I was just looking at the marketplace on here and the Sproutman has a soil-free wheatgrass grower. He says that soil-free is equivalent nutritionally to the regular one (I have Wigmore's book on wheatgrass and I cannot recall if she believes this as well). If this is true, couldn't I just sprout wheat berries in jars like clover and alfalfa? I don't understand why I need to buy this contraption if I don't use soil...

banana who Wrote:
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> ......I don't understand why I need to buy this
> contraption if I don't use soil...
That contraption will grow tall Wheatgrass for juicing.
But Wheat Berries are best grown in a soil-less potting mix. The
roots know what to do, since that is Nature's way.
BW....If you grow some, let us know. I'm using soaked Seaweeds in
my fertilizer mix now, along with Clay. The Grass Juice taste is very mild.
Plus, I feel it is mineral rich.....WY

some pros just use a paper towel across the bottom of whatever you grow in. use the jar for the first stage of soaking then dump em in the tray thick. and water very little to prevent mold. and use a fan on it if you have mold issues. i personally agree with ann wigmore's belief that you get more minerals and nutrients from anything grown in good 'ol dirt vs. papertowel. also, many folks feel sun grown is way better than just ambient or artificial light. less sugars, more potent nutrients. thats why some juice places taste sweet and easy to drink, yet when i go to whole foods and get a double, it is SERIOUS !!! its sun grown. but still dirt free, this particular company's is. don't buy the contraption unless you are SUPER DUPER lazy. and i am lazy but i still wouldn't get that sprouting contraption. Unless you have tons of counter space to use up.

The Raw Lion 440 pounds to 225 pounds!

One does not need to use soil, for the germinations get what they need from the seed up to about 14 days. This is the most nutritious time for harvesting for nutritional value also, between 7-14 days. Many large wheatgrass companies, those that dehydrate their product for use as a supplement, continue to cut and grow for quite a while. Then minerals from soil or other fertilizers need to be there for the nutritional value is not as high as the original sprouts.

Therefore people growing their own wheatgrass and recycling it in two weeks may instead of using soil, will use things like a coir pad or other fibrous pad on the bottom for the roots to hook onto. I looked at the Sproutman's unit online and it looks like he doesn't use anything in the bottom, maybe it has a small screenlike bottom that just needs to be scrubbed clean. I don't personally like units that require power (to circulate water) or for that matter (again for me personally) do not like plastic units of any kind.

faeterri Wrote:
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> One does not need to use soil, for the
> germinations get what they need from the seed up
> to about 14 days. This is the most nutritious
> time for harvesting for nutritional value also,
> between 7-14 days. Many large wheatgrass
> companies, those that dehydrate their product for
> use as a supplement, continue to cut and grow for
> quite a while. Then minerals from soil or other
> fertilizers need to be there for the nutritional
> value is not as high as the original sprouts.
>
> Therefore people growing their own wheatgrass and
> recycling it in two weeks may instead of using
> soil, will use things like a coir pad or other
> fibrous pad on the bottom for the roots to hook
> onto. I looked at the Sproutman's unit online and
> it looks like he doesn't use anything in the
> bottom, maybe it has a small screenlike bottom
> that just needs to be scrubbed clean. I don't
> personally like units that require power (to
> circulate water) or for that matter (again for me
> personally) do not like plastic units of any kind.

I was reading Ann Wigmore's book on wheatgrass and it just seemed very complicated to me. I am not a gardener, so this is all new to me. I just had two indoor herb plants die on me within a week of buying them, along with a bulb plant, so I need major help on that front. But I have sprouted alfalfa, clover and lentils successfully in a jar. If I could simply sprout the wheat berries via that method then I would be fine. But all this stuff about buying certain types of soil, having cafeteria trays and putting in holes...I don't think I'd bother.

Sure you can grow wheat berry sprouts in a jar and eat them when they just have a tiny tail.

Wheatgrass is another process.
To simplify things I use the bottom of clay pots, you know the water catcher.
I fill it with soil,
moisten the soil,
place my wheatberry sprouts in a single layer on top,
cover with another clay bottom for an extra day,
uncover, check if it needs to be watered,
and then grass grows.
I cut it with scissors to harvest.
After one cut, I usually compost.

The worst that can happen is it is too wet, which causes mold, or too dry which limits growth. Plants like water, but not saturation. Good luck if you go for it.

Also, I always thought I had a black thumb, but now it is green. I also talk to my living plants. We are good friends, and they nourish me.

(PS: I would not buy inorganic plants for they may be diseased or bring pests into the home.)

banana who,

For sprouts, water; for grass, soil. Or so the adage goes. On the juicing forum, I lamented not wanting to keep dumping used wheatgrass soil intertwined with root matter into my composter, as it's the nonstationary kind that goes dormant in winter, and [vernacular sense]organic soil is expensive anyway. I am going to start experimenting with pebbles as a medium and nutrient infused water as moisture in the next couple of months. Cross fingers . . .

faeterri Wrote:
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> I cut it with scissors to harvest.
> After one cut, I usually compost.

After one cut? How come? Thx.

Tamukha Wrote:
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> banana who,
>
> For sprouts, water; for grass, soil. Or so the
> adage goes. On the juicing forum, I lamented not
> wanting to keep dumping used wheatgrass soil
> intertwined with root matter into my composter, as
> it's the nonstationary kind that goes dormant in
> winter, and organic soil is expensive anyway. I
> am going to start experimenting with pebbles as a
> medium and nutrient infused water as moisture in
> the next couple of months. Cross fingers . . .

Aha! Why didn't I think of that? It was driving me crazy trying to figure out why anyone in their right mind would bother with soil if it was basically the same as jar.

Suspendedindefinitely:

I usually compost after the first cut because I have gotten the most nutrition of the grass. I would consider additional cuttings if I fertilized with kelp or other seaweed.

faeterri Wrote:
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> I usually compost after the first cut because I
> have gotten the most nutrition of the grass. I
> would consider additional cuttings if I fertilized
> with kelp or other seaweed.
Yes, that's true. I'm getting two cuttings now since
I've been using three different Seaweeds, Clay, and Water....lots
of water. The seaweeds (Sea Lettuce, Dulse, and Sea Palm) were
used in Green Smoothies, but I'm trying an all Liquid diet for
a while, avoiding all Fiber.....WY

faeterri Wrote:
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> Suspendedindefinitely:
>
> I usually compost after the first cut because I
> have gotten the most nutrition of the grass. I
> would consider additional cuttings if I fertilized
> with kelp or other seaweed.

Ah, thanks... I normally just keep cutting it as long as it'll grow for. I didn't realise that nutrition was lost as it kept growing!

A dry seed contains all the nutrition to support the growth of a new seedling for about the first week or two. The concentrated carbohydrate, fats and proteins get digested by enzymes in the seed to break the proteins into their amino acids, the fats into fatty acids and glycerol, and the carbs into simple sugars (monosaccharides). Eating the sprouts gives you this predigested simple nutrition, which is easier on the body.

After that the small plant will have to gets its nutrition from its environment.

I grow mine in a tub of organic compost- does this mean I can keep cutting?

i do with my outdoor stuff Suspended

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Even if a second cutting isn't as beneficial as the first, it's still going to be good. Better than a sandwich anyhow!