Secrets to growing sprouts safely and effectively

(Baonghean.vn) - Sprouts have 5 times higher nutritional value than mature vegetables; especially the growing time for sprouts is short, only 5 days to harvest without much care. Below is a simple way to grow sprouts at home to have trays of fresh, delicious vegetables that are good for your health.

* Preparation

- Seeds:You can grow sprouts from sprout seeds such as: white radish, sweet cabbage, green cabbage, water spinach, amaranth,green beans, soybeans, black beans...

- Soil (substrate):There are many types of growing media for sprouts, but they must meet two criteria: retain moisture and drain well.

Through many scientific tests, the substrate from processed coconut fiber dust is considered good because it contains full nutrients, is light so it is easy to transport, and can be reused many times.

- Lining paper:Use soft paper to line the surface of the growing medium before sowing seeds so that after harvesting the growing medium will not stick to the vegetables.

You can use soft paper or special paper.

- Tray:Many different materials can be used such as bamboo trays, plastic trays, foam trays, etc. The type of tray commonly used today is foam trays, however this type of tray is not durable, easily broken and the foam peels off.

The tray must have drainage holes so that the plant does not drown.

- Shelf:Depending on the size of the tray, make a suitable shelf. You can make a wooden shelf or an iron shelf (the iron type has holes for easy assembly and moving when necessary). You should design a shelf with floors, the distance between the first floor and the ground is 25 - 30cm to limit creatures such as toads, mice, and ants from entering the tray.

* Steps to grow vegetables

- Soaking and incubating seeds:Seeds must be soaked before sowing, soaked in cold water for 6 - 8 hours, then incubated in a damp cloth for 10 - 12 hours. If the seeds germinate slowly, we can incubate the seeds for 24 - 48 hours.

Purpose of seed soaking: Shorten growth time; remove impurities and empty seeds mixed in the seeds; high and uniform germination rate.

- Making substrate:Put a 3 - 4cm layer of substrate into the tray, gently blow to level it. If the substrate is pressed too heavily, the amount of oxygen will not be able to circulate, affecting the growth and development of vegetables; water until wet when the bottom surface of the tray is dripping.

Line the tray surface with paper to prevent vegetables from getting dirty during harvesting.

- Sowing seeds:Sow the soaked and incubated seeds into the prepared tray. After sowing, spray lightly and cover the tray with cardboard. Or stack the trays on top of each other to keep the moisture, reduce evaporation, and stimulate faster germination.

After 12-18 hours, spray the tray surface for 1 to 2 days, be careful not to water in the afternoon.

- Plant care:After 2 - 3 days, the seeds will germinate evenly. Move the tray to a place with lots of light or light sunlight, avoiding direct sunlight and rain on the plants.

Water every day with a spray bottle, twice a day, early morning and cool afternoon, spray mist evenly on the tray surface so the plant receives enough water.

- Harvest:Sprouts are easily crushed, so when harvesting, use a sharp knife to cut close to the base of the sprouts. Another way is to pull the sprouts out of the ground, use scissors to cut off the roots. Then wash them with clean water and use immediately.

If you are not using the sprouts immediately, do not wash them but put them in a bag and keep them in the refrigerator (can be kept for 2 - 4 days).

After harvesting the sprouts, the growing medium can be reused for a second planting by digging up, picking up the stems and roots; adding new growing medium to the required amount. It should not be reused many times because it can easily cause pathogens to develop in subsequent plantings.

Ngoc Anh

(Synthetic)