Rinsing
Given proper moisture a seed will germinate.
Rinsing is the process by which we add moisture to our sprouts. Draining is the process by which we regulate the amount of moisture our sprouts have available - until their next Rinse.
We've grown sprouts - over 200 tons so far - professionally since 1993, so we have formed some definite opinions on what works and what works best. Please excuse our dogma, what follows is what WE know works best. We grow our sprouts by hand - rinsing and draining over a sink, just like you. You can of course modify anything and everything we say to suit yourself.
The Sproutpeople's Principals of Rinsing:*
Use cool water (60-70°).
Use a lot of water.
Use high water pressure whenever possible.
Rinse 2-3 times daily.
By using high pressure water (turning your faucet to high) you "clean" your sprouts, infuse them with oxygen (oxygenate) and keep them loose - which helps a lot when it comes to Draining.
Though sprouts will grow with little water - as long as the humidity is right, it is our long held opinion that they won't grow as well, store as well or taste as good. Even further - though we have no scientific evidence, we think the heavy watering/oxygenating makes healthier sprouts. We see sprouting as micro-gardening. A garden loves nothing more then a nice thorough rain on a perfect Summer day - plants seem to grow before your eyes. With Sprouts, a thorough rinse along with desired humidity and 70° temperature is a perfect Summer day, so let it rain!
Don't forget the other most vital element of sprouting: Draining
Watering Plants
If you are watering Greens and Grass the basic rule is to keep the seed moist until it's root is buried in the soil (or other water retaining medium), at which point you keep the medium moist.
Don't water to the point of drowning however. If your seeds/plants are sitting in a muddy swamp they will suffer too. Common sense will guide you =:-}
Your plants will require more and more water as they grow bigger - they are after all, mostly water - so water them whenever they need it - every day or 2 at first and at least every day during their last few days of growth.
Water from the sides if possible to avoid hurting the tender plants - remember - you are watering the medium not the plants during the last several days.
The Basic Truths of Sprouting:
* The instructions given for the seed you are sprouting and for the sprouting device you are using will specify any variations necessary.
We are very fast to fill orders and answer e-mail, and though we wish we could make the time to talk, we just can't seem to get more minutes into a each hour. We are many years older than when we started and our days are too short and made up of too few hours to do everything. This limitation in our business has not kept us from pleasing our customers, nor from growing (as we have every year since 1993). We do what we do as well as we can, and we think we do it very well indeed.
We appreciate your business more than we can say. We ask that you use the phone for emergencies only and that you search our site for answers before e-mailing us. This site is bigger than any 4 sprout books put together, it is always available and it is free, and we know that almost all questions are answered here.Thanks again for your patronage and your many kind words.
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