Sproutmaster - 5x6 Tray Sprouter

SproutMaster Sprouting Instructions

Specific Sprouting Instructions are found on the page devoted to the Seed or Mix you are interested in. Below are SproutMaster specifics.

Seed Prep

Not all seeds require this step. See the seed information page to see if you need to do this for the seed you are sprouting.

SproutMaster is swell at allowing you to run water through seeds, but getting the seeds out to Soak would be a problem with small seeds, so you'll be happier if you don't prep any but big seeds (beans, grains, greens, etc.) with SproutMaster.

Soaking

You can not Soak in SproutMaster. Use a bowl or similar water holding unit.

Rinsing

Rinse each tray individually and Drain well before re-stacking. Hold SproutMaster under your faucet or better yet, your sink's sprayer for 15 - 20 seconds - using cool (60 - 70°) water (unless otherwise instructed by your seed supplier). Move the sprayer or SproutMaster around to get all of the crop watered well. The rule to remember is: Rinse at least until the water runs clear from the bottom of the tray. You can not over-rinse.

Draining

When you are done Rinsing you need to get as much of the water out of the tray as possible. Bounce it until no more water comes out.

When you are sprouting big seeds it is easy enough to get most of the water out, but when they are small seeds (leafy or brassica sprouts), there will always be some water left, so bounce more than you think is necessary. It can't hurt!

Sprouting, Greening and De-Hulling

Stack your trays - (if stacking you are) - after they have been well Drained. Do be aware that air-circulation is minimal in SproutMaster - so if you are sprouting in a hot/humid spot; Rinse more often with cool water. You can also separate (un-stack) your trays. You'll have to separate the trays if the sprouts grow taller than the trays or need light anyway - which is about the time that lack of air-circulation becomes an issue. Don't feel confused - just pay attention to your sprouts - they'll do great!

Setting up SproutMaster, so that it has proper air-circulation is simple. The covers and bases are identical. Always put the text side up (the covers/bases have text molded onto them). You end up with a seal at the top, and a gap underneath. The air flows up into the tray through this gap. It's minimal, but that's the way the manufacturer designed air-circulation into SproutMaster.

If you are growing sprouts with leaves, uncover trays and locate them where they can get some light (according to the directions on that seed's information page). Since you are dealing with trays you can get away with more light than when using enclosed sprouters. You can even use direct sunlight, but do pay attention as the sun hastens drying and heats up the sprouts, so you might have to Rinse more often with cool water to compensate. Experiment and see. You'll do fine with minimal light too, so don't feel like you have to push it.

One of the finest things about SproutMaster is hull removal when growing Leafy sprouts. All you have to do is turn the tray at an angle and spray the hulls off with a sprayer. A faucet can even do it. By the time you get to this stage your sprouts will be so firmly rooted that you can turn the tray at a 90° angle (you can even go to 180° but there is no point to that - that I can think of). We call this form of de-hulling: "Shaving".

Seed Specific Sprouting Instructions

If you have a particular seed type in mind, read on to discover further details of Tray sprouting that seed type. Refer to the seed's main information page for detailed instructions.

Leafy Sprouts

These are the seeds/sprouts that really show off the SproutMaster. You can grow these sprouts vertically - roots down and leaves up! We did this for years, when professional sprout growers (though we used different - larger - trays) and have found ours to be the most beautiful Leafy sprouts we've ever seen. Vertical growing also makes de-hulling virtually automatic - as the leaves open and shed their hulls, the hulls wash away during Rinses. This is also the method that achieves the most even greening as almost all of the leaves are exposed to light. None of these things are necessary for great Leafy sprouts. Regardless of the growing method you use, the sprouts taste great and are nutritional dynamos!

The method for vertical growing is written on each of the Leafy sprout information pages, but here they are anyway:

The trick to doing this is to keep your sprouts in place (don't "break them up" as you do in a non-tray sprouter) from day 3 onward. It is easy to do, if when Rinsing, you use a sprayer (that attachment most sinks have - the one that pulls out and is gun-like or a faucet attachment that offers spraying when pulled down) instead of your faucet. We have grown many many tons of Leafy sprouts this way. Here is a breakdown of the specifics (Rinse numbers are based on 12 hour intervals - adjust as needed):

Rinse 1 (right after Soak): Use faucet or sprayer and Rinse thoroughly (use water at high pressure and use plenty of it). Keep your seeds in one corner of the tray, when you are done Rinsing. They generate more heat and sprout faster then they would if spread evenly across the bottom of the tray. Rinse 2 and 3: Use faucet or sprayer and Rinse thoroughly. Continue to let the sprouts mass together on one end, or in one corner of the tray. We'll spread them out soon. Rinse 4: Use sprayer and while Rinsing thoroughly, spray your sprouts evenly across the bottom of the tray. You can use your hands to spread them too, but the sprayer is best. The goal is to spread them evenly across the bottom of the tray. Rinse 5 and 6: Use sprayer with less water pressure. Rinse well - (which since you are using less water pressure means - for a longer time - though we're still just talking seconds here - it's not much time with a crop this size.) but don't disturb the sprouts - we want them to stay as even as we can get them, across the tray. Rinse 7 - 10: Use sprayer. You can turn the water pressure back to high - your sprouts will not be easily moved (their mass broken up) at this point and the higher water pressure feeds oxygen to your sprouts as well as "cleaning" them, which is a wonderful way to produce healthy long lasting sprouts. Rinse and Drain thoroughly. Rinse 11 (if you need this many) or your last rinse: Use Sprayer. Hold your tray at an angle (90° will work but less is OK too) and spray across the top of the sprouts (starting at the top of the tray and "walking" the hulls down until they fall off the bottom edge) to remove hulls. We call this form of de-hulling SHAVING and it can be done at any Rinse or every Rinse - starting when hulls begin to be shed by the opening leaves. Rinse down into the sprouts too. Drain as thoroughly as possible after your last Rinse - you want your sprouts to dry enough to refrigerate in 8-12 hours.

Vertical growing CAN be done without a sprayer too but it is more difficult. If you want to try all you have to do is regulate your water pressure - trying to keep your sprouts undisturbed - especially during rinses 4 - 6.

Greening is done according to the directions on the seed information page.

If you don't wish to grow vertically just follow the standard seed directions on the seed information page.

Maximum dry seed = 8x10 Tray: 2.5 Tablespoons 5x6 Tray: 1 Tablespoon

Beans

Follow the seed information page instructions for the bean you are growing.

Maximum dry seed = 8x10 Tray: 2 Cups 5x6 Tray: 3/4 Cup

Mung Bean

If you are going for small sweet Mungs you need only follow the directions on the Mung Bean information page. If you are going for big and thick, read on...

The 2 big issues with growing large, thick rooted Mungs is keeping them dark while growing and applying weight to the growing sprouts. SproutMaster, though not deep is dark inside. Applying weight may be easier, or more difficult (depending on what you've got around the house) with this device than with others. Whenever you try to grow big thick rooted Mung Bean sprouts, you need to keep them from moving: Don't disturb the sprouts - they need to be tightly packed, so after the first Rinse, apply weight directly to the sprouts - anything that will fit snugly inside SproutMaster will work. When you Rinse you need to do it gently the first few times. Soon they will be so firmly massed together that you couldn't move them with a fire hose! The only other issue is the soak period we suggest while growing Mungs. Since you can't soak in SproutMaster you 'll need to submerge the tray in a pot (or similar unit) of water. Just be sure that your Mungs are firmly massed before submerging them.

Maximum dry seed = 8x10 Tray: 2 cups for small sprouts or 1 cup for big sprouts 5x6 Tray: 3/4 cup for small sprouts or 1/3 cup for big sprouts

Brassicas

Broccoli, Radish, Cabbage, Mustard, etc. need to move while sprouting or they will form a root mass (beginning around day 3) which is at least unpleasant, and often lessens the sprouts' quality. Solution: Break Up/Loosen the mass. Use high water pressure at every Rinse to keep the sprouts loose. If they mass together despite your high pressure efforts (which is not uncommon - especially if you are growing the maximum amount of sprouts SproutMaster can grow), transfer the sprouts to a big bowl or pot type container. Fill the container with cool water (you can also use high pressure water to fill the container if you want to get a head start on loosening) and reach in with your hands (as long as they are clean) or a fork or the like and gently separate the sprouts. Go ahead and skim any hulls that are floating on top (compost them) and then transfer your Brassica sprouts back to SproutMaster. You don't have to, but we Rinse again once they are back in their tray. Keep breaking up the mass at every rinse or 2 after that as well.

If you just won't believe that Brassicas can't grow vertically, go ahead and try it - there is no better way to learn and learning is a good thing (as long as you don't hurt anyone!). You should try it with Radish if you must, as it will be the least bad of the Brassicas (it can even produce an edible crop of micro-greens if you get lucky). Just follow the directions above for leafy sprouts. I bet you've never seen blue roots before.....

Maximum dry seed = 8x10 tray: 3 Tablespoons 5x6 tray: 1 1/8 Tablespoons

Exotics

If you're growing Fenugreek, Mother's Mix or Dill, they require no extra information.

Maximum dry seed = Follow the seed's instruction page. Remember, the 8x10 Tray has a capacity of one quart. A 5x6 Tray is .375 (3/8) quarts. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you are growing Garlic, Leek and Onion; these all take about 2 weeks to finish sprouting so keep Rinsing and Draining!

Maximum dry seed = 8x10 tray: 5 Tablespoons 5x6 tray: 2 Tablespoons -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our 2-Step Mixes; Clem's Choice and Hot + Sweet are perfectly suited to SproutMaster, especially if you want to grow each of the crops (steps) separately and mix them together at harvest time.

Maximum dry seed = Follow the seed's instruction page. Remember, the 8x10 Tray has a capacity of one quart. A 5x6 Tray is .375 (3/8) quarts.

Grains

Follow the instructions on seed's detailed information page for the grain you are growing. There's nothing more you need to know.

Maximum dry seed = 8x10 Tray: 2 1/2 cups 5x6 Tray: 1 cup

Nuts, Seeds and Pseudograins

Follow the instructions on seed's detailed information page for the grain you are growing. There's nothing more you need to know.

Maximum dry seed varies depending on what you're growing. Follow the seed's instruction page. Remember, the 8x10 Tray has a capacity of one quart. A 5x6 Tray is .375 (3/8) quarts.

Grass and Greens

Because the SproutMaster has a top and bottom it can hold moisture well, which makes it possible to grow Grass and Greens without soil. Doing so always requires extra attention, but as long as you keep the seeds moist all through growing, it can be done. WE ARE NOT suggesting this as a good way to grow these crops but we are saying that it is possible. Experiment Freely!

The major issues are: Keep rinsing/watering regularly. As the crop grows it needs more and more water (relative to the size of the plant, basically) to keep growing big and tender. Also, the roots will grow out of the holes in the bottom of the tray - in a big way. Be sure to cut them off when you harvest. If you try to pull them you could hurt SproutMaster. It would be best to use a medium, if you're going this route. You still need to pay attention when you harvest, but a medium usually holds a lot of the roots, so there can be less pressure on SproutMaster.

SproutMaster is a great Pre-Sprouter - of course!

Maximum dry seed - for Pre-Sprouting = 8x10 Tray: 2.5 Cups 5x6 Tray: 1 Cup If you want to grow all the way: Determine how much seed to soak by spreading dry seed evenly on the bottom of the tray. If you evenly cover the bottom of the tray with dry seed, you'll have the right amount of soaked seed to grow Grass or Greens.

Micro-Greens

Pre-Sprouting only, unless you use a medium, to grow upon. If you choose to do this, remember that you need to be careful when you harvest and clean the SproutMaster, so as to not damage it. It's a strong device, but roots are strong too. Just pay attention to what you're doing. You'll do great.

Critter Sprouts

Whether you're growing A Bird Mix or 4 Legs of Love - they require no additional information. Everything you need to know is on the mix' detailed instruction page.

Maximum dry seed = 8x10 tray: 1 1/2 Cups 5x6 tray: 3/4 Cup