Hydroponics Tuesday

Growing your own hydroponic wheatgrass is easier than you'd think.  If you've grown wheatgrass before in a soil method, the process will seem pretty familiar.  If you're new to wheatgrass entirely, the process isn't all that hard.

Firstly, you'll need to obtain some wheatgrass seed.  Wheatgrass seed is pretty inexpensive, but can sometimes be hard to find on the local level.  I purchase it from a local seed distributor, but I've also bought it online.

Should you need to buy wheatgrass seed online, I would recommend www.wheatgrassman.com as a source for seed.  If you're getting started, buy the seven pound bag. Seven pounds goes a lot futher than you'd think.  Sadly, I cannot give you an exact estimate, but it's over 100 flats-worth of wheatgrass.  Typically, I use about 1/4 cup of seed for an ounce of juice.

Next, you'll likely want to use the seed to grow actual wheatgrass.  But how do you do it?

I'd recommend using an Ebb & Flow system for your wheatgrass.  Since wheatgrass is a grass, you're going to need a wide surface area for both the grass and the roots.  Ebb & Flow is great for this requirement.  If you don't have a system already, I'd recommend a MegaGarden, which is manufactured by Hydrofarm.

A MegaGarden is a compact and self-contained Ebb & Flow system.  It measures just under 2ft. x 2ft., and is approximately 1" tall.  The kit will cost you approximately $175, and will include the reservoir, tray, depth gauge, timer, and even a pH test kit.  Most importantly, it's a tested design, and it won't leak all over your house.  Truthfully, it's more growing area than you're likely to need for your wheatgrass.  If you plant the entire MegaGarden, you'll get more wheatgrass than you can use.  More on that later.

You can use a lighting system if you want more control over your growing process.  However, if you can put your MegaGarden near a window, a lighting system isn't strictly necessary.  If you asked my recommendation, I'd tell you to buy a HydroFarm 125W Compact Fluorescent setup.   The whole setup is reasonably priced, and it won't put a big dent in your electric bill.  I'd say from purely unscientific testing that it will add about $5-$6 to your electric bill each month.

I would strongly recommend growing your wheatgrass in "stages".  In my early attempts, I grew an entire MegaGarden-load at a time.  This proved to be troublesome.  Wheatgrass only has a few days of opportune "juicing time".  I ended up having more than I could use, and a lot went to waste.  That's when we figured out how to stagger our growth.

Our solution:  Small plastic baskets.  We made them ourselves, using plastic mesh from the craft store (and some fishing line).  Each one is about 5" x 5" square, and holds enough wheatgrass for about 1oz of juice.  Since we plant baskets on different days, they mature on different days.  This gives us a rotating supply.  When you've got the cycle going, it's "Juice one, plant one."

Don't forget to sprout your seeds in the dark before placing them into the Ebb & Flow system.  Wheatgrass likes the dark.  Here's my general recipe for success:

• Put 1/4 cup of seed in a plastic container (bowl, yogurt container, etc).  Fill it up with water, so the seed is floating.
• Forget about it for 12-24 hours.
• Move the seed into a plastic basket.  Run lots of water over it, to wash it.  Spread it evenly, you don't want pileups, they cause mold.
• Place the entire basket inside a larger piece of tupperware / plasic.  Put a little water in the bottom, to keep everything wet. (Don't drown it, just a bit to keep the humidity up).
• Cover the whole thing in black plastic (a trash bag works wonderfully).
• Forget about it for 48 hours.
• When you come back, you should see 1/4" - 1/2" sproutlings.  It's time to give them some light.  Simply move the entire basket into the Ebb & Flow.
• Depending on your light intensity, it will be 3-6 days until maturity.
• When it's fully mature (about 6"-8" height), cut it down with a pair of scissors.  Have fun juicing.
• You'll likely be tempted to let it regrow.  Although possible, the nurtitional content will be lower on the second cutting.  I don't recommend it, as wheatgrass seed is so inexpensive.