Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 5Step 5: Its growing
Water daily and watch it grow!
You may need to adjust height of plastic cover as grass gets taller, by propping it up with something ie. I used Lego; this will lessen its effectiveness of keeping the moisture in but still good for keeping kitty out.
The rate of growth may vary somewhat depending on the amount of light, temperature, soil, etc. so you may want to experiment to see which works best for you.
Growth tips:
-liquid fertilizer or compost tea could be added to boost growth
-you could use less soil because you just need enough for short term growth since only the first growth is used, once the grass is cut for use it will grow back but has less nutritional value.
-you can also grow on just paper towels with no soil at all, just make sure it stays moist and doesn't dry out.
-if you don't water enough the grass starts to yellow and the blades thin -not very good for juicing
-if there is too much moisture mold can form on the soil. If this happens, when your harvesting make sure you cut higher on the grass blade or if you want to play it safe don't use it at all since mold can trigger allergic reactions in some people. Also sterilize the growth tray with bleach if you will be reusing it.
-to prevent mold from forming, water less, don't cover the growth tray with the plastic container, and/or place growth tray where there is more air flow, like an open window, also try adding more drainage holes
-once you know how long it takes for it to grow and how long it takes for you to consume you can stagger several trays so you have a continuous supply of wheatgrass.
-wheatgrass also looks very pretty, so if you find a nice ceramic or clay pot to grow it in, you could use it decoratively.
You may need to adjust height of plastic cover as grass gets taller, by propping it up with something ie. I used Lego; this will lessen its effectiveness of keeping the moisture in but still good for keeping kitty out.
The rate of growth may vary somewhat depending on the amount of light, temperature, soil, etc. so you may want to experiment to see which works best for you.
Growth tips:
-liquid fertilizer or compost tea could be added to boost growth
-you could use less soil because you just need enough for short term growth since only the first growth is used, once the grass is cut for use it will grow back but has less nutritional value.
-you can also grow on just paper towels with no soil at all, just make sure it stays moist and doesn't dry out.
-if you don't water enough the grass starts to yellow and the blades thin -not very good for juicing
-if there is too much moisture mold can form on the soil. If this happens, when your harvesting make sure you cut higher on the grass blade or if you want to play it safe don't use it at all since mold can trigger allergic reactions in some people. Also sterilize the growth tray with bleach if you will be reusing it.
-to prevent mold from forming, water less, don't cover the growth tray with the plastic container, and/or place growth tray where there is more air flow, like an open window, also try adding more drainage holes
-once you know how long it takes for it to grow and how long it takes for you to consume you can stagger several trays so you have a continuous supply of wheatgrass.
-wheatgrass also looks very pretty, so if you find a nice ceramic or clay pot to grow it in, you could use it decoratively.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
I do have a question though. Say I wanted to grow the wheat grass not for eating or juicing, but just because I like the look of it -- how could I go about keeping the grass alive and healthy and as pretty as it looks in your Day 5 photo?
Other than the right balance of sunlight, airflow and watering, what else could/should I look at doing differently during setup? or additionally after it's already grown?
Thanks again! And please let me know... I live in a condo and really want to bring a little more of the outside in.
Cheers,
Phil
You should also trim the grass otherwise it gets long, spindly and either dries out and goes to seed. I would keep the height at about 5-6 inches, I guess it's like mowing the lawn.
I hope that helps.