Heather’s wheatgrass adventure began on day 1 …
Wheat berries soak for 12-24 hours in 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon Tonic (from Progress Earth).
Day 2
I’m disappointed in how little I have to do today to care for my wheatgrass garden. This is too easy (so far). My wheat berries have soaked for about 18 hours, and they’re looking a little puffy, so it’s time to strain the water & Tonic soaking solution off and let my seeds germinate out of water for a bit. I don’t want to waste that nutrient-powered run-off, so I give it to my sad basil plant, which has not experienced a miraculous recovery since Day 1.
Wheat berries starting to germinate after soaking for 18 hours.
The instructions say to let the wheat seeds sit until the root tips emerge: misting, covering and stirring the berries to distribute moisture are all recommended techniques for encouraging germination (light doesn’t matter at this stage). I park a plate on top of the bowl and leave my seeds alone for awhile.
I start to wonder how exactly I’ll juice my wheatgrass harvest. I don’t own a juicer . . . maybe a blender or my food processor will do the job?
Day 3
With very little care (just a plate lid), my wheat berries are starting to germinate: each seed is sprouting a little white tail. It’s time to prepare their new home! I dilute another 5ml of Tonic in 4 cups well water and place one of my two coir fiber discs into the solution. I hold it down to help it saturate, then flip it over and leave it for about 20 minutes. The coir quickly soaks up the water, and I have to add a bit more to completely soak it. Soon I have a bowl of wet fiber.
Coconut coir discs, before (bottom) and after (top) soaking in water.
I stack a flat with holes in the bottom into a flat without holes, then spread the hydrated coir fiber into the top flat. Then I spread the germinating wheat berries across the top and pat them down with love.
I’ve never grown anything this way — it feels weird to not be burying my seeds under another layer of medium! I trust Progress Earth, though, so I don’t fret too much.
Our house is quite small and there’s limited window sill space, so I park the flat in a less-than-ideal part of the house and cross my fingers. Progress Earth recommends grow lights, such as T5 strip lights. We’ll have to make do with heavily filtered November sunlight.
Before I leave my wheatgrass babies to do their thing, I dilute another 4 cups water and 5ml Tonic and feed the berries from the bottom, by pouring the solution into the solid-bottomed flat. Then I put the 2-inch humidity dome on top. Progress Earth says: “This will help retain moisture for the growing plants until they can mature enough to reach the Tonic solution below.”
I love that everything I needed to get me this far (except the bowls and water) was included in my kit! Ah, moisture clouds are already forming inside the dome . . .
I can’t wait to see those little darlings grow! You’ll be downing fresh wheatgrass juice shots in no time! Tastemungus!
I see that you are a bit unsure as to how you are going to make juice from your wheatgrass. Wheatgrass is rather rough so it will wear down the blades from a blender or processor. Also you need a few stomachs like a cow to be able to properly digest the grass and get the beneficial juice. The best way to get juice from your grass is to crush it! You need a juicer that is going to grind and smash your wheatgrass to squeeze the juice out. The least expensive one I have found is the http://www.healthyjuicer.com. It won’t be as efficient as a more pricey one, but it will get the job done. As far as lighting goes, the cheapest way to go would be to get some 6500K CFLs at your local hardware store. Hope this helps, good luck!! You’ll be feeling happy and healthy in no time!
Thank you, Christopher!! I also had a friend send me this site: http://www.rhibafarms.com/blog/informational/wheatgrass-juice-with-no-juicer/. It acknowledges that there’s really no substitute for a proper juicer, but it might suffice for my first-time-ever experience.
Wheatgrass is good for kitties too. I keep some in a pot on the floor just for them. Well, after I added a screen strong enough for them to sit on.
Looks great! Progress Earth has cost effective manuel juicers that press the nectar out without the negative effects of heated motors, preserving the integrity of the juice, and we also have electric juicers with no heat as well. Call or email me for details. Happy that everything is going well!