WheatGrass
Triticum aestivum
Description
Wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum L.) the juice and smoothie powerhouse loved by all juice aficionados! Wheatgrass microgreens can be harvested in as little as 6-10 days. They grow densely in a cluster, forming a tuft or mat of vibrant green grass-like blades. Add a dose of nourishment to your juices and smoothies with this vibrant green powerhouse!
Quick Facts:
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Common Name: Wheatgrass
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Scientific Name: Triticum aestivum L.
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Other Names: Wheat, Common wheat, Bread wheat
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Family Name: Poaceae
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Flavor: Earthy, Strong Grass Flavor
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Seed Rate: 175g-200g per 10″ x 20″ tray
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Seeds Per in2: 0.875g-1.0g
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Avg. Yeild/1020 Tray: 350-400g
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Pre-Soak: 8-12 Hours
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Weight Duration: 2-3 Days
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Germination Time: 2-3 Days
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Blackout Time: 1-2 Days
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Harvest Time: 6-10 Days
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Growing Difficulty: Easy
Did You Know
FUN FACT
China, with its vast population and strong preference for wheat-based products like noodles, steamed buns, and dumplings, holds the leading position as the largest consumer of wheat globally. Following closely behind is India, followed by the United States, Russia, and Indonesia.
Plant Details &
Grow Guide
How To Grow Wheatgrass Microgreens
Interested in adding a nutritious and vibrant touch to your favorite smoothies and juices? Look no further than wheatgrass microgreens!
These tender greens have gained popularity among smoothie and juice enthusiasts for their quick growth cycle of 6-10 days and their pleasantly grassy, slightly earthy flavor. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced grower, wheatgrass microgreens are a fantastic choice. Let’s dive right in and learn how to grow them!
Step 1 Preparing Your Wheatgrass Seeds
To begin, you’ll want to weigh your seeds using a scale. For a 10″ x 20″ tray, the recommended seeding rate is between 200-220 grams. If you’re using a smaller 10″ x 10″ tray, simply divide the total amount in half, so it would be around 100-110 grams.
Alternatively, if you’re more of a free-spirited gardener like myself, you can estimate the amount without weighing them precisely. Don’t worry too much if the seeds end up touching each other!
After measuring the seeds, it’s important to give them a thorough rinse under running water using a colander. This will help remove any dirt, dust or other contaminants that may be present on the seeds.
Personally, I like to soak the seeds in mason jars for around 8-12 hours. Once that time has passed, I drain the water and proceed to rinse them twice every day. Once in the morning and once at night. It’s crucial to continue this routine until germination occurs and the seed radicle starts to emerge from within the seed.
Step 2 Sowing Your Seeds
Start by preparing your tray with the growing medium of your choice, such as soil, potting mix or coco coir. Make sure to leave a gap of about 1-2cm between the edge of the tray and the level of the soil.
This space between the tray edge and the growing medium is beneficial during harvesting as it reduces the risk of accidentally digging into the medium with your knife and contaminating your harvest.
Next, lightly mist your growing medium with a spray bottle to ensure it is damp but not overly saturated. Finally, evenly distribute your seeds across the medium, taking care to spread them out uniformly. To finish off, give your seeds a gentle misting so that they are all covered with a fine layer of water.
Step 3 Germination & Weight Period
Place an empty tray without any holes on top of your sown seeds. For 10×20 trays, you can use a 15lb (6.80kg) paving block or a 7lb (3.17 kg) brick for 10×10 trays. If you don’t have anything to weigh down your tray, try using 2-3 plastic juice bottles (1.5l or 2l) filled with water.
This method helps the seed radicle to penetrate the growing medium easily when it starts to emerge. Without any weight, the radicles may struggle to dig into the growing medium.
Remember that the seeds will start to sprout when they are covered and pressed down. Many people tend to mix up the germination and weight periods and mistakenly combine them, but this is not correct.
The purpose of the germination period is to provide an estimate of when the seeds will sprout. However, it is important to note that you should not add the germination time and blackout time together.
During the germination period, make sure to keep your growing medium moist while your seeds are weighed down. You can achieve this by gently misting your seeds every 12 hours. Once in the morning and once at night.
Step 4 Blackout Time
After allowing the seeds to rest for about 2-3 days, you should notice that they have germinated and the seedlings are now lifting the tray with the weight. It’s time to remove the weight and begin the blackout period.
Remove the weight from your empty tray and turn it upside down to create a dome that blocks out light. Place it back over your seeds.
Keeping them in darkness for around 1-2 days will encourage the newly sprouted seedlings to stretch and search for light, helping them grow taller.
Now you can start watering your wheatgrass microgreens from below. Simply add water to the drain tray at the bottom. Personally, I add 1 cup of water twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening (every 12 hours).
Once the blackout period of 1-2 days is over, you can remove the top tray or blackout dome and expose your wheatgrass to light. I’ve found that giving them 17 hours under lights followed by 7 hours of darkness works well for me.
Continue growing your wheatgrass for about 6-10 more days, making sure to water it daily with 2 cups of water per day, spaced out every 12 hours.
Step 5 Harvest
Harvesting your wheatgrass microgreens is a simple task that requires only a sharp knife. I personally love and recommend the Green Mercer Produce Knife. If you prefer using scissors then you can’t go wrong with these heavy duty scissors!
It’s important to ensure that your knife or scissors do not come into contact with the soil while cutting, as to avoid contaminating your harvest with dirt.
Plant Details & Taxonomy
Wheatgrass, scientifically known as Triticum aestivum, is an incredibly nutritious plant that resembles barley grass. What makes wheatgrass particularly enticing is its delightful flavor profile. With a mildly sweet grassy taste, wheatgrass adds invigorating notes to smoothies or juices, giving you an energy boost while delivering essential nutrients.
This nutritional powerhouse is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making it a superfood that offers a range of health benefits when incorporated into your diet. The best part? Growing wheatgrass is a breeze for beginners and experienced growers as it thrives with relatively low maintenance.
| Rank | Scientific Name |
| Kingdom | Plantae – Plants |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta – Vascular plants |
| Superdivision | Spermatophyta – Seed plants |
| Division | Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants |
| Class | Liliopsida – Monocotyledons |
| Subclass | Commelinidae |
| Order | Cyperales |
| Family | Poaceae – Grass family |
| Genus | Triticum L. – wheat |
| Species | Triticum aestivum L. – common wheat |
| Common Names | Wheat, Common wheat, Bread wheat, Bread grain, Soft wheat, Winter wheat, Spring wheat, White wheat, Red wheat, Hard wheat |
Microgreen Pests & Diseases
The following are the most common pests and diseases that can affect your microgreens.
White Mold – Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a necrotrophic fungal disease that causes what’s known as white mold, it can infect over 400 plant species worldwide. It’s also called cottony soft rot, stem rot, watery soft rot, crown rot, and seedling blight.
S. sclerotiorum key properties are its ability to create sclerotia which are its black resting structures, and mycelium which are the white fuzzy spiderweb-like growths you see on stems and growing medium.
Damping Off
Damping-off is an umbrella term that covers fungi and fungi-like organisms in several genera including Rhizoctonia, Botrytis, Phytophthora, and Fusarium, with the soil fungus Pythium being the often culprit.
Damping-off is a soil-borne fungal disease that affects seeds and seedlings typically by rotting of the stems and roots at and below the soil surface.
When a seed germinates the seedling will emerge fine but within 24 hours to a few days will become mushy and water-soaked, collapse at the base of the stem and die.
Aphids – Aphidoidea
Aphids suck! Quite literally. They’re soft-bodied insects that use their piercing-sucking mouths to feed on plants and there are over 4,000 aphid species in the world.
Other common names are greenflies, blackflies, and plant lice. They come in varying colors such as light green, black, white, brown, gray, or yellow.
When aphids feed on plants they secrete a sticky fluid which is called honeydew (no, don’t eat it). This goo they leave behind drips onto plants and can attract other pests such as ants. If the honeydew is left on leaves it can promote black sooty mold.
Wheatgrass Nutrition Facts
Wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum), is truly a nutritional powerhouse. It contains an abundance of essential vitamins and minerals that contribute to our overall well-being. This incredible plant is rich in iron, fiber, selenium, vitamin B1 (thiamin), vitamin B3 (niacin), vitamin B 6 (pyridoxine), copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. Its impressive nutrient profile makes it an excellent addition to a healthy diet.
Nutrition value per 100 g. (Source: USDA National Nutrient database)
| Principle | Nutrient Value | Unit | RDA |
| Energy | 329 | Kcal | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 68 | g | 52% |
| Protein | 15.4 | g | 28% |
| Total Fat | 1.92 | g | 3% |
| Cholesterol | 0 | mg | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber | 12.2 | g | 32% |
| Vitamins | |||
| Choline | 31.2 | mg | 6% |
| Folate | 43 | µg | 11% |
| Selenium, Se | 70.7 | µg | 129% |
| Vitamin A | 2.69 | µg | 4% |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) | 0.504 | mg | 42% |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 0.11 | mg | 8% |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 5.71 | mg | 36% |
| Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxin) | 0.336 | mg | 26% |
| Vitamin C | 0 | mg | 0% |
| Vitamin E | 1.01 | mg | 7% |
| Vitamin K | 1.9 | µg | 2% |
| Electrolytes | |||
| Sodium, Na | 2 | mg | 0.13% |
| Potassium, K | 340 | mg | 7.23% |
| Minerals | |||
| Calcium, Ca | 25 | mg | 2.50% |
| Copper, Cu | 0.41 | mg | 45.56% |
| Iron, Fe | 3.6 | mg | 45.00% |
| Magnesium, Mg | 124 | mg | 30.24% |
| Manganese, Mn | 4.06 | mg | 176.52% |
| Phosphorus, P | 332 | mg | 47.43% |
| Potassium, K | 340 | 7.23% | |
| Zinc, Zn | 2.78 | mg | 25.27% |
| Phytonutrients | |||
| β-Carotene, beta | 5 | µg | 0.13% |
| α-Carotene, alpha | 0 | µg | 0.00% |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | 220 | µg | 3.67% |
Recommended Seed Providers
I highly recommend True Leaf Market and SeedsNow for all your seed needs. Their wide selection of high-quality seeds and exceptional customer service make them the go-to choice for both novice and experienced gardeners alike.
True Leaf Market
For over 45 years True Leaf Market has been a provider of high-quality seeds both GMO and NON-GMO organic seeds. They also provide phytosanitary certificates if you need to import seeds to a country outside of the US.
SeedsNow
SeedsNow is a family-run company, with the aim of assisting individuals, families, and communities in preparing for the future through the promotion of an organic and self-sustainable lifestyle. All their seeds are completely free from any genetic modifications, making them heirlooms, open-pollinated (OP), raw, natural, and untreated. Additionally, they do provide a selection of hybrid varieties on their website which will be clearly labeled as such in the product listings.
Buy Wheatgrass Microgreen Seeds
Wheatgrass, the juice and smoothie powerhouse loved by all juice aficionados! They grow densely in a cluster, forming a tuft or mat of vibrant green grass-like blades. Add a dose of nourishment to your juices and smoothies with this vibrant green powerhouse!
Recommended Products
Explore our top curated picks for products and places to buy from to grow microgreens. Rest assured that all the featured items and products have been meticulously put to the test by our team, or have received glowing recommendations from our esteemed readers.
Microgreen Grow Trays
For my personal home use, these microgreen trays are my go to. Measuring around 12.2 x 9.06 x 1.77 inches (31 x 23 x 4.5 cm), these trays are perfectly suited for cultivating microgreens in a home microgreen grow room. What’s more, they’re durable, and cleaning them is a walk in the park, making them an all-around convenient choice.
1020 Microgreen Trays – Shallow Extra Strength Colors
Industry leading BootStrap Farmers 1020 microgreen trays! Designed with long lasting durability in mind, these colorful trays are built to withstand years of use and abuse. With a height of 1¼ inches (3.2 cm), these shallow trays make harvests easy, saving you time and increasing your yield. The trays come equipped with 36 drainage holes that effectively remove excess water, promoting a healthy growing environment and preventing mold growth. If you’re serious about growing microgreens and want the best trays available on the market, these trays are it!
