Mold hairs about 1/4" below edge of flat?

I just finished growing my first batch of wheatgrass. It looked fine where I cut it, which was about 1-2" above the top edge of the flat. But when I looked below the edge near the middle of the tray, I saw little white frizzy hairs all intermingled in there from the soil up. Is this mold? I had a stand fan aimed directly at the grass on the back porch after the 2nd day exposed to light, but it was about 5ft away. The grass near the front (I had the tray turned sideways on a table) looked fine all the way down to the seeds.

Also, I watered with a 6oz pump mister every day, and ended up filling it up twice most days. Was this too much water? Is it still safe to juice? I am using 21" x 10" flats.

Should I buy some of that GSE stuff the next batch and mix it with my water?

Also, is it supposed to smell very pungent once juiced, compared to when cut (almost like ammonia), and burn a little when drinking?

I just wanted to make sure mine didnt start rotting or anything. It still looked good, a little yellow near the bottom. It had been growing for about 10 days, before i realized it was probably growing too long. I am in Florida. The kit was a kit from wheatgrasskits, with organic forest soil, azomite, and hard red spring seed.

This is the first time i've tried it so i didnt really know what to expect. Even juiced with 4 carrots thru an omega juicer, the taste was still really strong.

much water.

How lmuch time was devoted to soaking the seeds.....?

Then how long did you sprout them......

I prefer not to...but did you cover the seeds to increase sprouting....this can help to contribute to molding.


You want to keep the seeds moist the first 2 days....so they sprout evenly (if you have purchased good seeds.)

Then on the third day water them moderately.....keeping the soil or soiless grow mix damp...but NOT wet.

Where are you located(what state)...cooler or colder weather makes it easier to over water ...and have little or no problems..

But it sounds like you created a "rain forest" and that will almost always cause molding.

The fan for venatlation sounds like a good idea. I use 5 two horse power fans.(Breezemaker Fans Tampa Florida).

To my knowledge topical mold is not harmful....but subterainial mold can produce Salmonella and Ecoli....And when some seeds open they produce a Silica burst of a white substance that LOOKS like mold. No big deal.

By the fiith day if the trays are holding moisture....and I presume you are filling them to the top of 2 inches....so you get the maximine height. You should not have to water them the last two to three days....depending on heat and humidity....or cold and dry air.

Orchids like to be misted....wheatgrass likes to be bottom watered after it reaches a hieght of 5-6 inches.

The wetter you keep the seeds after they sprout ...the more you increase you chance of problems.

Remember you can grow wheatgrass in your bare hand...so KEEP IT SIMPLE!

Gone fishing

I sprouted them for only about 8 hours as the instructions that came with the kit said(8-12hours, less if humid, I'm in Florida). And rinsed them well before and after.
I lined the tray with 1/2" of soil, and a bag of seeds. The Instructions then said to cover with 4 layers of paper towels, rather than to cover with another tray for sprouting. I did that for a few days, keeping the paper towels damp, until they were about 1" or longer. On the next day I watered till the tray was dripping (as instructed), then took outside in indirect light, and sprayed about 8-12oz a day out of a hair spray type pump mister. I'm sure not all of made it into the soil as it was a mist. I used about that much water every day, which i now realize was probably way too much.

The soil in the bottom of the tray is also a 1/4" thick mat of white, I'm guessing this isnt mold, and is a big cake of roots since they couldnt grow any further.

Since the grass up higher didnt seem to have any mold on it, would you say it's safe to consume. It has a VERY strong smell, honestly smells like ammonia. But it didn't smell till I juiced it. I juiced it with some carrots, but when it had a spicy taste, I put the cup in the fridge. Is it supposed to have a somewhat spicy taste? Kind of like if you mixed ginger or garlic in your juice?

Both Hard red Winter and Hard Red Spring seeds(berries) REQUIRE a deeper grow mix.

Hard Red Winter is notorious for being piquant(spicy and bitter) compared to the Hard Red SPRING wheat berries I use.......for the past nine years.

Like I told you if you have TOP QUALITY seeds you do not have to cover them to get a generous crop from a tray....YES covering for a DAY will enhance sprouting.

When the seeds and roots are kept TOO wet.....mold may infuse in the root system.

A GOOD CHEF cooks with his nose.....first and then his palet.....IF it SMELLS bad ....do not drink it.

I will e-mail you with my cell phone number./.....I am in Orlando Florida.

Trying to grow in a half inch of mix...is like trying to put a size `12 shoe into a size 7 shoe. The roots of wheatgrass like to expand....

ps. Paper towels are most often BLEACHED....so by using them to cover your crop (by the way WHAT did you amend the growing mix with) if the fertalizer you used can amoniate....adding the bleached paper towels..not a good mixture.....I would start over again. If your tap water smells of clorine in the morning....use BOTTLED WATER.....or filter it!

The berries were listed as hard red spring. They came bulk packed though so its hard to tell.

Should I be using the entire 2" of tray for the soil? Azomite was used as the fertilizer(just sprinkled on top). I watered with bottled spring water.

The paper towels probably were bleached and i didnt even think about that.

Is a mineral rock substance......that if applied to a certain degree can cause the wheatgrass to taste awful. I prefer the Sea Kelp Meal.

Everything about growing fresh wheatgrass is about not enough, too much or getting it just right (in balance).

Unless you grow 4,000 pounds a week as my buddy Harley Matzel does for New York City....and he has been doing it for MANY years....It is not a big money maker. (labor intensive).

MORE people should be growing at home for themselves..That is why I have over 300 posts here.

Who really wants to be 90 years old and have to impose people who love them to wait on them hand and foot.

Taking care of yourself NOW.....means you may be driving yourself to the store and planting your own garden when you are 95!

Eat well and Stay GREEN and BE Healthy!....God Bless

gone...................fishing

Azomite is supposed to insure that the grass maintains as much nutrition and trace minerals as possible (according to wheatgrasskits anyway). I really didnt use that much, I kind of sprinkled it over the soil in a sort of S shape back and forth, and didn't even cover the entire surface.

I think overwatering, more than anything, may have been what killed my last batch. Most of the grass was very soft, and kind of limp and was not prickly and hard, as it probably should have been. Is there an easier way to check the moisture in the soil than poking it with your finger. When I used that method I always thought it needed more water. Considering that it's been 2 days since i cut it, and it's still growing as fast without watering, I'd say i used way too much water. On to the next tray.

Since I still have about 10lb of soil left, would it be possible to stop by and grab just a bag of the sea kelp meal? I might try growing two batches, one with Azomite and one with Kelp, and see what happens. After seeing your pictures I think I already know what the results will be.

A picture is WORTH a thousands words.

Sent you a return Private Message.

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If you use a soil grow base....it may contain manure.....

or if composting....use only the wheatgrass mats......

These days the addtion of some table scraps can contirbute to subterrainial MOLD...eggs shells ....gravy form meat....etc.

Resulting in Ecoli or salmonella!

Topical MOLD is not an issue.