Originally Posted by
Arky
Just a few suggestions, based upon personal experience (I'm sure I'll think of more, after I've posted, but this is all that springs to mind at the time of writing):
*Make sure you use good clean seed (moulds and toxins can grow on poorly-stored seeds). This is one reason why it is worth buying seeds from several different suppliers to begin with, to find out who provides the best quality seed. Believe me, there really are differences between suppliers. Remember that you want to be buying your seed from a supplier with a good turnover of seed - if you buy it from a healthfood store that doesn't sell much seed, then their seeds may have been on the shelf for quite a while, with the potential for microscopic mould levels to have increased during that time. This will, of course, vary from one shop to another.
*Make sure you use good quality soil
* Do not oversoak your seeds - this is a major one! 8-10 hours MAXIMUM (so basically, this is just overnight while you are sleeping). Under some circumstances, it can be beneficial to allow the seeds to slightly sprout before placing them on the growing soil, but this is something each person needs to experiment with and find there best option.
*Do not be tempted to apply too much seed to the soil. I've seen people using rediculous amounts of seed in an effort to obtain maximum yield for a given amount of soil / size of tray. This is a fool's approach. When seeds germinate, they create heat. Heat promotes growth of moulds. Therefore, it is critical to allow each seed to not get too hot. This means don't pile seeds on top of one another, just spread an even layer of seeds on the soil, no more than one seed deep.
Planting density of your seeds is also relevant from the point of view that you need there to be sufficient space between each stem/blade of grass for air to circulate and thus avoid build up of mould-promoting humidity.
*Ensure abundant ventilation. This is a major reason why growing outdoors can be a good option, provided one lives in a temperate climate. If your climate or living situation forces you to grow indoors, then do be sure to ensure good air circulation using a fan of some kind (although be careful not to allow a fan to 'dry' germinating seeds - the fan is mostly of use once roots have formed below the soil and blades of grass are growing
*Try to avoid direct sunlight
*Ensure good drainage of your soil. Whilst it is tempting to deliberately stop trays from draining, so as to minimise the need to water the soil, this is a fool's approach. You need good drainage, even though this means watering the trays slightly more frequently.
*Don't re-use soil for the next batch (if you've properly composted your old growing soil and root mats, then that's different).
*I can tell you from personal experience that wheatgrass DOES grow differently depending on how much soil you use. If you use only an inch of soil, the roots cannot develop very well and the grass experiences much greater stress than if you use a good 2-3 inches of soil. I assure you that it is absolutely worth paying a little more in order to use at least 2 inches of soil.
*It's not really a good idea to try to get a second harvest from a trayful of wheatgrass seeds/roots. It'll be less nutritious than the first batch and the risk of mould running rampant is increased, since it may already have begun during the first growth cycle.
*It is possible to soak seeds in hydrogen peroxide or grapefruit seed extract ('GSE') in an effort to reduce the likelihood of moulds forming on your wheatgrass seeds and blades, but it is naive to believe that this is a complete solution in itself - there is no substitute for good ventilation and following the other recommendations above. Do yourself a favour and get the fundamental basics of healthy wheatgrass growing (described in the points above) correct, rather than ignoring them and hoping for a magic bullet solution to kill mould problems. If you grow your grass properly, respecting it's needs for ventilation, 'breathing space', and sufficent soil depth, you should find, as I do, that there is no need for hydrogen peroxide or GSE, unless you live in unusually challenging environmental conditions (e.g. very hot/humid). Grass likes to grow in cool conditions. It grows more slowly in cool conditions, but don't look at this as a bad thing, just have a little patience and you'll see that cool growing is generally far superior.
*a SMALL amount (i.e. very diluted) of liquid kelp and/or OceanGrown Solution sprayed onto your wheatgrass (once it has begun to grow some green blades) will help support it's healthy growth.
*it is a rookie's mistake to apply too much liquid kelp/ OceanGrown Solution. More is not better!! Use it very diluted and you'll stand the best chance of getting satisfactory results.
*It is a rookie mistake to grow a flat of wheatgrass thinking that you can use just a little each day - for maybe 2 days this approach can work, but any longer than that and problems occur, such as mould or the wheatgrass imply becoming too mature and the soil not being able to sufficiently support it's health anymore - in this case, the roots may experience black mould and/or some slime, and the grass blades may become very bitter and the chlorophyll may degenerate to a paler colour.
Lastly, do be aware that the taste of your wheatgrass will vary, depending on many factors:
*Don't let it grow too old and bitter
*Try different cereal grains. For example, some people like the sweetness of wheatgrass but I find it rather sickly (though I am able to handle the taste if there's no alternative). I prefer oatgrass juice as it is not sickly sweet, but the downside is that it can leave a bit of a burning sensation in the back of the throat. Barleygrass juice is rarther bitter but fairly clean-tasting. Kamut tastes much like wheatgrass in my experience. Don't be fooled by people claiming that 'wheat is the best' - that's old dogma. All the major cereal grasses produce extremely nutritious and potent juice, with great similarities in nutrient profiles, so find one that you find most palatable because a potent juice which you can't bear to consume won't do you anywhere near as much good as one that you are happy to regularly consume/implant.
Hope that helps you a little.