Given proper moisture a seed will germinate.
Rinsing is the process by which moisture is added to the sprouts, regulating the amount of moisture the sprouts have available - until their next Rinse.
Principals of Rinsing
Use cool water (60-70°).
Use a lot of water.
Use high water pressure whenever possible.
Rinse 2-3 times daily.
By using high pressure water (turning your faucet to high) you "clean" your sprouts, infuse them with oxygen (oxygenate) and keep them loose - which helps a lot when it comes to Draining.
Though sprouts will grow with little water - as long as the humidity is right, they won't grow as well, store as well or taste as good. Sprouting is micro-gardening. A garden loves nothing more then a nice thorough rain on a perfect Summer day - plants seem to grow before your eyes. With Sprouts, a thorough rinse along with desired humidity and 70° temperature is a perfect Summer day, so let it rain!
Don't forget the other most vital element of sprouting: Draining
Watering Plants
If you are watering Greens and Grass the basic rule is to keep the seed moist until it's root is buried in the soil (or other water retaining medium), at which point you keep the medium moist.
Don't water to the point of drowning however. If your seeds/plants are sitting in a muddy swamp they will suffer too.
Your plants will require more and more water as they grow bigger - they are after all, mostly water - so water them whenever they need it - every day or 2 at first and at least every day during their last few days of growth.
Water from the sides if possible to avoid hurting the tender plants - remember - you are watering the medium not the plants during the last several days.
Given proper moisture a seed will
germinate.
Rinsing is the process by which we add moisture to the sprouts. Draining is the process by which we regulate the amount of moisture the sprouts have available - until their next
Principals of Draining
Drain as much of the Rinse water out of your sprouts as is humanly possible.
Be Thorough!
You are probably thinking: If I use less water to Rinse
Rinsing thoroughly grows better sprouts! BUT - when you Rinse thoroughly you MUST Drain just as thoroughly.
So, spin, shake, bounce and twirl your sprouter - just get as much water out as you can after every thorough Rinse.
Sprouts, Greens and Grass need to breathe while they grow. Don't put them in a closed cabinet or closet! As we've said so many times in these pages: Light just isn't anything to worry about, so leave your sprouts in an open place where they can breathe. If it is very hot and humid you should consider moving your air around with a fan - or moving your sprouts to a place where the air moves. If you are growing Grass or Greens you should consider moving them outside (when temperatures are over 60°), there is no better place for air circulation.
There are two issues when it comes to Grass and Greens: Mold and fungus. Mold can grow on seeds even in the first few days after planting. It is usually a result of bad seed, bad soil, a dirty growing container, or improper growing methods. Do clean your growing containers. If using soil, use only sterile soil
Fungus is a hairy growth that is not uncommon in Grass and is sometimes seen on Greens. It is commonly called FUZZIES by those of us in the growing business. It is NOT harmful, but it is gross. The answer is to increase air-circulation. This can be done by growing in a different location - outside is best and solves the problem 95% of the time. The other solution is to plant less densely. Fungus is only a problem in hot/humid conditions. We plant as much as 50% less seed per tray in the height of summer - that AND growing outside ALWAYS solves the problem.
information pages, but we will put it here too.
Sterilize your Sprouter as often as you can. between EVERY CROP (and we used a lot higher bleach concentration). It is always best to have a clean Sprouter - that way your crop will have a head start. We suggest soaking your Sprouter for 10-20 minutes in bleach water (1 Tbs. of bleach per pint of water is good and strong according to the FDA and local Health Department.) and then scrubbing thoroughly.
With a few of our Sprouters you may need to poke some seeds out of some tight places. We use a paper clip or toothpick for this task.
Be sure to rinse all of that bleach out - you don't want it on your seeds!
And - be careful not to burn yourself - bleach is caustic after all.
Sprouts, Greens and Grass need to breathe while they grow. Don't put them in a closed cabinet or closet! As we've said so many times in these pages: Light just isn't anything to worry about, so leave your sprouts in an open place where they can breathe. If it is very hot and humid you should consider moving your air around with a fan - or moving your sprouts to a place where the air moves. If you are growing Grass or Greens you should consider moving them outside (when temperatures are over 60°), there is no better place for air circulation.
Before moving your sprouts to that big cool box in your kitchen, they should be dry to the touch. In most cases we let our sprouts sit for 8-12 hours after their final rinse, and extremely thorough drain before you refrigerate them, but if our salad spinner can contain them, we use it. Another option for centrifugal drying is the Hemp Bag because it is easy and fun to swing around - though you should do it outside unless your trying to show your kids a good time.
There is no quicker way to kill produce than to refrigerate it wet, so make sure that your sprouts are reasonably dry before you refrigerate them.
You can transfer them to a plastic bag or use your sprouter for storage, or you can use a glass or plastic container. The >Easy Sprout is an excellent storage vessel for any sprout - and any vegetable as well.
We almost always seal our sprouts - we do not let them "breathe" - that just drys them out. But If your sprouts are wetter than you think they should be, or they are warm when you refrigerate them, go ahead and punch a few holes in the bag - it won't hurt in that case and it may help a lot. Once they are cool and dry you can seal them in a new bag or another container.
Your home grown sprouts should easily keep for weeks (depending on the type of sprout) in the refrigerator.
Cut your Greens off at soil level with a nice sharp scissors or knife. Put them in a plastic bag - or something else if you like - and refrigerate them. Do not refrigerate them wet - they will perish in less time than sprouts!
As a rule you water your Greens at least 12 hours before cutting and likely more like 24 hours, so they won't be wet. If you've grown a sparse crop you won't have to wait as long.
The Greens to be cautious about as regards dampness are, Micro-Greens, Mesculin Sprout Garden and Buckwheat Lettuce. These are all fine, tender plants that are more water than plant matter. You will rarely have a problem with Greens like Sunflower or Pea Shoots.
So - you cut your dry but internally moist Greens off and refrigerate them. The Pea Shoots will last for many weeks. The Sunflower and Buckwheat Lettuce and all the rest will go limp after 7-10 days and though they'll still taste good you'll miss their terrific texture. These are really a gourmet item - so treat them as such.