Lil Critter Grass Kit
2 pounds of Wheat Grass Seed, 12 x 36 inches of Hemp Felt planting medium, 3 black plastic trays with drainage, and Printed Instructions.
Keep your Turtles, Guinea Pigs, Gerbils, Hamsters, etc. supplied with fresh, nutritious, delicious, tender Grass for months. We added this kit in honor of Lori's brother Dan, whose Guinea Pigs - Susie and Sara so loved Wheat Grass.
Yields approximately 4 Cups (1/2 lb.) of Sprouts
Seed Prep
Measure out 2 Tablespoons of seed* (slightly heaping) into your Sprouter or a strainer.
Rinse your seeds to remove dust and debris.
Soak
Transfer your seeds into your Sprouter (if necessary), or to a bowl.
Mix seeds up as you slowly add water to assure even water contact for all.
Add 2-3 times as much cool (70-80°F) water.
Allow seeds to Soak for 4-12 hours.
Do Not Ever Soak Again. Soaking is done only this one time.
We start counting days at this point - when the Soak is done (post-Soak is the phrase we use).
A crop of Leafy Sprouts usually takes 6 days - from This point in time to harvest.
Sprouting
Empty the seeds into your Sprouter (if necessary).
Drain off the soak water.
You can use it - it has nutrients in it. We use it on house plants.
Rinse thoroughly with cool (70-80°F) water.
Drain thoroughly.
Draining Thoroughly (Maniacally even) is the key to great crops. The smaller the seed (all Leafy Sprouts are small seeds) the more thorough you must be. Do Not skimp on Rinsing - but focus seriously on Draining.
If you need to see what we mean by Thorough Draining - check out our videos.
Set your Sprouter anywhere out of direct sunlight and at room temperature (70° is optimal) between Rinses.
This is where your sprouts do their growing. We use a counter top - in the corner of our kitchen, where the sprouter won't get knocked over by cats, dogs, kids or us. Indirect sunlight is fine, as is your regular room light - because light just does not matter much in the first couple days.
A plant can only perform photosynthesis when it has leaves. Until a plant has leaves, light has little if any effect. Sprouts also happen to like air-circulation, so don't hide your sprouts. When leaves do appear, this will be plenty of light for them to green up. You can also use Grow Lights if you like.
Rinse and Drain again every 8-12 hours for 3 days.
Always be sure to Drain very thoroughly. The most common cause of inferior sprouts is inadequate drainage. Even the best designed Sprouting Device holds water, so pay special attention to this step.
Greening
On the 4th day (post soak) relocate your sprouts, if necessary.
If you've been keeping them away from light - move them. Avoid direct sun as it can cook your sprouts, unless you are growing in a Tray Sprouter - in which case direct sunlight is great. Indirect sunlight is best for non-tray Sprouters but grow lights work well too. Experiment - you will be amazed at how little light sprouts require to green up. Photosynthesis is a marvel!
Continue to Rinse and Drain thoroughly every 8-12 hours.
Your last Rinse and Drain will be either at the end of day 5 or the start of day 6.
Always Drain Thoroughly.
Finishing
Your sprouts will be done about the end of day 6.
The majority of sprouts will have open leaves which will be green. You'll recognize them.
De-Hulling
Hulls are the thin coat on a seed. In most cases they separate themselves from the sprout. They are only a problem when it comes to the shelf life of your finished crop. We've eaten them for years and consider them extra roughage, but the crop looks better and lasts longer without them - so removing them is good.
You may De-Hull your sprouts at any time during day 5 or 6.
If you have a Salad Spinner - De-Hulling can be your last step. You can harvest and refrigerate them immediately after you finish.
You can also remove hulls prior to harvest...
If you are growing in a Jar - using the Coarse Mesh Screen will allow some hulls to float out through the screen while Rinsing. Repeating and agitating your sprouts will allow more hulls to escape.
If you're growing in an Easy Sprout Sprouter - transfer your sprouts to the Solid Base, fill with water, and agitate with a fork. This will help hulls get to the surface - where you can skim them off. When you've gotten all you can - move your sprouts back to the Growing Vessel, Rinse again, and Drain Thoroughly.
If you're growing in our Stainless Steel Sprouter you can get rid of most of the hulls by Rinsing Upside Down. Instead of writing words - let us direct you to our short video on the subject: Rinsing Leafy Sprouts Upside Down
Here is our video on De-Hulling.
Harvest
If you De-hulled with a salad spinner - you can go right to refrigeration. If not... Your sprouts are done 8-12 hours after your final Rinse and Very Thorough Draining. If we minimize the surface moisture of our sprouts they store much better in refrigeration, so we let them sit for 8-12 hours after that final Maniacal Draining.
Storing Your Crop
Transfer your sprout crop to a plastic bag or the sealed container of your choice. We have Produce Storage Bags that can extend shelf life substantially.
Leafy Sprouts are best within a week of harvest, but we've had some crops last for over a month in the fridge.
Great work sprout farmer!
*Amount of Seed to Use
* If using Sproutpeople's Single Harvest Pack - use the whole bag (for a one-quart Sprouter). It will produce a crop of approximately 8 ounces.
These seeds yield approximately 7:1 - which means the sprouts will weigh 7 times as much as the seed you start with, but, they will increase even more in volume - so don't start with more than 2 (heaping) Tablespoons per quart/litre of sprouter capacity.
Salad for Your Lil Critter
Animals need fiber in their diets just like people do. Save your house plants while providing much better nutrition - by growing your own grass. We sold over 250,000 containers of Kat Grass between 1993 and 2003 (when we were professional growers), and we've sold tons of Kat Grass seed to home growers. Now we have a kit specifically for your smaller friends.
Keep your critters supplied with fresh, nutritious, delicious, tender, non-puking Kat Grass for months with a single Lil Critter kit.
The Seed in this Kit are supplied to us by farmers who are Certified Organic!
For Sprouting Instructions and to learn more about the seed, click here: Wheat Grass.
The Seeds
2 pounds of Wheat Grass
Our has won thousands upon thousands of kitty customers and their loyal human growers, over our years as Sproutpeople. Though any creature can enjoy Kat Grass, Wheat Grass is the favorite of Lori's brother Dan and his Guinea Pigs, so that's what we include in this kit. Fresh grass is easily digestible thanks to its fresh tenderness. It provides creatures with essential nutrients & fiber.
Everything Else
For Planting/Growing 3 black plastic containers with drainage We include extra containers to cover those that wear out - though we often get well over a dozen uses from each.
Hemp Felt Soilless Planting Medium One 12 x 36 inch piece - enough to cut 27 pads of 4x4 inches
Though this Kit does come with printed sprouting instructions, you will always find the most information by visiting the seed's detailed page: On our Wheat Grass page you will find everything you will ever want to know about the seed, and how to sprout it.
It is necessary to sprout the seed before planting. You can manage without, but we suggest that you also purchase a Sprouter. There are many choices, but here is our favorite:
Easy Sprout Our most popular Sprouter, it is also our personal favorite. Great drainage and the best air-circulation of any Sprouter. It won't grow Grass but it's a great choice for pre-sprouting!
My guinea pigs inspired me to try sprouting, since I buy so many fresh veggies for them, I thought about growing my own.
They fight over the wheatgrass, pry it from the growing container and even eat the tender roots. I enjoy growing my own wheatgrass and the piggies love it!
My guinea pigs inspired me to try sprouting, since I buy so many fresh veggies for them, I thought about growing my own.
They fight over the wheatgrass, pry it from the growing container and even eat the tender roots. I enjoy growing my own wheatgrass and the piggies love it!
The small trays are great for growing grass for small pets. Here's a way to use wheatgrass that I'm sure few have thought of. If this kit still comes with clear containers it's wonderful for showing young children how roots (and plants) grow. Unlike soil, you can pick up baby blanket to show the growing roots, or just pick up the clear containers and look underneath them.
Wheatgrass grows fast and my preschool students were amazed to come to school and see how much bigger the grass had grown. When the pre-cut blanket and seeds are eventually gone I'll buy B.B. in bulk and order another pound of W.G. seed.
The small trays are great for growing grass for small pets. Here's a way to use wheatgrass that I'm sure few have thought of. If this kit still comes with clear containers it's wonderful for showing young children how roots (and plants) grow. Unlike soil, you can pick up baby blanket to show the growing roots, or just pick up the clear containers and look underneath them.
Wheatgrass grows fast and my preschool students were amazed to come to school and see how much bigger the grass had grown. When the pre-cut blanket and seeds are eventually gone I'll buy B.B. in bulk and order another pound of W.G. seed.
