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THE NO MOLD SOLUTION
Mold forms when there is sustained, constant moisture on the surface of the soil. If the surface of the soil is allowed to dry out every other day or so, mold will not be able to form. When wheatgrass is grown in the field, mold is not a problem. In the field the surface of the soil is not allowed to be constantly moist, the sun and the wind rapidly dries the soil surface. If the roots of the wheatgrass plant have penetrated deep enough into the soil, it will always have a supply of water and is not affected by a dry soil surface. The only time a dry soil surface can be a problem is during the germination of the seed, and that is only for a few days. Gourmet wheatgrass has discovered two effective solutions to the mold problem, and both will work 100% of the time. However, you will need to follow the basic rules of growing indoor wheatgrass outlined in the next paragraph. When you grow anything indoors, you are creating an artificial growing environment, therefore you need to compensate for the lack of a natural environment. By compensate I mean to duplicate what happens in a natural environment by artificial means if necessary. Nature has designed the solutions to problems encountered in an indoor growing environment, you just need to observe what happens naturally outdoors, and duplicate those conditions, without creating new problems.
Practice These Basic Rules For Growing Indoor Wheatgrass and you wont need the No Mold Solution Described Below
Give the wheatgrass as much sun as it will tolerate. Water it well in the morning, give it enough water so the excess drains out through the drain holes of the container. Water it again, only if needed, in the mid afternoon so that the soil surface will have a chance to dry out somewhat before it goes to bed for the night. Find a spot that has a slight breeze, maybe from a open window or when a door is open. Do not place the plant in a room or area of the house that retains high humidity, like the bathroom, basement, or a closet. If possible place the container outside, permanently is best, occasionally, if at the least. Wheatgrass will grow without direct sunlight, but that type of environment may cause the growth of mold. If you have central air conditioning, try and find a spot in the house where it is out of the path of the air flow. The duct work for central air conditioning may be a breeding ground for mold spores. Since you are presumably reading my web site because you want to improve your health, here is something you should know about air conditioning. Air conditioning creates liberal amounts of positive electrons. Positive electrons are not good for your health. Negative electrons are very good for your health, and are found in large quantities at places like the beach, near waterfalls, and in forests. If your use A.C. a lot, you may want to consider supplementing negative electrons into your environment with a room ionizer. An ionizer will also eliminate mold spores present in the air. Click Here for more info. about electrons and ions. If you are not using containers provided by Gourmet Wheatgrass, try not to use the standard black shallow plastic nursery flat. Instead use a container that is non toxic and has a depth of at least 3.50 inches. Use a potting soil that has good drainage. Make sure the drip catching container has an air space between the bottom of your growing container and the pool of water that collects in it. If the growing container is sitting in water, it will keep the potting soil saturated with water and the surface of the soil will not be allowed to dry out as fast as it could. Potting soil in indoor containers will naturally dry out from the top down. There will be a time delay before the main body of the potting soil dries out and detrimentally effects the plant.
Part 1. The No Mold Solution. First half inch of potting soil is a porous material that dries quickly - Use Perlite
As I have explained, if the surface of the soil is constantly damp, it is probable that mold will grow. The way to remedy this problem is to create a condition so the surface of the soil will dry out in between watering's. The way to achieve this is to pot the container with two different soil types. The main body of the soil is the standard potting soil you can purchase at many stores, and the top layer of soil, about .25 inches up to 1 inch, is a material, or blend of materials, that has a tendency to quickly dry out, at a faster rate than the main body of potting soil. Gourmet Wheatgrass uses a blend of coarse sand, peat moss, and perlite for this top layer. The ratios are as follows: 25% sand, 25% peat moss, 50% perlite. If humidity conditions become severe, the use of straight perlite is more appropriate. This blend is very porous and will dry out relatively fast. If you want the surface of the soil to dry out faster than the blend does, use just straight perlite. Fill the top of the container about 1/2 inch thick of this material. Obviously, this top layer of porous material needs to be in place before the seeds germinate. Simply fill your container with your standard potting soil mix, spread the seed over that surface, then cover the seed with the porous sand / peat moss / perlite blend, or just straight perlite. Wheatgrass has sprouts that are very strong and will push through this material with no problem. The first watering should be thorough, fully saturating the entire potting soil mix. After that, just a light watering, enough to keep the seeds constantly moist until the stems emerge will be adequate. After the wheatgrass is well rooted with leaf stems about 1 inch in length, you can begin a normal watering routine keeping in mind the basic rules of growing wheatgrass I outlined in the second paragraph. Remember, for this method to work , the surface of the soil needs to dry out as often as possible, preferably once a day or every other day. Do not water the container until the surface of the soil has dried out. You will need to adjust your watering schedule accordingly. Just to recap how this works: since the top layer of the porous blend of materials has a tendency to dry out relatively fast, before the underlying potting soil does, and in between watering's, the conditions conducive for mold to form (constant moisture) will not be present, and no mold will grow. Mold starts from mold spores, mold spores grow on the surface they land on and will not be able to establish below the top porous layer of perlite or perlite blend. The sun and a light breeze will help dry out the soil surface on a daily basis. If you use a sunny location that is drying all of the soil out too fast before you are able to re-water, adjust the amount of water you use, and or the total sunlight it receives. By using the containers available from Gourmet Wheatgrass, the extra depth of soil these containers provide, will prevent any damage to the plants from excessive dryness.
Part 2. The No Mold Solution. Use these powders or essential oils - Cinnamon, lemon Grass, Eucalyptus, Clove
The second part of the No Mold Solution is the use a mold preventer and killer all in one. The material that works very well is common cinnamon powder, or the essential oil of cinnamon. A very effective blend of essential oils or powders that works well with the cinnamon is lemon grass, eucalyptus and clove. Apply this material to the surface of the soil before the seed germinates, and at any time you see or suspect mold growth. The liquid form can be put in a spray bottle and spayed through the leaves of the wheatgrass plant so it penetrates onto the soil surface. Another effective way to apply it is to mix the powder with water and lightly sprinkle the mixture onto the surface of the soil. The herbs that are suspended in the water will catch on the soil particles located on the surface of the soil and provide a layer of protection against the formation of mold, or will kill any mold that has formed. You can also mix the oils with the water you use to irrigate the plants with, but I think the powered form mixed with the irrigation water will work better. After the grass is two inches high, it will be difficult to get the powdered form onto the soil surface, so it is recommended to use a liquid form at this stage of growth. Either form will have no detrimental effect on the growth of the wheatgrass, so feel free to use it as frequent as you think is necessary. Use of the cinnamon and other herbs should only be necessary as a remedy of last resort, since Part 1. of the No Mold Solution should suffice to take care of any potential mold problem. If you need to use Part 2. of the No Mold Solution, then by all means do so, but you should reexamine why Part 1. is not solving the problem.
Practice These Basic Rules For Growing Indoor Wheatgrass and you wont need the No Mold Solution Described Below
Give the wheatgrass as much sun as it will tolerate. Water it well in the morning, give it enough water so the excess drains out through the drain holes of the container. Water it again, only if needed, in the mid afternoon so that the soil surface will have a chance to dry out somewhat before it goes to bed for the night. Find a spot that has a slight breeze, maybe from a open window or when a door is open. Do not place the plant in a room or area of the house that retains high humidity, like the bathroom, basement, or a closet. If possible place the container outside, permanently is best, occasionally, if at the least. Wheatgrass will grow without direct sunlight, but that type of environment may cause the growth of mold. If you have central air conditioning, try and find a spot in the house where it is out of the path of the air flow. The duct work for central air conditioning may be a breeding ground for mold spores. Since you are presumably reading my web site because you want to improve your health, here is something you should know about air conditioning. Air conditioning creates liberal amounts of positive electrons. Positive electrons are not good for your health. Negative electrons are very good for your health, and are found in large quantities at places like the beach, near waterfalls, and in forests. If your use A.C. a lot, you may want to consider supplementing negative electrons into your environment with a room ionizer. An ionizer will also eliminate mold spores present in the air. Click Here for more info. about electrons and ions. If you are not using containers provided by Gourmet Wheatgrass, try not to use the standard black shallow plastic nursery flat. Instead use a container that is non toxic and has a depth of at least 3.50 inches. Use a potting soil that has good drainage. Make sure the drip catching container has an air space between the bottom of your growing container and the pool of water that collects in it. If the growing container is sitting in water, it will keep the potting soil saturated with water and the surface of the soil will not be allowed to dry out as fast as it could. Potting soil in indoor containers will naturally dry out from the top down. There will be a time delay before the main body of the potting soil dries out and detrimentally effects the plant.
Part 1. The No Mold Solution. First half inch of potting soil is a porous material that dries quickly - Use Perlite
As I have explained, if the surface of the soil is constantly damp, it is probable that mold will grow. The way to remedy this problem is to create a condition so the surface of the soil will dry out in between watering's. The way to achieve this is to pot the container with two different soil types. The main body of the soil is the standard potting soil you can purchase at many stores, and the top layer of soil, about .25 inches up to 1 inch, is a material, or blend of materials, that has a tendency to quickly dry out, at a faster rate than the main body of potting soil. Gourmet Wheatgrass uses a blend of coarse sand, peat moss, and perlite for this top layer. The ratios are as follows: 25% sand, 25% peat moss, 50% perlite. If humidity conditions become severe, the use of straight perlite is more appropriate. This blend is very porous and will dry out relatively fast. If you want the surface of the soil to dry out faster than the blend does, use just straight perlite. Fill the top of the container about 1/2 inch thick of this material. Obviously, this top layer of porous material needs to be in place before the seeds germinate. Simply fill your container with your standard potting soil mix, spread the seed over that surface, then cover the seed with the porous sand / peat moss / perlite blend, or just straight perlite. Wheatgrass has sprouts that are very strong and will push through this material with no problem. The first watering should be thorough, fully saturating the entire potting soil mix. After that, just a light watering, enough to keep the seeds constantly moist until the stems emerge will be adequate. After the wheatgrass is well rooted with leaf stems about 1 inch in length, you can begin a normal watering routine keeping in mind the basic rules of growing wheatgrass I outlined in the second paragraph. Remember, for this method to work , the surface of the soil needs to dry out as often as possible, preferably once a day or every other day. Do not water the container until the surface of the soil has dried out. You will need to adjust your watering schedule accordingly. Just to recap how this works: since the top layer of the porous blend of materials has a tendency to dry out relatively fast, before the underlying potting soil does, and in between watering's, the conditions conducive for mold to form (constant moisture) will not be present, and no mold will grow. Mold starts from mold spores, mold spores grow on the surface they land on and will not be able to establish below the top porous layer of perlite or perlite blend. The sun and a light breeze will help dry out the soil surface on a daily basis. If you use a sunny location that is drying all of the soil out too fast before you are able to re-water, adjust the amount of water you use, and or the total sunlight it receives. By using the containers available from Gourmet Wheatgrass, the extra depth of soil these containers provide, will prevent any damage to the plants from excessive dryness.
Part 2. The No Mold Solution. Use these powders or essential oils - Cinnamon, lemon Grass, Eucalyptus, Clove
The second part of the No Mold Solution is the use a mold preventer and killer all in one. The material that works very well is common cinnamon powder, or the essential oil of cinnamon. A very effective blend of essential oils or powders that works well with the cinnamon is lemon grass, eucalyptus and clove. Apply this material to the surface of the soil before the seed germinates, and at any time you see or suspect mold growth. The liquid form can be put in a spray bottle and spayed through the leaves of the wheatgrass plant so it penetrates onto the soil surface. Another effective way to apply it is to mix the powder with water and lightly sprinkle the mixture onto the surface of the soil. The herbs that are suspended in the water will catch on the soil particles located on the surface of the soil and provide a layer of protection against the formation of mold, or will kill any mold that has formed. You can also mix the oils with the water you use to irrigate the plants with, but I think the powered form mixed with the irrigation water will work better. After the grass is two inches high, it will be difficult to get the powdered form onto the soil surface, so it is recommended to use a liquid form at this stage of growth. Either form will have no detrimental effect on the growth of the wheatgrass, so feel free to use it as frequent as you think is necessary. Use of the cinnamon and other herbs should only be necessary as a remedy of last resort, since Part 1. of the No Mold Solution should suffice to take care of any potential mold problem. If you need to use Part 2. of the No Mold Solution, then by all means do so, but you should reexamine why Part 1. is not solving the problem.
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