wouldya?

[Zaphirah]

dh came home from work with 2 aluminum panels approx 2'x6' and about 4" deep. He says they were intended to go under the duct work in a newly contructed industrial building but they were made the wrong size and were about to be thrown out. He salvaged them for me thinking I could plant wheat grass in them. How sweet is that? Just not sure how safe the metal is? I mean there will be organic soil on top...what do you think?

[rawstrength]

i think it will be fine. plastic leaches, too. enjoy the wheatgrass!

[Soose]

Could you line the trays if concerned? A plastic liner? Or paint with something. Epoxy appliance paint? Wonder if it would just come off. You'd want something inert that would not detach. (I am not the chemist in the family. My husband is pretty good and I always ask him. Just brainstorming here for pleasure. :) )

Also I have some anodized aluminum cookware which is chemically inert. I am pretty sure you can get objects anodized and wonder how much a facility would charge to anodize it or if you could rig that up at home somehow.

But it would be helpful to know what happens with aluminum in contact with the soil. And whether plants can and/or will take up aluminum from the soil. Maybe it would depend on the acidity of the rain water?

[DebB]

My wheat grass trays have holes in the bottom for the water to drain, so I'm not sure about a solid planter? *Ü*

[Zaphirah]

ahhhh. Deb-i didn't know that. I think I may try it.

[DebB]

How about planting in trays with holes (or slits) and setting the planting tray(s) in the aluminum tray? That was so thoughtful of your husband!

I have my planting trays sitting in solid trays because I don't want the trays to potty all over the place. I actually have a solid tray with little plastic containers sitting in it, about 2" tall - then I set my planting trays on top of that. This keeps the planting trays elevated a bit for good drainage and air circulation.

I've read a lot about wheat grass molding and I wanted to avoid that. I haven't had any mold yet (knock on wood). I water twice a day.. *Ü*

[Soose]

How about planting in trays with holes (or slits) and setting the planting tray(s) in the aluminum tray?

Brilliant, DebB! Best of both worlds! You know, a gardening friend of ours got some new type of lights for Christmas -- huge banks of lights?? She and her dh were raving about them. Could set lights over these trays and really have a good indoor garden area for greens! Wow. (I am not a gardener, but I dream.)

I've read a lot about wheat grass molding and I wanted to avoid that. I haven't had any mold yet (knock on wood). I water twice a day.. *Ü*

The wheat grass I bring home from the health food store is in little trays, say the size of a paperback book. It hasn't molded on me but it doesn't last as long as I'd like. Am I not watering it often enough? It also either attracts or generates tiny little flying bugs around it. Not good but I've rationalized it's natural...

Just haven't gotten around to growing my own wheat grass yet, though I did try an indoor lettuce garden last winter.

[spicyfull]

How SWEET is THAT? Another way of saying I LOVE YOU.....IN JOY the RAW Life......Thanks for Sharing.

[Zaphirah]

Deb-where can I get this kind of tray that you speak of? I'm having difficulty picturing it in my mind.

[DebB]

Deb-where can I get this kind of tray that you speak of? I'm having difficulty picturing it in my mind.

Hi Zaphirah ~ Here's a picture of what we've got. I haven't ordered from this company - I was just looking for a picture.

My husband ordered a Wheat Grass Kit some months back and the trays with holes were included. But I knew I wanted a solid tray to catch the water run off (can't imagine not having a solid tray underneath for kitchen use).

I had Jiffy Greenhouse Trays that were solid and they were the same size (I think this is a standard size), so I was set.

I'd like to get some heavier-duty solid trays that are more substantial - mine are sort of flimsy especially when they've got any amount of water run off in them. So - I'm hoping that any local nursery will carry these and I can buy them for cheap. I see on the site above they're just around $1.

Then I want to locate some bagged organic potting soil. I've used up everything that came in the WG Kit. I'm hoping some place like Home Depot carries it in big bags - I'll use this for planting the WG. *Ü*

[Lavendula]

An old guy who buys 50# of wheatberries at a time from our HFS was telling me that's what he uses. It's been a few years, but I think he may have drilled holes in one and stacked it on top of another, or didn't have drainage, because it' so shallow.

[DebB]

Maybe it's overkill on my part - but I'm really concerned about mold and air cirulation.

The method I use to grow the berries has you covering them (I use an old cotton dish towel) for the first 3 days and keeping them very moist under the towel (and in the dark).

If there wasn't drainage - I would be concerned this is when they would start to mold. I want the water to be able to drip completely away from the planting tray - that's why I raise the tray up on the 2" plastic deli containers that I sit in the solid tray.

Everyone's methods may be different though. When I water my covered seeds, the water really drips on out of the bottom. It's different though when the wheat starts to grow - and different again when it's almost ready to harvest.

You wouldn't believe the massive root system. We compost it afterwards and it's all my husband can do to break it up with a shovel - I kid you not - it's like a cement block almost!

If I think of it tomorrow, I'll take some pictures and post them. *Ü*

[Lavendula]

This guy uses his composted roots and soil for his fresh batch, something like nine trays going at once, rotating them to the top, Just for him and his wife. He's been doing it forever, so he has quite a recycling system going. I was going to try to go see how he operated, but I never made it there.

[DebB]

I would love to see his system! Or anybody's system that's been doing it for a while - ha!

It sounds like he's sure got it down to a science..

When the WG is cut and ready to be composted - I was really surprised - I can pick up a corner and pull out the whole flat (20x10") and it's just one solid root mass. That's just after 1 week... in 1" of soil. I actually go out on our upper deck and toss it down into the compost pile. Doesn't even dent it - ha!

I wonder how much that fella drinks every day. We're now up to 2 trays for 2 of us per week. I sprout a total of 4-5 cups of wheat berries total.

I read somewhere where a 20x10 tray will yield 12 (1oz) shots. So, that's what I go by. But beats me if that's correct or not. *Ü*