The ABC's of Growing the Best Wheatgrass

Kids love to see things grow. It is very therapeutic to participate in the propagation of life in the form of gardening. One of the fastest growing plants in the world is wheatgrass. This makes it the perfect plant to grow in homes with children. Not only can they learn to participate in the growing process, but they can also enjoy the enormous benefits gained from drinking this highly nutritious elixir. As a bonus, wheatgrass also provides pure oxygen and cleans the air as it grows, making it one of the best houseplants.

A child’s food choices are established by the eating habits found in the home. Children tend to mimic their parent’s behavior. The best way to influence your children’s eating habits is to lead by example. The most nutritious thing you can consume is freshly juiced wheatgrass. Wheatgrass juice is nature’s finest medicine. It is our signature elixir here at Hippocrates Wellness. It is the icon in our logo. It is a powerful concentrated liquid nutrient. Two ounces of wheatgrass juice has the nutritional equivalent of five pounds of the best raw organic vegetables! Wheatgrass juice builds your blood and boosts the immune system. It is also a powerful detoxifier, pulling pollution, poisons, stored toxins and heavy metals out of the body.

Some wheatgrass juice simply tastes better than others. Here at Hippocrates, we have the sweetest tasting wheatgrass juice in the world. We are the largest grower and user of wheatgrass in the world. The reason our wheatgrass juice tastes so much different than other wheatgrass juice you may have tried elsewhere is the way that we grow it. It is best to grow wheatgrass indoors, right in your kitchen. The ideal temperature range is between 65 – 75 degrees F and humidity less than 50%. You want plenty of indirect sunlight and plenty of artificial light (full-spectrum is best), but no direct sunlight. At least 1000 lumens are needed. Keep the lights on for about twelve hours a day and turn them off at night. A little bit of gentle air movement is also very helpful.

Grow your wheatgrass with lots of loving intention! Convey plenty of your positive energy to your wheatgrass as it moves through the growing process. Think positive thoughts and speak loving words of gratitude to your grass as it is growing for the healing medicine and lifeforce energy it will convey to you. Play soft, classical music to your plants during daylight hours. Basic steps to growing the best wheatgrass you have ever tasted:

1. Soaking: Place one cup of hard red winter wheat berries in a one-quart, wide mouth Mason jar equipped with a sprouting lid, and soak in fresh filtered water for eight hours. It is best to do this indoors at room temperature.

2. Rinsing: Drain the soak water and rinse the seeds three times over the next 36 hours at 12-hour intervals. Leave the jar upside down between rinses, propped at a 45-degree angle in a dish rack so it can continue to drain. Always use fresh filtered room-temperature water for rinsing.

3. Planting: Place 1⁄2" of organic potting mix in a 10" x 10" tray with holes. Spread the potting mix out to the corners, evenly distributing. Use a second empty tray to lightly compact the potting mix. Using fresh filtered water, moisten the potting mix by spraying heavily with a misting bottle. Spread germinated seeds evenly on top of potting mix. Mist heavily once again and cover with an empty tray. Keep your planting tray propped up using spacers above a drain pan so that it does not sit in its own drain water.

4. Watering: Twice daily, water wheatgrass with fresh clean water until the tray just begins to drip. Replace the empty cover tray after each watering for the first three days; the cover tray is no longer needed after day three.

5. Harvesting: Harvest wheatgrass while it’s young — by the beginning of the jointing stage when the grass blade “splits” (when a second blade grows out from the base of the plant). Harvest the entire tray at this stage to halt the growing process. Cut the grass just above the soil line with a pair of scissors or a sharp knife.

Use an auger-style juicer for wheatgrass. A 10" x 10" tray will yield up to nine ounces of juice, which is enough for two people for one day. Each person should drink a two-ounce shot of wheatgrass juice twice a day.

Plant a new tray each day and harvest a completed tray every day. This way you will always have seven trays of wheatgrass growing in various stages.

You can use the small Hydrosol rack, which has seven shelves — one for each day of the week.

The Hippocrates store can provide you with the juicer, Hydrosol racks, trays, seeds, and sprout lids and they will ship directly to you (seeds can only be mailed to US addresses).

Clean your trays, lids, and jars really well between each crop with strong, natural organic dish soap.

While it is always best to juice your wheatgrass right away when it is freshly cut, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to five days. Your whole family will enjoy and experience the amazing benefits of fresh-juiced wheatgrass!

Article by Brian Hetrich