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| A crystal clear plastic cylinder and 4 colorful lids come together to make one very cool sprouter! The Tube drains from both ends, so air moves through it as well as water. | |||
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| Sprout School & Shop Sprouting Seed Info Center |
The Tube is open at both ends.
It comes with 4 colorful lids (3 Screens, 1 Solid).
The Tube is made of durable, crystal clear plastic.
It is a great sprouting device for anyone and is, in our opinion, the best choice of all for kids who sprout.
The Tube has great air-circulation because when you sprout you have Screen lids on both ends. The Screen lids are colorful and they come in 3 different mesh sizes (narrow, wider and widest), which is a great thing. Drainage is pretty darn good too and Rinsing can't be much easier. Best of all you get a great view of your sprouts. The Solid brown lid is supposed to make the Tube hold water - so you can Soak in it. That lid doesn't always hold water and that is our only complaint about the Tube.
You can grow:
Up to 1 pound of Leafy Sprouts or 2 pounds of Bean or Grain Sprouts.
Growing Capacity: 1 Quart
Eat More Sprouts + Grow More Often - Easily!
Tubes can be used to sprout or pre-sprout just about any seed.
These seeds are a Perfect match for the Tube:
Alliums - Garlic, Leek and Onion
Beans - All (see Mung Note below)
Mung Beans - The Tube will do a swell job of growing small sweet Mung sprouts, but if you want big and thick sprouts; the 2 big issues are - keeping them dark while growing, and applying weight to the growing sprouts. Obviously keeping the Tube dark isn't easy without putting it in a cupboard or the like, but DO NOT do that, it makes for very poor air-circulation and in many cases will make your crop fail - and smell bad too. Our advice is to not worry too much about the light/dark thing. Keep the Tube out of the bright spots in your growing room and enjoy the fact that you get such a great look at them growing. Since you can't easily put weight on the growing beans you should use as many beans as possible - soak 1.3 cups of Mung Beans per Tube, this will completely fill the Tube when the beans are done, resulting in the pressure necessary to synthesize the application of weight.
Grains - All
Nuts and Seeds - Almonds, Pumpkins, Peanuts, Sunflower, etc.
A Very Very Good Match for the Tube:
These seeds will all sprout wonderfully in the Tube. The only reason they are not in the Perfect section above has to do with the size of the seeds and the size of the narrowest Screen lid - and that only matters when it comes to seed prep. In both these cases the solutions are easy: Soak the seeds for 1/2 an hour before seed prep. That will allow the seeds to swell enough that they'll be bigger than the narrow mesh Screen lid. You can also perform seed prep using a sieve or another device. Or, you can purchase a Stainless Steel Screen too - it is narrower than any seed!
Leafy Sprouts: Alfalfa, Clover and Mixes - All
Brassicas - Broccoli, Radish, Mustard, Cabbage, etc.
Tubes with Screen Lids are a great Pre-Sprouter for these items, but are not designed to grow these crops to completion:
Grass, Greens and Micro-Greens
Specific Sprouting Instructions are found on
the page devoted to the Seed or Mix you are interested in.
Below are the specifics of Tube Sprouting.
Lids
The 3 Plastic Screen Lids come in different mesh sizes. You should always use the widest mesh you can. Wider mesh allows the water to flow in and out more easily and improves air-circulation as well. In some cases (when growing Leafy or Brassicas Sprouts) you change the screen lids (from narrow to wider and then to widest) as your sprouts grow. The widest mesh screen allows some hulls to pour out along with water during your last few Rinses. 
You can grow all the way with a narrow mesh screen, whether plastic or stainless steel. Though your hulls won't pour off and air won't move as much, they still work fine. If you are looking for a suggestion ours is to have one of each. We sell the stainless steel screen on its own and it is relatively inexpensive. Having one will give you one of every screen and therefore, more options!
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.
If you are prepping a seed which is smaller than the narrowest mesh screen - the yellow one - you need to do one of 3 things:
1. Soak your seed for 30 minutes (longer is OK), allowing it to swell to a size greater than the mesh of the yellow Screen.
2. Use a sieve or another device to wash your seeds.
3. Use a Stainless Steel Screen. It is narrower than any seed!
The problem is that a few seeds are so small (clover most of all) that they can wash right through the yellow Screen during seed prep. I suppose that was obvious already. Please excuse me, I certainly didn't mean to insult you!
The Solid brown lid has a space for the black gasket that came with your Tube. The theory is that this Solid lid will act as a (sealed) bottom, thus allowing you to Soak your seeds right in the Tube. The problem is - the Solid lid and gasket do not always work! We've asked the manufacturers about this and they said: "Sorry, they don't always hold water. Tell your customers to Soak in something else". They are nice folks, but that sometimes leaky lid is the one thing that bothers us about the Tube. We think they should make that lid hold water all the time or stop including it with the Tube. But in any case - the Tube is just too good to let that one issue stop us from carrying it, so read on but know: If your brown Solid lid leaks - Soak in something else.
Place the black gasket in the Solid brown lid and screw that lid onto one end of the Tube. Fill with cool (60 - 70°) water unless instructed otherwise by your seed supplier (us we hope =;-) and leave to Soak for 8 - 12 hours or for the time noted for the seed you are sprouting. After the soak period pour the water out and replace the Solid lid with one of the Screen lids.
Hold the Tube under your faucet or sprayer with the proper Screen lid facing down. Always use the widest mesh that will keep your seeds in the Tube. Run cool (60 - 70°) water (unless instructed otherwise by your seed supplier). through your seeds/sprouts, being sure to get all of the crop watered well. We usually Rinse for 15-20 seconds or so. The rule to remember is: Rinse at least until the water runs clear from the tail end of the Tube.
When you are done Rinsing you need to get as much of the water out of the Tube as possible. Shake it, spin it, bounce it gently off the side of your sink. Just keep doing it (at least) until no more water comes out.
When you are growing big seeds it is easy enough to get most of the water out, but when they are small seeds, there will always be some water left, so shake more than you think is necessary. It can't hurt!
Sprouting
We usually put our Tubes face down - at an angle - between Rinsing and Draining. We will use our dish rack - in the rare event that it isn't full of dishes, or more often, we use high rimmed bowls which the Tube will rest on and which will capture the excess water that inevitably drains off after our thorough Draining. Sometimes we leave the Tube on its side - that improves air-circulation, though it can roll away.
Seed Specific
Sprouting Instructions
If you have a particular seed type in mind,
read on to discover further details of Tube Sprouting that seed type.
Refer to the seed's main information page for detailed instructions.
Beans
Use the green and red Screen lids - most beans are big enough.
Follow instructions on this page and on the seed's page for all beans.
Maximum dry seed = 1.5 cups.
Mung Bean
The Tube will do a swell job of growing small sweet Mung sprouts, but if you want big and thick sprouts; the 2 big issues are - keeping them dark while growing, and applying weight to the growing sprouts. Obviously keeping the Tube dark isn't easy without putting it in a cupboard or the like, but DO NOT do that, it makes for very poor air-circulation and in many cases will make your crop fail - and smell bad too. Our advice is: Don't worry too much about the light/dark thing. Keep the Tube out of the bright spots in your growing room and enjoy the fact that you get such a great look at them growing.
Since you can't easily put weight on the growing beans you should use as many beans as possible - soak 1.3 cups of Mung Beans per Tube, this will completely fill the Tube when the beans are done, resulting in the pressure necessary to synthesize the application of weight.
Maximum dry seed = 1.5 cups for small sprouts or 1/2 cup for big sprouts.
Brassicas
As your sprouts grow bigger you should change Screen lids from narrow to wider and eventually widest mesh. Water and air will move through the Tube better and some hulls will even wash away.
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. If your Solid lid holds water - Fill the Tube with water, take a fork and use it to loosen the sprout mass. If the Tube is too full, transfer the sprouts to a bigger container for the loosening. Keep breaking up the mass at every rinse or 2 after that too.
Maximum dry seed = 4 Tablespoons.
Leafy Sprouts
These are the seeds/sprouts that really show off the Screen lids. As your sprouts grow bigger you should change lids to the wider and eventually widest mesh. Water and air will move through the Tube better and some hulls will even wash away.
One issue folks have with these sprouts is that they expect them to be green. There are almost always - regardless of the sprouting method - some sprouts which will not turn green. Our advice is: Live with it! Most will green if you don't over-crowd the sprouter (use 2 Tbs. or less of seed) - and those that don't are still plenty delicious, nutritious and they add beauty (yellow goes well with green and white!) too. Leafy sprouts will do better if they are allowed to move freely, so break up the mass on day 4 and 5 and maybe 6. Fill the Tube with water or transfer your sprouts to something bigger, and kinda pull the mass apart with a fork type implement. It isn't a critical issue with the Leafy Sprouts, but it doesn't hurt.
Maximum dry seed = 3 Tablespoons.
Alliums
Garlic, Leek and Onion require no extra work - just be sure to drain the Tube well after each rinse so that the seeds/sprouts aren't sitting in water (not only will those that sit in water sprout poorly - they'll smell REALLY bad!) and remember - these all take up to 2 weeks to finish sprouting so keep Rinsing and Draining!
Maximum dry seed = 5 Tablespoons.
Grains
The green Screen works well for big Grains. Besides that, follow Seed and Sprouter instructions.
Maximum dry seed = 2 cups.
Nuts and Seeds
Follow Seed and Sprouter instructions.
Maximum dry seed = 2 cups.
Grass and Greens
Pre-Sprouting Only!
Maximum dry seed = 2 cups.
Micro-Greens
Pre-Sprouting only!
Screw the Solid Brown lid (with the rubber gasket in place inside of it) onto one end of The Tube and you can use the Tube to Soak your seeds*. Screw the smallest mesh screen onto the other end if sprouting small seeds like alfalfa, clover or broccoli, etc., or a larger mesh if using bigger seeds, grains or beans. When you're ready to Rinse and Drain just swap the next best mesh screen for the Solid lid and rinse down towards the smaller mesh. Swap the screens again as your sprouts grow to allow easier Rinsing and Draining!
All of the Plastic Screen Lids will fit any Wide-Mouth Mason Jar - so you can grow an extra crop of sprouts if you have one.
The Stainless Steel Screen (pictured here) comes with a plastic ring which does not quite fit a Tube. If you want to use one with your Tube you can use a the wide mesh plastic screen lid (the red one in the picture at the top of the page) with the Stainless Steel Screen inside it.
To see how to use the different mesh sizes come back up here.
Cleaning: Scrub well between crops with soap and water. Rinse well! Avoid abrasives, they can scratch the plastic Tube.
Sterilize: Scrub and soak in bleach water. We do this every 3 - 4 crops because a clean sprouter produces better sprouts a sterile sprouter is a great place to begin a crop.
* the Solid lid and gasket do not always hold water! We've asked the manufacturers about this and they said: "Sorry, they don't always hold water. Tell your customers to Soak in something else". They are nice folks, but that sometimes leaky lid is the one thing that bothers us about the Tube. so, if your Solid lid leaks - Soak in something else. Sorry.
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170 Mendell St.
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We only use the phone for emergencies.
Back in 2001 we were still using the phone. One day I was talking to a long-time customer while pushing my daughter on the swing in our backyard (this is what a mom n' pop business is like on the internet). It dawned on me that my priorities were severely messed up, so I stopped using the phone. I love to talk and I love to help, but my family would never see me if I picked up the phone again.
The very best way to contact us is through E-mail =:-)
We are quite fast and VERY thorough. We love to help.
We have been an internet only business since 2001. We are not a big corporation. We are but 2 people, mom n' pop. We decided after years of juggling our family's (kids, dogs, cats and even our own) needs, and the needs of Sproutpeople, that we had to make more time for our kids, so we stopped talking on the phone. All calls go to voice mail and have since 2001.
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.
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