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How to Grow Wheatgrass for wheatgrass juice
Growing your own wheatgrass for juicing can be very rewarding, and will provide you with a highly nutritious super food for pennies.
Since 2003 I have been learning how to grow wheatgrass indoors for juicing in my wheatgrass juicer.
If you don't mind soil in the house then I recommend growing wheatgrass in organic potting soil (amazon.com). If your in the U.K. Organic Compost (amazon.co.uk) works well.
If you live in a flat, or simply do not want the mess of soil in your house you can also grow wheatgrass and other sprouts very successfully without soil.
growing wheatgrass using soil (compost)
equipment needed
To grow wheatgrass in soil indoors you will need:
- 2 Trays: One to grow the grass
in, and one to use as a lid to keep the light out and the moisture in.
- Wheat Berries (wheatgrass seed)
- Potting soil (compost)
I grow wheatgrass in reusuable recycled seed trays. (amazon.com)
There are two types of seed tray.
- Trays with holes in the bottom for drainage. (amazon.com) These are great if you have a greenhouse or conservatory where you can water freely and let the excess water drain out of the bottom of the tray.
- Trays that are solid (amazon.com - see photo). These have the advantage of protecting your furniture from water damage, but trap excess water so care must be taken not to overwater. Solid trays can also be used underneath those with drainage holes to catch the drips.
To simplify things I usually grow wheatgrass in a solid trays. This works well for growing indoors as long as I water carefully, keeping the compost moist rather than wet in the early stages.
When I grow wheatgrass outdoors in the summer I use seed trays with drainage holes so the grass doesn't end up sitting in water if it rains heavily.
Wheat Grass Seeds (Wheat Berries)
I buy organic wheatgrass seed (amazon.com) in bulk over the internet, and store it in a large tub in my kitchen. It works out much cheaper this way. You can buy wheatgrass growing kits (amazon.com) online too, which is a good option if you want to try out growing your own. If you decide you want to grow it regularly then it's cheaper to buy the seed in bulk, and get your compost locally.
How to grow wheatgrass in easy steps
1. Use a cup of dry wheatgrass seed or wheat berries for each tray of wheatgrass. The dry seed is first soaked and sprouted, turning the dormant dry seed into a living sprout.
Click here to learn how to sprout wheat berries.
2. Once the wheat is sprouted, tip it out into the middle of a seed tray filled with potting soil.
3. And then spread them out evenly over the surface of the soil, so that they are touching but not piled on top of each other. They need to be able to get their roots down into the soil.
4. Make sure the soil is nicely damp (but not too wet), and cover with a tray.
This keeps out the light and encourages the grass to put down roots. Either use a tray with drainage holes, or use a solid tray at a slight angle to allow some air flow and prevent mold.
5. Place the trays in a convenient spot in your house, or outside during the summer. Make sure that it's out of direct sunlight, especially if the sun is hot.
6. After approximately 5 days remove the top tray and allow the grass to green up. The pale grass should be almost pushing off the top tray!
7. Water the grass if the tray feels light - probably once a day unless your house is cool. If you allow the grass to totally dry out it really suffers, and your probably best to start fresh with new tray.
8. Harvest the grass when it begins to fork. It is said to be most nutritious at this time.
Wheatgrass ready to harvest
Grass beginning to fork
Harvesting Wheatgrass
To harvest I gather a bunch of grass in one hand and using a clean sharp pair scissors cut cleanly across the base of the grass. Keep all the blades of grass flowing the same way to make it easier for your wheatgrass juicer.
For maximum freshness harvest straight from the tray whenever you want a juice.
I tend to harvest a whole tray of wheatgrass at a time, and store it in an airtight container in you fridge for easy juicing. Wheat grass will store in the fridge for up to a week.
Problems Growing Wheatgrass?
Are your concerned about mold on your lovely wheatgrass. If so click the previous link to learn more.
Visit my Wheatgrass Juice page to learn about juicing your wheatgrass.
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