Fodder sprouting systems, anyone?

[mystang89]

I read that too. I haven't been using warm water to rinse but I had been thinking heavily on it. My thinking: Warm water would help the germination cycle to begin faster which makes faster sprouts. I'm glad I read that part too because my thinking now says, "You don't know what you're doing dummy, listen to someone else for a change."

 

[Frecs]

"You don't know what you're doing dummy, listen to someone else for a change."

I wish I would come to that realization earlier in the process of learning something new!! I usually have to learn everything the hard way. Stubborn. I'm just too stubborn with a good dose of bull-headed tossed in for good measure! :wall:

 

[mystang89]

Ok, so I found out that it is mold. At least in my top tray.

As you can see from the picture my system is close to the fireplace so there shouldn't be any humidity around. The drainage holes have been opened double what they used to be. The temp upstairs right now is 74F and downstairs its around 55ish.

This is what my trays look like. I would think there was plenty of drainage.

I've been trying to keep an eye on it everyday now and the top tray has the beginning starts of mold. Little black specs and a faint smell. My phone won't take a good enough picture of it so I can show it. I'm going to completely clean absolutely everything from the pump to the trays to what holds the water today.

 

[Frecs]

A couple problems:

1) I think my house is too cool/cold for the wheat to grow. It germinates just fine...grows starter roots just fine...starts with the leaf...but only gets about a half inch long. The area where I am growing them is usually away from where we are heating so that area tends to be more in the 50F range which I think is just not warm enough for wheat.

2) My mother hates the smell of the sprouting wheat. She doesn't mind the first few days of germination...but after about day 3, she starts to complain that it smells "moldy". It is definitely not moldy...the smell is that of growing wheat. But, she don't like it. She says she'll tolerate it but honestly...I don't know that she will for long and I know that I can't deal with her complaining about it. My Modus Operendi is to keep her as ungrumpy as possible...I seek the peace...

So...based on those two problems...I'm thinking of ditching the efforts to grow wheatgrass and stick to sprouting and feeding. That way, the rabbits and chickens get the benefits of sprouted grains and I get the benefit of a peaceful household. Come Spring (or...February/March) I can start sowing some greens and we'll have that in short order...

 

[mystang89]

I would have thought that winter wheat would have grown just fine in the 50f range but I am having the same problems there. It's been almost a week and they are just now about 1" tall. If I put them upstairs then I get mold from the heat and if I put them downstairs I don't get anything fast enough to make it worth the effort.

I think I will try upstairs one more time and if I still get the same problem then I'm just going to call it.

 

[Frecs]

Weird, dontchthink? But, if anyone is going to have problems with a process, it will be me! :x

At least you don't have a mother with a very sensitive nose to deal with! Even if I was getting good growth on the grass, she'd be all "yuck, that stuff stinks" until it makes me crazy. So....for my own sanity...or what is left of it...I am nixing the fodder efforts. I will have to settle for sprouted grains and gardening for them. Garden season will start soon here (actually, if I'd been on the ball, I'd still have greens growing in the garden for them but don't tell them that, okay?)...soo...anyhoo...

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Ok, so I found out that it is mold. At least in my top tray.

As you can see from the picture my system is close to the fireplace so there shouldn't be any humidity around. The drainage holes have been opened double what they used to be. The temp upstairs right now is 74F and downstairs its around 55ish.

This is what my trays look like. I would think there was plenty of drainage.

I've been trying to keep an eye on it everyday now and the top tray has the beginning starts of mold. Little black specs and a faint smell. My phone won't take a good enough picture of it so I can show it. I'm going to completely clean absolutely everything from the pump to the trays to what holds the water today.

Are you soaking your seeds in water with a bit of bleach or something else to kill off the mold spores? Do you bleach your trays inbetween use?

 

[mystang89]

Are you soaking your seeds in water with a bit of bleach or something else to kill off the mold spores? Do you bleach your trays inbetween use?

Yeah. The time before this is when I started bleaching the trays in between each use and I've always put a small amount of bleach to soak in with the seeds.

I believe upstairs its too warm next to the fire place and that is why I get mold and downstairs is about 60f which I thought was ok but apparently not because they don't grow nearly as quick.

 

[Amy]

One thing that has helped me is to leave the grains in the jar, upside down (after the soaking period) with holes in the lid or cheesecloth secured w/rubber band. This is the typical process for sprouting, however once it is sprouted then I pour the sprouts in the trays, like 2 days later. I also have been placing the trays on top of my cabinets in the kitchen, near one of the ceiling lights. Our temps are 50 at nite, 70 daytime. Worth a try?

 

[Frecs]

I emailed The SproutPeople and asked them what might be causing our wheat not to grow grass. I don't understand why I get a great root mass but little grass....

 

[carebear]

If you are having trouble with temp, try setting your trays on a heating pad. That is how I do all my garden starts. The latest thing in heating pads is automatic shutoff, which wo't do the job.<br /><br />__________ Sat Jan 26, 2013 2:59 pm __________<br /><br />

I emailed The SproutPeople and asked them what might be causing our wheat not to grow grass. I don't understand why I get a great root mass but little grass....

Do you have adequate light?

 

[RichinOregon]

I would like to help, but I do not have experience in wheat grass. What I can tell you from my own experiences in barley fodder is this. I rinse and soak my seeds for 1 1/2 to 2 hours only. I then rinse, drain and put it in a bowl that has been cleaned with Palmolive dish washing liquid. I put a larger bowl on top, not opaque. I tried using a few drops of bleach on my first attempt during soaking and it slowed my growth rate considerably. I then rinse and drain the seeds 4 times a day. It is important to clean the bowl each time, I clean my bowls twice a day because I use the bowl that was the lid previously. I use this process until day 3.

I only put 2 small drill holes on one end of my tray. I use a strip of 1'2 plywood to prop the tray up on the opposite end of the tray the has the holes. I water to almost the top of my tray and let drain into tray on the shelf underneath, which in-turn does the same to the tray under that. The trays eventually drain into a plastic tub on the floor. This method allows the seeds to be completely submerged under water for 3 to 4 minutes for a good soaking. I never recycle the water, I do not believe it works as well, but I do use city tap water. I water the trays 4 times a day. My Fodder system is in the basement where it is 59 degrees in the winter and 66 in the summer. (I think you might be getting your system too warm because that will cause mold) You can put a gentle breeze on your fodder with a fan. I think that might do the trick. My barley fodder is over 6 inches tall by the 7th day.
Hope this helps If you need any more info let me know.

 

[Frecs]

If you are having trouble with temp, try setting your trays on a heating pad. That is how I do all my garden starts. The latest thing in heating pads is automatic shutoff, which wo't do the job.

__________ Sat Jan 26, 2013 2:59 pm __________

I emailed The SproutPeople and asked them what might be causing our wheat not to grow grass. I don't understand why I get a great root mass but little grass....

Do you have adequate light?

The wiring in my house is not conducive to running a heating pad under the trays....

While all sources indicate light is not an issue for sprouts of 8 day duration .. I have tested to see if supplemental light would improve the growth of the grass. It did not.<br /><br />__________ Sat Jan 26, 2013 11:21 pm __________<br /><br />

I would like to help, but I do not have experience in wheat grass. What I can tell you from my own experiences in barley fodder is this. I rinse and soak my seeds for 1 1/2 to 2 hours only. I then rinse, drain and put it in a bowl that has been cleaned with Palmolive dish washing liquid. I put a larger bowl on top, not opaque. I tried using a few drops of bleach on my first attempt during soaking and it slowed my growth rate considerably. I then rinse and drain the seeds 4 times a day. It is important to clean the bowl each time, I clean my bowls twice a day because I use the bowl that was the lid previously. I use this process until day 3.

I only put 2 small drill holes on one end of my tray. I use a strip of 1'2 plywood to prop the tray up on the opposite end of the tray the has the holes. I water to almost the top of my tray and let drain into tray on the shelf underneath, which in-turn does the same to the tray under that. The trays eventually drain into a plastic tub on the floor. This method allows the seeds to be completely submerged under water for 3 to 4 minutes for a good soaking. I never recycle the water, I do not believe it works as well, but I do use city tap water. I water the trays 4 times a day. My Fodder system is in the basement where it is 59 degrees in the winter and 66 in the summer. (I think you might be getting your system too warm because that will cause mold) You can put a gentle breeze on your fodder with a fan. I think that might do the trick. My barley fodder is over 6 inches tall by the 7th day.
Hope this helps If you need any more info let me know.

Very insteresting! Thanks for sharing. I can't rinse 4 times a day and I don't have the $$ to buy or build an automated system. Wish I did!

 

[mystang89]

The trays eventually drain into a plastic tub on the floor. This method allows the seeds to be completely submerged under water for 3 to 4 minutes for a good soaking. I never recycle the water, I do not believe it works as well, but I do use city tap water. I water the trays 4 times a day.

I have a very similar method as this one for my winter wheat. I have a tote on the floor which is full of water and a water pump in it to get the water to the top tray which then does exactly what yours does. I don't soak mine 4 times a day though. That seems like an awful lot. I had problems with mold when I soaked it 2 times a day. I'm not sure if its because of the amount being soaked or if I was just putting too many seeds in the flat. Maybe I just don't understand the whole soaking thing. It's just to water them right?

I have nursery flats with 4 sets of wholes in them but I don't think it drains well enough to water that much. The plan is to drill a few more smaller wholes in them and see if that works to keep the mold content down. I do use a small amount of bleach in my seeds when I'm soaking them.

My upstairs is about 69 - 75f and that is where it seems to grow best. I tried downstairs where it is about the same temp as what you mentioned and it didn't work for me at all.

While all sources indicate light is not an issue for sprouts of 8 day duration .. I have tested to see if supplemental light would improve the growth of the grass. It did not.

When I had my system downstairs it never had full sunlight on it even though it was under a window. It took my sprouts about 7 days just to start having shoots come up plus it never got dark green, just that pale green. In the upstairs the shoots start on about the 3rd day and turn nice and dark green.

That seems to be what works best for me but I am more than willing to learn better ways because I know this isn't the best system.

 

[SarahMelisse]

All I can say guys is... Wow! I just spent the last hour or so reading the last 13 pages of this tread. I had no idea that you could feed rabbits or chickens (almost) solely on sprouted grain. How crazy is that?! I am going to try this in the next couple weeks and see how it goes. I wanted to feed to a "natural feed" but this sounds even better!

I am planning to build a rack that fits in the space of my Rabbitry where I keep their hay flake and 50 lb. bag of pellets currently. I am also planning on making it a gravity-fed system using PVC, maybe some hose, and a big (5 gallon?) bucket with a on/off valve to control watering. The pipe going over each angled tray will have small holes drilled in for slow watering and the low end of each tray will have drainage holes. This should be interesting.....

 

[owlsfriend]

http://www.workdaychickenpictures.com/w ... wheat.html

Using rope lights for supplemental warmth--I suggest the blue strands. In a Christmas display at Lowes I felt all the lights and the blue ones were the warmest.

 

[carebear]

gallery/image_page.php?album_id=180&image_id=1377&sk=t&sd=d&st=0
Found this two piece strainer thing at my local asian grocery.
gallery/image_page.php?album_id=180&image_id=1375&sk=t&sd=d&st=0
Set up on cookie cooling racks. I took the bottoms off the top 2 so water could drain down.

 

[mystang89]

Neat set up. Let us know how it turns out. What seeds are those.

 

[carebear]

BOSS, wheat, and oats.The sunflowers are going to the hens, but I think I'll have light issues. Will try rotating trays, I can set up a grow light, but can't find those nifty rope lights.

 

[SarahMelisse]

Does "recleaned" barley sprout? I can only get whole oats and recleaned barley in my area... no wheat.