a second batch now and will post the growing progress again to see if there are any differences. I just love my manual juicer as I have been using it daily plus my vitamix!

[CaiHong]

Thanks Dmb,
I loved what you did with the computer fans. My wooden computer table leg broke the other day, it has 2 computer fans imbedded in it, I am so glad I kept it. I knew it would come in handy one day.

it has a USB plug can I just have that switched over to a DC plug?
caiHong

[dmb2002man]

Thanks Dmb,
I loved what you did with the computer fans. My wooden computer table leg broke the other day, it has 2 computer fans imbedded in it, I am so glad I kept it. I knew it would come in handy one day.

it has a USB plug can I just have that switched over to a DC plug?
caiHong

Hey i am glad that i could help you out as that's why i posted this up. Yes you can get a usb to plug converter from wall. Homedepot or walmart would have something that would work. I got another batch growing now and its going well. Just haven't had time to take more pics but i will keep them coming.

[dmb2002man]

Cheers to my second round of wheat grass and its growing well! No mold again either!

917191729173

[dmb2002man]

http://dynamicgreens.com/wheatgrass-benefits-of-wheatgrass.html

I am reading that flash frozen wheatgrass is better than fresh. Has anyone heard of this or know if it is true. My second round is about ready to be harvested and I am debating on what i should do. thanks

[MysticTree]

http://dynamicgreens.com/wheatgrass-benefits-of-wheatgrass.html

I am reading that flash frozen wheatgrass is better than fresh. Has anyone heard of this or know if it is true. My second round is about ready to be harvested and I am debating on what i should do. thanks
If picked at the peak of production then it will possibly be better than inexpertly homegrown wheatgrass. I doubt it makes financial sense for the end user though.

[dmb2002man]

My second tray of wheat grass! Enjoy!

9175

[SunshineMN]

Looks as great as the first one!

[dmb2002man]

Looks as great as the first one!

thanks. Im sprouting my 3rd round of seeds now! I also just ordered 5 more trays. So that way i can start growing 3 at once! Im going to build me a custom stand out of a pvc piping from home depot. Going to see if i can pickup some barley seeds locally and try and sprout them.

[dmb2002man]

3rd batch is going well. Still no MOLD! My trays i ordered should be here any day now. Picking up some more pc/computer fans also for when i build my pvc stand. Had a few friends over on the weekend and we made fresh carrot juice in my vitamix and strained it and then I used my manual juicer and made us shots of wheatgrass. They were very impressed! Picked up some barley seeds at wholefoods the other day and im going to try and sprout them next and grow a tray! More pics will come as the process continues!

[dmb2002man]

due to traveling and being very busy the last month or so, i have started sprouting wheatgrass seeds again!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm trying to get my hydroponic grow light back from my brother to see if that will make it more green and better than window approach.

[Ravenna]

I'm very-very new to wheatgrass growing. So, first batch had mold, I made juice anyway and drunk it. Second has mold again and not growing that great.

After reading this thread I understood you have to have fans blowing on the trays. I will do that.

Questions:
- How critical it is to have holes in a tray? I do not have holes right now but I can make them.
- Do you guys water wheatgrass or spray it? And how often? Is it really best to lift the whole thing from a tray and put water in tray and spray on top? Seems to be quite a process...
- my grass was not nearly as thick as on the pictures I've seen here. I did 0.5lb on about 0.5in soil. How much do you put in 10*20 tray?

Please, advise me on these.
And I had no idea about jointing part. Will go study this right now. Thanks!

[MysticTree]

holes needed. Better to have to water often than get mold forming water-logging. I water mine and grow it outside. I get no mold even though I don't use fans. I do get snails! I cover the bottom of the tray with soaked seed so that they are closely side by side but not on top of each other.

[Arky]

After reading this thread I understood you have to have fans blowing on the trays. I will do that.


Better to grow it outside, if your local climate permits this.

Also, be sure to NOT overseed your trays. Time and time again I see websites and youtube videos recommending to cram in loads of seed, to maximise juice yield per tray, but you don't get something for nothing; all this does is stress the grass, reduce available soil nutrition for each seed, and dramatically increase the likelihood of mould, since the thermal energy generated by each seed during germination has less chance to dissipate, and the density of overseeded grass means airflow between each blade is impeded.

As I'm sure you're already aware, there are plenty of related threads here on RFT, a couple of which are as follows:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?65386-Need-some-advice-with-Wheat-Grass&p=665665&highlight=#post665665

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?49101-Help!-Wheatgrass-Growing-and-Juicing-Questions

Good luck; let us know how you get on!

[Ravenna]

Thank you for the responses, guys. You are very helpful!

[dmb2002man]

Better to grow it outside, if your local climate permits this.

Also, be sure to NOT overseed your trays. Time and time again I see websites and youtube videos recommending to cram in loads of seed, to maximise juice yield per tray, but you don't get something for nothing; all this does is stress the grass, reduce available soil nutrition for each seed, and dramatically increase the likelihood of mould, since the thermal energy generated by each seed during germination has less chance to dissipate, and the density of overseeded grass means airflow between each blade is impeded.

As I'm sure you're already aware, there are plenty of related threads here on RFT, a couple of which are as follows:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?65386-Need-some-advice-with-Wheat-Grass&p=665665&highlight=#post665665

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?49101-Help!-Wheatgrass-Growing-and-Juicing-Questions

Good luck; let us know how you get on!

I agree that growing outside is better but most of us don't have access to that. I am on my 8th grow tray now and I don't get no mold. The key is to water the roots (i spray water on bottom of tray). Then lightly spray the top and make sure the fan is blowing or your ac is running at 70 degrees. I use around 1 1/2 cups on my trays and dont use more than that. You want the seeds to fill the try but not be over crowded. Water heavy in morning and light at night. Keep the fan running 24/7. A multi speed fan is better as after you water heavy you could turn it up a little more and run it low at night. Growing wheatgrass is easy once you get the hang of it. If you have any questions while trying to grow, then please ask and i will help you as much as i can.

[dmb2002man]

holes needed. Better to have to water often than get mold forming water-logging. I water mine and grow it outside. I get no mold even though I don't use fans. I do get snails! I cover the bottom of the tray with soaked seed so that they are closely side by side but not on top of each other.

Right i bought solid trays but then cut my own holes with my drill. I added 2 trays together and put the one with holes on top and then a piece in between the solid one so the water will run thru the holes to the bottom and not water log the roots.

[Arky]

Right i bought solid trays but then cut my own holes with my drill. I added 2 trays together and put the one with holes on top and then a piece in between the solid one so the water will run thru the holes to the bottom and not water log the roots.

Sounds good.

Keep us posted on your results!

[MysticTree]

Right i bought solid trays but then cut my own holes with my drill. I added 2 trays together and put the one with holes on top and then a piece in between the solid one so the water will run thru the holes to the bottom and not water log the roots. I have a similar arrangement except we've had so much rain this year that I haven't bothered with any drip tray for the most part. The trays sat on a slatted wooden table and I only used drip trays when we were forecast spells of dry weather - which has been rare. The trays I used had holes to start with.

[Ravenna]

Thank you so much for responses! Now, since I have no-holes trays we have an argument with my husband. Trays have grooves. Shall we drill holes on the bottom of grooves or on the top. I propose to drill on the bottom so water will run off, but my husband says we shall drill top of the grooves and that the holes will be for ventilation only. I guess we better try both ways and see what happens. What do you think?
Right now fans are going, no holes, we have less mold but it's still there. I think I should try to order good wheat berries online, the problem could be with berries too as somebody here said.

Will keep trying. Thanks, everyone!

By the way, searched online but still could not get how to determine the jointing stage.

[Arky]

By the ways, searched online but still could not get how to determine the jointing stage.

That's very simple - there is some disagreement on the technicalities of what the jointing stage truly is, with some proponents saying that true jointing actually only occurs in relatively mature cereal grass (when a 'knuckle' forms on the stem, by which time there may already be 5 or 6 blades on the plant) in the sense of the mature cereal crops a farmer would grow. In light of this, one can see that there has been something of a misunderstanding perpetuated in the rawfood community, where their use of the term 'jointing stage' is referring to something quite definitely different. In Ronald L. Seibold's excellent book 'Cereal Grass - What's In It For You!', it is stated:

"Laboratory analysis clearly indicates that the nutrients found in young cereal plants vary with the stage of growth, rather than with the age or height of the plant.....The Jointing stage is that point at which the internodal tissue in the grass leaf begins to elongate, forming a stem. This stage represents the peak of the cereal plants vegetative development.....After the jointing stage, the stem forms branches and continues to elongate. The chlorophyll, protein, and vitamin contents of the plant decline sharply as the level of cellulose increases. Cellulose, the indigestible plant fibre, provides structural stability for the growing stem".


From a raw-foodist perspective, the jointing stage is simply intended to imply when the first glimpse appears of a secondary leaf. Therefore, just check your grass each day to see when it begins to show the very beginnings of a secondary leaf. It's quite funny, actually, because you look at it and think - there's absolutely no sign of a second blade and then, seemingly out of nowhere, just one day later, the beginnings of one can be visible.

Anyway, it's not mega-critical to catch it absolutely before that point - just cut it as soon as you notice the very beginnings of a second leaf (or ideally use it even before that point). I always find my grass is luscious and ripe for use at least a couple of days before it even gets as far as the beginnings of a second leaf. Happy days...

You will find that if you let your wheatgrass grow for more than a day or two past the first appearance of a secondary leaf, it may tend to get skinnier and paler, because there is only just so much root space and nutrient content in a tray with an inch or two of soil (speaking of which, as I mentioned, in a linked thread, you would be wise to ignore the silly recommendations by some, wheatgrass enthusiasts, to use only an inch of soil in your trays - it may seem to be more economical but it stresses the grass, and if you grown one tray with 1 inch of soil and another tray with 2 or 3 inches of soil, as it gets closer to maturity, you'll soon see the difference in how luscious the grass is in the deeper soil). Anyway, the taste will quite rapidly get more bitter and sickly as this paling and 'slimming' of the grass blades occurs. So, as I said, as soon as you see the first beginnings of a second blade, you know you need to cut it within a day or two and, ideally, no longer.

Have fun!

[Ravenna]

Thank you, Arky! so informative! Thank you very much!

[dmb2002man]

Just finished more trays. 0 mold! I have found over the last month that the key is airflow. You have to have some kind of fan (air) blowing on the wheatgrass after watering in the morning with drainage. 70-75 degree temp is critical. You are more likely to get mold with higher temps even with a fan on it! This will prevent the mold from occurring. Water it thick in the morning and check it at night and if it is still damp then don't even water it. I also only water the bottom of the tray so it gets to the roots as that is what needs it. I'm planning to build a 3 tray rack system out of pvc with a custom air flow/drainage part and a 27w full spectrum light on top. You really don't even need a light for wheatgrass either as it will grow 100% fine in a window that just gets light. It doesn't need the sun. I am going to test with a full spectrum light and see if that even makes a difference as mine grows fine just sitting in my window with no sun.

[Supa]

I use a dehumidifier set to 50% next to our indoor garden. It acts as a fan as well as lowering humidity so evaporation occurs readily off the plants, containers, and soil surface. I have also found a high intensity discharge light like metal halide help keep the plants healthy, compact, and also helps with evaporation so the dehumidifier can then capture it. When growing indoors you really have to keep an eye on humidity and try to keep it below 60% or mold may take hold in the grow space, or worse, in nooks and crannies you can't see inside your home.

9274

As far as full spectrum lights, there are only a few types that can really mimic the sun's spectrum well. We use a Hortilux blue metal halide that cost triple what a standard street light type metal halide costs, but have found the results worth the premium. Metal halide have a useful life of one year of continuous use. We use our older bulb on a sun timer that mimics the outdoor sun's winter cycle to keep the potted herbs thriving and compact. Then in late winter/early spring when the risk of frost recedes the pots go back outside. We lower the light and switch to the newer bulb on a 15 hours on / 9 off schedule for starting seedlings for the garden. Once the seedlings go outside we take apart the setup, clean everything, and leave it off till the fall frost threatens the pots again. This methodology requires buying a new bulb and recycling the oldest one every 4 years.

Standard Metal Halide
9276

Hortilux Blue Metal Halide
9275

The Sun
9277

[Arky]

Don't forget, everyone, that there are some good wheatgrass vids on youtube. Zach's are amongst the most informative:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyqjVstvtSA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syS9X6sni98&feature=fvsr

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gydPyMaC2lg&list=UL

Also a good one from John Kohler (This vid seems to have been shot at a franchise start-up according to the methods of Michael Bergonzi):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiYFjW_ezns



Of course, there are many others, too.

[dmb2002man]

I use a dehumidifier set to 50% next to our indoor garden. It acts as a fan as well as lowering humidity so evaporation occurs readily off the plants, containers, and soil surface. I have also found a high intensity discharge light like metal halide help keep the plants healthy, compact, and also help with evaporation so the dehumidifier can then capture it. When growing indoors you really have to keep an eye on humidity and try to keep it below 60% or mold may talk hold in other places you can't see in your home.

9274

As far as full spectrum lights, there are only a few types that can really mimic the sun's spectrum well. We use a Hortilux blue metal halide that cost triple what a standard street light type metal halide costs, but have found the results worth the premium. Metal halide have a useful of life of one year of continuous use. We use our older bulb on a sun timer that mimics the outdoor sun's winter cycle to keep the potted herbs thriving and compact, and then in late winter/early spring when the risk of frost recedes the pots go back outside we lower the light and switch to the newer bulb on a 15 hours on / 9 off schedule for starting seedlings for the garden. Once the seedlings go outside we take apart the setup, clean everything, and leave it off till the fall frost threatens the pots again.

Standard Metal Halide
9276

Hortilux Blue Metal Halide
9275

The Sun
9277

I was thinking of getting a 27w full spectrum 5600 lumen bulb at home depot to try out. I googled Hortilux blue metal halide bulbs and they only come in high wattage. I am only building one for my wheatgrass stand that im building.

[Supa]

I was thinking of getting a 27w full spectrum 5600 lumen bulb at home depot to try out. I googled Hortilux blue metal halide bulbs and they only come in high wattage. I am only building one for my wheatgrass stand that im building.

Just as a point of reference in terms of efficiency
The 400 watt MH puts out 29000 lumens which is 72.5 lumens per watt
That 27 watt CFL puts out 1400 lumens which is 51.8 lumens per watt

The 5600 was the color temp in Kelvins not lumens

But florescent tech has been getting cheaper, more living space friendly, and more efficient with the intro of T5. You should consider a twin 24w 2ft T5 tube fixture as it will put out more then twice the lumens over a wider area of your tray. Home Depot has Lithonia Lighting Mini Strip 2-Light Utility Light that comes with ballast and 2 foot T5 bulbs for $25 bucks. You have to wire up your own the cord FYI. You can then upgrade to horticultural full spectrum bulbs when your ready. Home depot sells single cool white T5 replacement bulbs for $10, but for $52 you can get Sunleaves VitaLUME Grow Tube T5 2' 4 Pack, so like $12.80 a bulb. I use this type of setup as an under the counter light for our kitchen sprouter.

At 24 watt they each put out 2000 lumens at a 6,500K color temp.

83.3 lumens per watt!

9281

[dmb2002man]

Just as a point of reference in terms of efficiency
The 400 watt MH puts out 29000 lumens which is 72.5 lumens per watt
That 27 watt CFL puts out 1400 lumens which is 51.8 lumens per watt

The 5600 was the color temp in Kelvins not lumens

But florescent tech has been getting cheaper, more living space friendly, and more efficient with the intro of T5. You should consider a twin 24w 2ft T5 tube fixture as it will put out more then twice the lumens over a wider area of your tray. Home Depot has Lithonia Lighting Mini Strip 2-Light Utility Light that comes with ballast and 2 foot T5 bulbs for $25 bucks. You have to wire up your own the cord FYI. You can then upgrade to horticultural full spectrum bulbs when your ready. Home depot sells single cool white T5 replacement bulbs for $10, but for $52 you can get Sunleaves VitaLUME Grow Tube T5 2' 4 Pack, so like $12.80 a bulb. I use this type of setup as an under the counter light for our kitchen sprouter.

At 24 watt they each put out 1800 lumens at a 6,500K color temp.

75 lumens per watt!

9281

dude thanks so much for helping me out and answering my questions. I found the lithonia lighting mini strip at home depot. http://www.homedepot.com/buy/lithonia-lighting-mini-strip-2-light-utility-light-mns5-2-14-lp.html#.UMIDOHd1vD4

This is what your talking about correct. Then down the road i will upgrade the lighting inside it to full spectrum bulbs. How close to the wheatgrass you think the light should be and how often ran each day? thanks

[dmb2002man]

Just as a point of reference in terms of efficiency
The 400 watt MH puts out 29000 lumens which is 72.5 lumens per watt
That 27 watt CFL puts out 1400 lumens which is 51.8 lumens per watt

The 5600 was the color temp in Kelvins not lumens

But florescent tech has been getting cheaper, more living space friendly, and more efficient with the intro of T5. You should consider a twin 24w 2ft T5 tube fixture as it will put out more then twice the lumens over a wider area of your tray. Home Depot has Lithonia Lighting Mini Strip 2-Light Utility Light that comes with ballast and 2 foot T5 bulbs for $25 bucks. You have to wire up your own the cord FYI. You can then upgrade to horticultural full spectrum bulbs when your ready. Home depot sells single cool white T5 replacement bulbs for $10, but for $52 you can get Sunleaves VitaLUME Grow Tube T5 2' 4 Pack, so like $12.80 a bulb. I use this type of setup as an under the counter light for our kitchen sprouter.

At 24 watt they each put out 1800 lumens at a 6,500K color temp.

75 lumens per watt!

9281

Hey thanks so much for helping me out. So i will go with the lithonia lighting mini strip 2 light utility from home depot and wire it up myself. Then down the road pick up some of the sunleaves vitalume grow bulbs. How close to the wheatgrass should the light be and how often run in a day? Im sure i should set a timer on the light to run around 5 hours a day starting at 6am-11am as after is when the real sun comes out in the winter months here in texas. I just did a cutting of my wheatgrass tray last night and now germinating another cup of the organic red wheat so it will be ready to plant on sunday or monday.

[Supa]

There is a bit of confusion in the Home Depot online store. Says 18in width, yet uses 24inch bulbs which are included. Says 21watt bulbs and the T5 wattage/length tends to be pretty standard across the many fixtures. I will double check my setup and bulbs, but it has been running for two years solid with no issues.

When it comes to distance from light to plant, it depends on the light type. A high intensity light like metal halide will burn any plant that is closer then 18 inches. A florescent light however runs much cooler and can be as little as 3 inches away but if it touches the bulb it will burn quickly. The issue is how often do you want to adjust the light distance and how easy is it to move without accidentally breaking a light, injuring plants, or yourself. Florescent lights contain a small amount of mercury and breaking one, especially while on, is very bad. Metal halide lights are very hot and even a small drop of water hitting a bulb can cause the outer glass UV shield to break and start giving everything and one in range a potentially serious UV burn.

[Supa]

Well I went to Home Depot and what is in the store doesn't match up to the weird online info.

92859284

It is $25 says it is 2 foot and includes 2 14watt cool white 22 inch bulbs. The $30 3 foot strip with 21watt bulbs. I remember going for the 2 foot so it would fit in the recess under a kitchen cabinet and I could find better bulbs in that 22 inch size. I picked up another 2 foot to try my hand at a wheat grass tray next to the sprouter. The stock was highly picked over and some of the bulbs were missing. Not sure what was going on there but I found one that had not been opened.

Now to recalculate the efficiency.
http://www.prolighting.com/14wt5flla224.html

A stock single 22 inch 14watt T5 cool white tube puts out 1240 lumens which is 88.5 lumens per watt in a 4100k color temp

Very impressive efficiency really. Two combined at 28watts and 2500 lumens beats the pants off the 27watt CFL at 1400 lumens.

And I can confirm this ballast appears to be capable of powering my higher wattage 24watt VitaLUME tubes as well.

So a single 22 inch 24watt T5 VitaLUME tube puts out 2000 lumens which is 83.3 lumens per watt in a 6500k color temp

Two combined at 48watts gives you 4000 lumens in a plant vegetative bias spectrum.

[Supa]

... how often run in a day? Im sure i should set a timer on the light to run around 5 hours a day starting at 6am-11am as after is when the real sun comes out in the winter months here in texas.

While most plants can only put to good use around 16 hours of light a day, many do not really need darkness till their reproductive stage. If the light is somewhere where it will not bother anyone being on after dark or effect any other flowering plants nearby, you could put it on a schedule that follows your wake/sleep schedule or just leave it on all night and let it act as a night light. The T5 bulbs are very efficient and have a very long life, turning them off and on just shortens that life really. We do that for our kitchen sprouter light and find it nice to be able to go to bed or get up in the middle of the night and navigate to the kitchen to get a drink of water without turning anything on or off.

[dmb2002man]

While most plants can only put to good use around 16 hours of light a day, many do not really need darkness till their reproductive stage. If the light is somewhere where it will not bother anyone being on after dark or effect any other flowering plants nearby, you could put it on a schedule that follows your wake/sleep schedule or just leave it on all night and let it act as a night light. The T5 bulbs are very efficient and have a very long life, turning them off and on just shortens that life really. We do that for our kitchen sprouter light and find it nice to be able to go to bed or get up in the middle of the night and navigate to the kitchen to get a drink of water without turning anything on or off.

Thanks so much man for helping with all this! I will be purchasing that light and grabbing me some pvc to build a stand within the next few days. Im pretty excited about all this! I checked and can mount it also under my kitchen cabinets and then put the trays underneath. So this is what i plan to do at first and add a timer to it. Run it while i sleep and then add to window in morning before i leave.

[Ravenna]

I have couple questions.

I think I'm doing something wrong. I soak one cup of wheatgrass berries for one tray 10 by 20. I use Green Star juicer to juice and it comes out only to about 4oz of juice. I thought it would be more from huge tray. I wonder how much of juice people get.

Another question is that when I juice it smells so bad in the whole house, it is nausea-ting. It is horrible. Maybe it is something I do incorrectly while growing it? First two times I juiced we did not noticed it, I cannot think of what actually changed since then. Last time I brought air purifier home from work to see if this helps. I juiced in the closed room this time with air purifier running on its highest (it is considered to be a good powerfull purifier), same smell of course and it took about 5-6 hours for air purifier to get rid of smell completely (versus: at work we have pretty strong smells and it works like a charm and we can feel fresh air in minutes).

Do you have any sugestions?

[Arky]

...when I juice it smells so bad in the whole house, it is nausea-ting. It is horrible. Maybe it is something I do incorrectly while growing it?

Do you have any sugestions?


You're not doing anything wrong - wheatgrass simply does smell rather nauseating, unfortunately. I suggest you try growing a different cereal grass - e.g. rye or barley. These will still smell somewhat unpleasant and they will taste more bitter/less sweet than wheatgrass, but I find the taste (& smell) of wheatgrass to be particularly 'sickly-sweet' and much prefer barley grass for taste and smell.

None of them are perfect, it's really a case of experimenting in order to find the one which least offends your palate and olfactory senses!

And, of course, you could do your juicing right next to an open window, or even outside, weather permitting...

[Ravenna]

THanks, Arky! Do you think the amount I get is OK?

[dmb2002man]

You're not doing anything wrong - wheatgrass simply does smell rather nauseating, unfortunately. I suggest you try growing a different cereal grass - e.g. rye or barley. These will still smell somewhat unpleasant and they will taste more bitter/less sweet than wheatgrass, but I find the taste (& smell) of wheatgrass to be particularly 'sickly-sweet' and much prefer barley grass for taste and smell.

None of them are perfect, it's really a case of experimenting in order to find the one which least offends your palate and olfactory senses!

And, of course, you could do your juicing right next to an open window, or even outside, weather permitting...

i juice wheatgrass with my manual juicer and dont smell nothing. Im guessing it could be the greenstar. i use a 10x20 tray and i get enough single shots for a week of juicing. I buy organic wheat berries from wholefoods in bulk section. I only use reverse osmosis water or distilled.

[Arky]

i juice wheatgrass with my manual juicer and dont smell nothing.


Take that clothespeg of your nose, then! ;-)

Seriously, though, wheatgrass invariaby smells pungent when its fibres are broken apart. Many grasses do, to varying degrees. For example, think of summertime when people are out mowing their lawns - doesn't that have a distinctive smell?

I'm quite bemused that you claim to not be able to smell your wheatgrass. I believe you, but I find it bemusing! Maybe you have a genetic difference affecting your olfaction. I do know that some people find cilantro tastes soapy, whilst others find it tastes 'intensely herby', and that this particular difference does have a genetic basis, so who knows, perhaps the same might be true with regard to olfaction and wheatgrass. I'd be interested to find out.

.

[Courtney89]

Hey, you guys! Can you tell me what kind of wheatgrass juicer you use?? What is the brand? Can you use an ordinary juicer or does it have to be a special juicer for wheatgrass? I am in Ukraine, about to go to Hungary, which is more civilized. if you can tell me the brand of juicer you use, or brands of wheatgrass juicers that work well, I can then search in Hungary for one that runs on 220 volts.I have a medical emergency - a lump - and so I really need to drink wheat grass every day!

Hope to hear from you soon. (I leave for Hungary the day after tomorrow!) Thanks for your help!!!

Courtney

[Supa]

I can't help with wheat grass juicers and I am not a doctor; I have read that broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, beetroot, garlic, ginger, turmeric, tomatoes, carrots, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, pineapple, apples, grapefruit, and lemons may possess anti-cancer phytochemicals. Wheat grass might be good too, but the others are allot easier to readily find and consume for a broader spectrum of nutrients and phytochemicals. It probably helps to focus on making bitter juices so as not to over use sweet ingredients, as cancer feeds on excess glucose. So things like the anti-cancer compound of bromelain found in pineapple might be better taken as a supplement to avoid the sugars of a whole pineapple or for apples (preferably organic) focusing more on the outer skin parts that contain the anti-cancer compounds rather then loading up on the sugary flesh interior. You should see a real doctor to know what your dealing with.

[Ravenna]

I think the best wheatgrass juicer actually is the manual one, for example http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Stainless-Manual-Wheatgrass-Juicer/dp/B0012824NK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1357219425&sr=8-2&keywords=wheatgrass+juicer+manual Of course you can go with Greenstar or Omega but if for wheatgrass only manual works just fine.

[dmb2002man]

I think the best wheatgrass juicer actually is the manual one, for example http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Stainless-Manual-Wheatgrass-Juicer/dp/B0012824NK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1357219425&sr=8-2&keywords=wheatgrass+juicer+manual Of course you can go with Greenstar or Omega but if for wheatgrass only manual works just fine.

I use a cheap manual juicer from amazon and it works fine. I payed around $50. I actually might be starting to supply trays to a local a nutrition shop.

[Supa]

I use a cheap manual juicer from amazon and it works fine. I payed around $50. I actually might be starting to supply trays to a local a nutrition shop.

Sounds like your ramping up. Did you make a stand for your light and tray setup? Any pics?

[SunshineMN]

The wheatgrass juicer we purchased is http://www.amazon.com/Lexen-Products-Healthy-Juicer-GP27/dp/B0002LY8PA/. We have not juiced wheatgrass with it yet (going to start soon, it's too cold in our mobile home right now as we only really heat the bedroom where we spend all our time). It does juice lots of other things such as pineapple, carrots, apples, oranges and lemons. I would imagine it will do well on most soft fruits like berries as well. I believe there are a few others here that also use this juicer.

[Arky]

The wheatgrass juicer we purchased is http://www.amazon.com/Lexen-Products-Healthy-Juicer-GP27/dp/B0002LY8PA/. We have not juiced wheatgrass with it yet (going to start soon, it's too cold in our mobile home right now as we only really heat the bedroom where we spend all our time). It does juice lots of other things such as pineapple, carrots, apples, oranges and lemons. I would imagine it will do well on most soft fruits like berries as well. I believe there are a few others here that also use this juicer.

As you may already be aware, for a long time, Michael Bergonzi (Hippocrates) recommended using exactly the juicer you've chosen, for the purposes of juicing wheatgrass:

http://www.wheatgrassgreenhouse.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/wheatgrass/ExpoMichaelJuicing.jpg&target=tlx_picsf0q (http://webhosting.web.com/imagelib/sitebuilder/misc/show_image.html?linkedwidth=actual&linkpath=http://www.wheatgrassgreenhouse.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/wheatgrass/ExpoMichaelJuicing.jpg&target=tlx_picsf0q)

[SunshineMN]

It's nice to know we made a good choice. I'm really looking forward to trying the different grasses to see which we like. Probably going to wait at least another month here to get started.

[dmb2002man]

The wheatgrass juicer we purchased is http://www.amazon.com/Lexen-Products-Healthy-Juicer-GP27/dp/B0002LY8PA/. We have not juiced wheatgrass with it yet (going to start soon, it's too cold in our mobile home right now as we only really heat the bedroom where we spend all our time). It does juice lots of other things such as pineapple, carrots, apples, oranges and lemons. I would imagine it will do well on most soft fruits like berries as well. I believe there are a few others here that also use this juicer.

same juicer that i have as well. I only use mine for wheatgrass and it works okay. I have tried cut up carrots and it does work.

[dmb2002man]

Sounds like your ramping up. Did you make a stand for your light and tray setup? Any pics?

Yes i got the light but still in process of building a stand. Hopefully very soon i will post pictures up when it completes.

[CaiHong]

Just joined this thread, very informative.

Arky you explained it so well about the jointed and better to juice before it gets to that stage. I would have thought that it would be better tomcut and juice straight away but good news for me as it will allow me to store my grass in the fridge.

Mystic love the idea of feeding the cut grass to the chooks I had a residual memory that was a good idea and you confirmed it.
My neighbours have chickens, I will offer it to them.

I am growing my wheatgrass in hanging baskets down the side of my raw cafe, it's functional as well as extremely decorative.

My problem with my wheat grass is the rats especially when the young berries are beginning to shoot.
Mumcafe is on the river and is not enclosed.

CaiHong


I think your grass looks great dmb!



I so agree! I don't want to have to minutely control everything I eat like that. It's 100 times better than I used to eat. If I had to microcontrol everything it would drive me nuts and this is supposed to be more about freedom from all the mental issues that go along with food for me. I'm sure some times my sprouts are beyond what they should be. My mung sprouts grew root hairs when they were very short in fact. I ate them anyhow. It's still better than a boiled potato! I also eat all the seeds, I never pull them off the sprouts. However I am still looking forward to getting trays to grow microgreens, including a bunch of dried sweet corn I bought that sprouts but so slowly it's not worth the time (and the piece of corn stays too hard to eat!).