wheatgrass

[sharonjones]

ive got a huge bag of wheatgrass but lost the instructions telling me how to grow it successfully.

Help please !!! :eek:

[Debbie Took]

HOW TO GROW WHEATGRASS


FOR ONE TRAY:

Take 200g of wheatgrass seeds (wheatberries). Soak overnight (if you are using a sprouting jar best to split between two jars, as they swell in soaking).

Drain and rinse. Sprout for 1-2 days, rinsing twice-daily, until there are small white shoots about 2mm long (this is called ‘pre-sprouting’).

Fill growing tray with compost (soil/peat mix) to about 1 in. deep. Use another tray to firm it down. Sprinkle all the pre-sprouted seeds on the soil until it’s covered. Place an empty tray on top of the sprouts. Place sprouts on draining board and pour 2 litres of water into the empty tray (this stops the seeds from moving around) to soak the soil. Allow excess to drain through holes in bottom of bottom tray. Then, leaving the top tray on the seeds (this helps them keep damp and dark), keep the seeds at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.

Over the next 1-2 days (water if the soil starts to dry – check by prising a corner up with knife), the top tray should start to lift as the sprouts grow. When they’ve grown about ¼ in. remove the top tray and place the tray in daylight. Water with a sprinkler (available from http://www.ukjuicers.com/sprouters/GEOWaterSprinklerBlue.htm) all over the grass until the shoots are around 2 ins. tall.


When the grass is 2 ins tall, stop watering over the top. Just let the water run in around the edge of the tray, so keeping the roots damp but not wetting the green shoots (this helps control mould). So at this point stop using the sprinkler – use something spouted to water round the edges only. It’s fine to water every day (especially in summer, but may not be necessary in winter. Check by lifting a corner – if the soil looks dark and moist don’t water, but if it looks light in colour, do.) Also, now place the wheatgrass in direct sunlight, as it is the sun that wheatgrass gets a lot of its goodness from.


Keep in sunlight for 8-12 days, watering around the edges as needed, keeping the soil moist but not soaked. The wheatgrass is tall enough to juice when 6 ins high (rinse before juicing, to clean – and the grass juices better if damp). Cut off what’s needed for juicing and remember to keep watering the remainder. Trays can be moved outside as days become warmer; this can make for easier watering.

If you don’t use the grass fast enough it will begin to turn yellow and wilt (because it has used all the food in the seed and compost). So, as soon as it begins to tinge yellow, wait until it has not been recently watered, cut all the grass (don’t wash it this time), put in a plastic bag (not sealed) and refrigerate. The grass should last for several days after cutting.




60-65 F is good for growing wheatgrass (wheatgrass can be grown indoors all through winter). If hot and/or humid, then mould can occur. Some people are allergic to mould and it’s not good for asthma sufferers. If mould does form, then trim the grass well above the mould to avoid ingesting.


Debbie Took, www.rawforlife.co.uk
(based on instructions from Brow Farm)

[sharonjones]

thanks so much :)