Growing Wheatgrass

How to grow wheatgrass at home

Wheat grain (sometimes called wheat berries), Spelt (An ancient form of wheat), Barley grain (pearl barely will not work as it's cooked) or any other type of cereal grain. Wheat is the most common cereal grain we use in much of what we eat like flour, bread, cake, pasta, biscuits and some breakfast cereals.  Wheatgrass is grown from whole wheat grains often referred to as “wheat berries.” In Northern America organic, hard red winter wheat berries that haven’t been treated with chemicals or oxygen absorbers are the most highly recommended and used for growing wheatgrass. We have successfully grown wheat grass from nearly every type of untreated wheat grain we have come across so don't get too stressed about the variety.  Some varieties offer better resistance against mould, or have a slightly taller blade when sprouted, or a darker shade of green, or different taste when juiced.

Getting started:

Trays - Wheatgrass will grow in only an inch of soil and can even be grown without soil; however, soil ensures better root growth and nutrient uptake. Fairly rigid plastic seed trays available from most garden centres work well, usually about 10” x 14”. 

Soil - A good soil mixture for the trays is 50% organic compost or potting soil and 50% peat moss. Mix it thoroughly, breaking up clumps and add a couple of teaspoons of rock dust, greensand or powdered dried seaweed per tray (optional). If you are a gardener you probably already have a favourite seed starter mix and this will work too. It is best not to use outdoor garden soil because of the bugs and stray weed seeds.

Water - If your water is heavily chlorinated (can you smell it?) use filtered water or let it set in an open container 24 hours to let the chlorine evaporate off. Collecting rain water is another good option.  If you have some way of energising the water, this can give significantly better yields.  We use Grander water revitalisation technology and find the taste and texture of the wheatgrass juice much smoother and absorbable in the mouth and body.  The use of a mister bottle and a watering can with a sprinkler head will be handy.

Growing the Wheatgrass

1. Soak the grain for 12 hours or overnight (In the summer or in hot countries 8 - 10 hours soaking is sufficient).  Use one cup of wheat berries per tray and enough water to cover the berries by around 2 inches. Cover the cup with a cloth or lid, does not need to be airtight.  If the berries start to ferment become bubbly, foamy or even smell, then the environment is too hot.  Keeping them at comfortable room temperature is usually best. 
2. Remove the water and plant the wheat berries, allow them to lay on top of each other 1 to 3 deep, this will give you a good thick harvest. Prepare the trays by spreading the soil mixture about 1-2 inches deep or however much the tray will hold. As the trays have holes in the bottom you can afford to over water since excess water simply drains out.  You can use the mister to keep the seeds moist.  If after growing you get problems with mould then try planting them on just one layer not more than 1 seed deep, allow them to touch but should not be on top of each other. Cover with a thin layer of soil as thin as you can make it, again this is another tip for reducing mould. Cover the tray with another tray or several layers of dampened newspaper.  Place in a dark cool place (not cold).
3. The wheat berries germinate and sprout. For the first 3-5 days uncover the trays daily for fresh air. Check for mould and wipe it off if you find it. Check for moisture and water with the mister if it seems dry. Cover and put the tray back in the cool dark place. You should be seeing roots and sprouts in this timeframe.   After 5 days, if there are no sprouts and/or lots of mould, you may have bad seeds or soaked them too long or over watered or had too much heat for germination.
4. When the sprouts are 1 inch tall, uncover and mist with a dilute liquid seaweed extract (if you don't have this then just soak some seaweed and mist with this seaweed water).  Continue to keep the trays uncovered, in indirect sunlight until the blades of grass have grown to 8-10” tall. This may take another week. They need water everyday. Use the sprinkler can for the main watering and mist later if they look wilting. It's not necessary to use the seaweed everyday just in the first few days.  Turn the trays if the grass begins to lean in one direction towards the sunlight.
5. Grab a hand full of grass once grown and cut it as close to the seed as possible but above the soil. Rinse the grass and juice in your Easy Health Juicer.  You only need about 30ml or 1 fluid Oz of juice a day if you are relatively healthy, as wheat grass juice is extremely concentrated and highly energising, packed with minerals, vitamins, enzymes and many other nutrients.