If you're scrolling through the comments to see if this works, it does! I've tried a few times growing sunflower microgreens without any success. My crop would be patchy and sparse and the sunflower microgreens were growing at different rates with some not even really germinating. I thought it was my seeds until I tried this method. After the 4 hour soak, planting, watering, then leaving for 4 days with a weight on top, I finally got a dense, even crop of microgreens! Thanks so for must for this, fabulous tutorial!
I appreciate the transparency of the content in this video. Very clear and easy to understanding, definitely a lot of information but thank you for making the operation a lot more clear to see for step to step being safe and being clean where to start and how to do it was on point. Again. Thank you.
@@DonnyGreens I will be starting growing micros here in the bay area soon, I've just been doing a lot of research and thanks to content creators like you I'm bringing it all into fruition.
Love the video Donny this style content is some of the most helpful for new and seasoned growers alike! I would love to see your full process for Pea's!
Best vid I've seen on sunflower microgreens. I've been using the big 40 lb pounds of black oil seed that I get from my feed store. I use them to feed my poultry which absolutely love them. Jack Spirko suggested sprinkling moldy sprouts with diluted chamomile tea and that worked like a charm for me but perhaps it would have been just as well to do as you said about the mold disappearing after unpacking and lighting them. Perhaps being in ultra humid Texas, the chamomile might be a better solution. Really great info - appreciate it very much!!
very good content. I soaked mine for 10 hours / 4 days under weight / 2 days blackout and 2 days under the light. The results are not bad. They grown big and healty, the taste is good aswell. The only problem I had is not brushing the seeds in time and the leaves got damaged.
@@DonnyGreens I'm trying both but I need a good and consistent product to be able to sell. Last tray was 30 grams of seeds and I got 400 grams productions. It was tall, green and tasty :p
thanks so much Donnie - this was so helpful! My biggest issue was mould, but since following your instructions that seems to have cleared up. After watching this I now need to get my yields up :)
@@DonnyGreens I'm only getting between 380g - 440g (sowing 125g dry weight and pre -soaked 4-6hrs). Typically I'm seeing uneven growth and my germination is patchy. I just tried your method, so I'll let you know my results next week!
I am having problem with mould...what do you do differently now then before? I soaked for 7-8hours I will try 4hrs soak and less water at the beginning of germination...my seeds should be ok they are organic from good seller I discussed ths with them and they have no complains from other growers...I use coco coir grow medium...or shall I just ignore tiny spots of mould as Donny is advising? I use hydrogen peroxide solution to solve this occasional small mould spots and it goes away but I would rather have no mould issues at all...does airflow make any difference in germination stage if trays are stacked and covered anyway? thanks
@@tomaskocis6614 I use organic soil, so not familiar with growing on coco coir. I do have consistent air flow, however the main difference now is that I top water out of germination as Donny suggested in his mould video, which kills the spores. It's worth a try! good luck!
Donny, I have been following "On The grow", and I did my first sunflower tray, but low germination, hulls didn't come off easily, and low yield. I am going to try your way, it makes lots of sense: stacking, no blackout, fewer days to get the product!!!! BTW , I order your book. Thank you.
Thanks so much for commenting! I'm sorry you aren't having good luck with your sunflowers :( Hopefully my methods work better for you 👍🏼Thanks also for buying the book! If you still have issues, try some seeds from my website donnygreens.com. My students have been having great results with my seeds compared to others. I have a whole video on sunflower microgreen seeds coming out today at 2pm 🌱💚
@@DonnyGreens any time. The sunflowers are growing well but the hulls are not coming off easily, I guess a have to wait a few more days. I spray the with some water to lose them up. I planted the on Thursday and they are about 2inches tall. The peas about 3 inches tall, the radish 3 inches, and the arugula 2 inches tall. I will be harvesting the radish and arugula to take some samples out on Friday. I have a meeting today with a chef, I am very excited about all this man.
Jay Valencia you are probably overwatering then. I see people watering throughout germination which i strongly advise against. If you follow my exact instructions, you should see some good results
I am just waiting for my first order of bootstrap trays already purchased my first 5 varieties. So excited to start growing . Really want to join the challenge just low on the funds. I really appreciate everything you do. You are an amazing human. Thank you for all the information you provide for free.
Oh my goodness! I am new to your channel, thanks for all the information I can absorb! I will soak in all your videos!😆🤔🤗🤗 . I am starting with 6 inch trays😆.
Hey Donny thank you so much - I've just started and you are my 'GoTo' and I feel like my head is exploding with all your awesome info. Thanks so much - glad I take notes as you share so much!! Mandy - Western Australia :)
Haha thanks so much for your feedback! I'm glad my content is providing you with valuable information and i look forward to keep helping! Where do you grow?
@@DonnyGreens I have a little 2 bedroom unit that I've knocked out all the walls (like a studio apartment now) - so in the spare room I have a set of shelves and also a lot of space outside! I can keep the temperature around 20 degrees (Celcius) all the time and they seem to be doing pretty well. I would love to know more about lights though please if you could do a video on that? Thank you Donny woohoo :)
Thank you Donny, you have answered my questions here in this video. Wow. I will need to try this method with the top watering for the 2-3 days after introducing to light.
Mold. I always have mold. It’s my building. I bought your seeds too but I’ve ruled out everything else and it’s just my environment. I sanitize and wash trays well, bake soil in the oven, have tried soaking and not soaking seeds, soaking with hydrogen peroxide, spray seeds with hydrogen peroxide during germination..I’ve discovered I need heat mats during germination when my grow room is cooler to speed up germination to keep mold down. It’s such a headache but I love having them. So you skip blackout phase entirely??
Hi Donny, I have learned so much about growing sprouts from your videos. Great job on your business and your videos. I was wondering if you have a link or source page for where you purchase your supplies, lights, trays, soaking bags, etc. I specifically am looking for a tray source at the moment. I want to grow greens for our family, then maybe sell if we end up with our own "health testimony" to share. Thank you!
I have been geminating my sunflowers for about three days only about 5 or 6 have sprouted and the are just tiny white stems and there is a little mold any tips
Hi Donny, thanks for the great tips! I purchased your book and have found it very useful. Also, I've had good success with your 4h germination method. One question: do you wash your sunflower microgreens at harvest? Thanks for your time!
Thanks so much for this comment, I'm glad my videos are helping! I do not wash any microgreens at harvest. You can see me working live on Instagram TV (IGTV)
@@DonnyGreens thanks for following up! I think I actually remember reading in your book that washing your microgreens before selling them changed their legal status (or tax category) or something along those lines... but it seems like many people are washing their sunflower shoots as a tool to get rid of the hulls. I just need to continue refining the process to try and get rid of as many hulls as possible without having to wash them! Cheers.
Great Channel and priceless information! Quick question, I use a solution of white vinegar and water for my first and sometimes second top water to prevent/control mold. Do you see any issues with this practice? Is there a downside to using vinegar/water in the long run? Thanks
I am inspired. Planning to start growing microgreens in a small space of 900 cubic feet. Please advise how to maintain temperature and humidity in the growing space and what will be the ideal equipment.
Dear Donny. I have a question re the taste. I have noticed that sometimes my sunflower microgreens have beautiful buttery taste and it seems you are eating sunflower seeds, but recently the taste has become bitter even in smaller shoots where there are no true leaves appearing. Have you had issues with bitterness and how do you fight it in sunflower microgreens? I also noted, that after true leaves appeared the taste changes drastically and the cotyledons become thinner, flatter and less juicy. I have just started working commercially on them and i have to pick mine after three full days in light, as after that true leaves change taste. How do you keep them going for 7-8 days without taste issues? Thank you!
I’m growing beet, broccoli, pea, and sunflower. Would you recommend stacking all of these seeds, or only for sunflower? My concern is that broccoli might not be strong enough to push up against the stack like sunflowers.
I’m starting my micro green frowning. And my biggest questions atm, is how do I germinate all my seeds. Spread them on the dirt and shower them all? How is it done with broccoli due to possible overwatering in later grow stages? (I have all the same as you, radish, pea, sunflower, and broccoli) I have watched your videos for a little while now and they have been super helpful! Keep it up!
I planted a 10 X 20 tray of sunflower seeds four days ago per your instructions here. I just lifted up the tray to check on them. A few were germinating but not too many and there were small, light patches of mold here and there. Should I just leave them uncovered now? Is all lost? I've never had moldy sunflowers yet, in about 6 different grows. Could it be poor seed, or what?
Did your trays ever succeed, or did you have to do something different to get them going? I am trying my first tray of sunflower (alongside 7 other trays of 6 other varieties) and I am convinced that 4 hours is not a long enough soak. Everything is doing great except the sunflowers, which have about a 2% germination rate 3 days in, and they are barely pushed out of the seed hulls. The peas I started the same night were soaked for 9 hours, have 95% germination and the radicals are are an inch long. My room is averaging low 70's, humidity is a bit high in the low 70's as well. I see a bit of fuzz on my mustard mix, but I think that is just root hairs. I see no mold on the sunflowers (yet) but h2o2 made them foam like crazy and I am throwing them out and starting over tomorrow with an 8 hour soak.
Thanks for this vídeo! I recently started to grow my first tray of sunflower microgreen, todas was the 3rd dar of germinación and I could tell there were not to many roots germinated... I Will wait for tomorrow and check them🤞🏻
Great tips! I had been doing all bottom watering after germination. Love being able to top water for a few more days! Thank you for sharing your experience!
would be fun IF YOU HAD TIME to talk about small scale like my house and how things work am trying those 4 x 4 containers and various grow media - soil too messy and expensive for in house
Great video. Watched cause my sunflower shoots went from what you have there to a sparatic and very poor germination rate. Ordered new seeds, think these ones got destroyed somehow. Heat, moisture. I'm at a loss.
@@DonnyGreens Sorry dude, thought i seriously replied to this on my phone. I've attempted this on a couple soaks. Initially when it worked it was 4 hours. Then it stopped working. So i soaked them for 12-16 hours. Then 36 hours. This last batch is at 2 hours. Every time they come out looking like 2 days germination and they stop growing.
I have messed up sprouting sunflower seeds about six times now. I just started your method and I’m excited to see if I finally succeed. I will post an update! Thanks for your thorough walk-through. Update: this also did not work for me.
What type of lights are you using? Can you recommend a brand/type. I’m currently using LED and they work fine, but wondering if there a is better option. Thanks for making these videos. Great content!
Thanks so much for your ind words, I love helping out! You can find links to all the supplies and equipment I use (including lights) below the video in the description 🌱💚
Hi Donny.. about how many trays can you get with the large Pro mix soil bale? where do you purchase from? Thank you for the Awesome Sunflower information:)
About 60 trays! I get mine from a local greenhouse supply company. Thats really the only way to do it because they are heavy and VERY expensive to ship.
Hey Donny. I've been looking through some PRO sunflower growers to figure out what is going on with my crops. Long story short, some time ago I used to use the 10x20 tays of a similar brand like yours, but have decided to use smaller trays as we could not finish all the sprouts on time and I hate wasting food. So I switched to the cheaper version of trays (white has holes, green is no holes) sold in Amazon etc. So I am using 100 grams of Black Oil with a pre-soaking period of 6 hours where the only additive I use is the cheap Hydrogen Peroxide (3% and not the 30% one) of 1tbsp. So I use a similar quality soil which I press around 1.5cm deepness and spread the 100grams of seeds evenly. For weight I use 4-5 pounds pave laying around. So 2-3 days of blackout, 2-3 days of top watering and 2-3 days of bottom watering under light (I use some generic LED light fixture that fits the tray but have been repurposed from an Open Aquarium project, so nothing too fancy). At the harvesting time, I cut the sprouts/microgreens close to the stem but not taking roots or soil with and after weighting I am having over 2 pounds (956g of my todays crop). So I am wondering, how come you use 145 grams of seeds where I use 100, you use 10x20 trays where mine are probably 6x8 or similar, you use a PRO growing lights where I don't but at the end I end up growing almost double? I am pretty aware of the sprouts stages and I am 100% sure there are no True leaves (or less than 1-2% for some stronger and impatient to grow crops). What am I doing so that my cultivation is double as my goal is to grow not only quantity but also quality in terms of nutrition, taste etc. So far there is no stinginess or bitter taste which is an indicator of over/not enough watering etc. Thanks for your feedback and keep up the flawless work and sharing your venture :)
Great video. I've just started growing sunflowers again after a couple of customers requested them. I too wouldn't grows them either as they're needy microgreens! I have to say I like them as well however. I've been battling with mold and I never have like this before. Going to try your methods and see how it goes. Cheers 🤠
Thanks for the comment and sorry about your mold. Try soaking for only 4 hours, that may help. Otherwise it could be the seeds. Are you getting mold just on sunflower or other varieties too?
@@DonnyGreens just these sunflowers. They're good quality seeds as I've bought the same variety from them before. I think the 4 hours might be the trick. Will plant later today. Cheers
@@easthillfarmer7216 Did this work for you? Been battling mould for months and can't figure it out. Tried 12 hour, 8 hour, and 6 hour with similar results.
Awesome content! Thank you! Your sunflower microgreens appear to be HUGE, maybe 6 inches tall? At about 3-4", mine tend to grow their first set of true leaves, at which point the flavor goes from sweet and nutty, to more in the bitter range. Yours appear to still be at the cotyledon stage. Any thoughts on this? I am using an organic Black Oil seed from handypantry. Also, you didn't specify as to why the 4 hour soak is critical. Does this help avoid mold? I have been soaking 8-10 hours. Thanks again!
Thank you for this information. I appreciate your content and the way you present it. I purchased a tiny micro-green growing kit - those gift ones- to learn the process and play with it culinarily (ex-pro cook). I followed the directions, and it looked like way too much water, but I thought, Let's see what happens. I put it on top of the fridge and actually forgot about it (oops), anyway a few days later when i looked, some seeds were sprouted, and there was some mold on top, but also a lot of water. I was careful to measure according to the kit's instructions. I instinctively drained off some water and cleaned them, and put the tray back on the fridge (I should not have, but I did). Anyway, what you're saying about weighting the tray makes sense, and explains why my little sprouties looked defeated. :( I also did not spread and press the coir before adding seeds. When I get back home, I will see what I can do to correct things. I'll take the loss as a learning experience, but I am a little sad about it. Thanks for your info.
You put the soil in a slotted tray. I have seen many other videos where the individual will put water anywhere from 2 to 4 cups of water in the trays and then put soil in. They then put the seeds on top and pretty much follow what you are doing except they water from the top. What is your opinion on this. I am getting ready to start growing microgreens for my family (to learn and hopefully one day go into business for myself) and I want to make sure before I buy supplies. Thank you for your help.
I recommend using the exact methods I talk about in this video and other videos I have posted. I have really dialed in my processes and have beautiful crops and efficient grows because of this.
I just seeded a new tray, I’m trying again. Mind you I’ve only tried a handful of times but my issues were inconsistent germination, poor germination along with some weak rooting. We’ll see how this next one comes out 💫
Is it possible to grow without soil? I tried 2 times and both times i found molds on them. I throw them away cause they smell kinda wierd. I grew the microgreens in a dark place and watered on the 2nd day . 😒
Hi Donny, great video. I grew sunflowers for the first time this week on coco coir matting. I have had trouble with cobweb mold . I followed the procedure in the video with a few differences. Although I soaked for 4 hrs I sowed them straight away and I also started to bottom water from when I uncovered to the light. Would these 2 things have made a difference or would it be something else? I wish I had viewed your video first!
Love your videos! (You hvave no idea how much value I've gotten from them!) My biggest pain is the hulls sticking on and I spend waaaaaayy too long de-shelling before packaging
I have having trouble with the hulls not coming off. I am going to switch to top watering for the first few days after blackout. Any additional advice would be much appreciated.
Hey Donny! I'm currently using deeper trays beneath the shallower trays w/ holes. There's a lot of water leftover (24 hours later) from the first bottom-watering. Should I be replacing the leftover water every day? How high should I be filling the water in the first place? thanks man!
The water that you gave the greens should be close to the exact amount that they actually need. With this being said there really shouldn’t be any excess water sitting in those trays. If you use too much water then it can build up and suffocate the roots. I don’t think this has anything to do with the deeper and shallower trays, I recommend just watering less in general so this excess doesn’t happen 🌱 does this make sense?
@@DonnyGreens I guess the deeper tray is the problem. If the bottom tray is too deep you will have to fill in more water for the roots to reach the water surface.
Hi Donny, do you blackout any of your microgreens? If not, do you put them directly under light after germination or something else? Thanks. Great info. thanks for sharing
I am trying my first tray of sunflower (alongside 7 other trays of 6 other varieties) and I am convinced that 4 hours is not a long enough soak for True Leaf Black Oil. Everything is doing great except the sunflowers, which have about a 2% germination rate 3 days in, and they are barely pushed out of the seed hulls. The peas I started the same night were soaked for 9 hours, have 99% germination and the radicals are an inch long. My room is averaging low 70's, humidity is a bit high in the low 70's as well with a recent wave of late October 80F weather and lots of rain. This obviously doesnt work with True Leaf seeds, so I am throwing them out and starting over tomorrow with an 8 hour soak (since literally everyone else says 8-12 hours). Will edit later with results.
Got my first tray of true leaf black oil seeds going too, no pre-soak, and it looks like 90% germination 4 days. Couldn't tell you the humidity but low 70s temperature. Also doing it in a single tray with no holes FWIW. I feel like the 4 hours would have been perfect.
What's the update? I'm also using TL sunflower seeds. They seem to be very problematic and the germination rate is all over the place. The 5lb bag I got states 68% germ rate, but it's honestly less than 50%. Any info you have is greatly appreciated. Ty.
Do all same as you…. but finding quite a few germinated dying with little stems laying on surface and not rooting… help don!! I have some pics of these… how do I send to you here?
I’ve been killing my stems and am so frustrated. Just found you today. If I didn’t survive on my sunflower trade I’d pack them in. I’m soaking right NOW. Timer set and back to the video. I need this😬.
Hi Donnie. I am considering ordering your microgreen marketing course. I am having a problem finding a system to manage customers and orders. Does your course have something where I can manage customers and orders! Thanks so much!
The seeds, the seeds, the seeds
That what I told my lesbians 😏
lol
You can knock the remaining the seeds off in a bath after they are cut.
@@thenewyorkredneck4735 what does that even mean?
@@jc6226 its an inside joke
If you're scrolling through the comments to see if this works, it does! I've tried a few times growing sunflower microgreens without any success. My crop would be patchy and sparse and the sunflower microgreens were growing at different rates with some not even really germinating. I thought it was my seeds until I tried this method. After the 4 hour soak, planting, watering, then leaving for 4 days with a weight on top, I finally got a dense, even crop of microgreens! Thanks so for must for this, fabulous tutorial!
Thanks so much for this comment! So glad my videos are helping you to get real results!
Good to hear I’m going to try this today
If you can’t keep the temp high enough in the room, will seed mats work instead?
Hoooooohhhh yeahhhhhhh😻
These videos are very well made, clean meaning not chaotic, easy to understand and helpful.
Thanks so much for that feedback, that is definitely my style haha!
I appreciate the transparency of the content in this video. Very clear and easy to understanding, definitely a lot of information but thank you for making the operation a lot more clear to see for step to step being safe and being clean where to start and how to do it was on point. Again. Thank you.
Thanks so much for watching and this comment! I always try to be as transparent as possible. I'm glad it helped, where are you growing?
@@DonnyGreens I will be starting growing micros here in the bay area soon, I've just been doing a lot of research and thanks to content creators like you I'm bringing it all into fruition.
You're the best
Thanks for much Ray, I think you're the best! 😆🌱💚
I shared this with my son. He’s just starting a micro green business. He’s learning the ropes right now
Love it, feel free to show him this: onetrayaway.com/
Love the video Donny this style content is some of the most helpful for new and seasoned growers alike!
I would love to see your full process for Pea's!
Yes me too please Donny!
Thanks so much! I will have to make a video on growing peas for sure!
Best vid I've seen on sunflower microgreens. I've been using the big 40 lb pounds of black oil seed that I get from my feed store. I use them to feed my poultry which absolutely love them. Jack Spirko suggested sprinkling moldy sprouts with diluted chamomile tea and that worked like a charm for me but perhaps it would have been just as well to do as you said about the mold disappearing after unpacking and lighting them. Perhaps being in ultra humid Texas, the chamomile might be a better solution. Really great info - appreciate it very much!!
they are the only microgreen i hunger for, thanks for helping me figure out growing my own
no problem!
Thank you for creating this video. My sunflowers have not being coming out well. Excited to do this method.
Thanks for watching! I hope these methods will help you. DO you grow for personal use or as a business?
Watched this before even attempting. Thank you
Love your energy became a subscriber within 0.22
Awesome video, I will follow your directions to the letter since you explained them so well. I appreciate you taking the time to post this video!
Much love, thanks for the comment!! Don't forget to join the challenge too!!! OneTrayAway.com
Great video ❤️👍 Can't wait to implement these tips! 🌻
Nicee! Glad you liked it!
very good content. I soaked mine for 10 hours / 4 days under weight / 2 days blackout and 2 days under the light. The results are not bad. They grown big and healty, the taste is good aswell. The only problem I had is not brushing the seeds in time and the leaves got damaged.
Thanks a lot! Definitely try soaking for only FOUR hours. You may be pleasantly surprised 🌱😊 Do you grow for personal use or as a business?
@@DonnyGreens I'm trying both but I need a good and consistent product to be able to sell. Last tray was 30 grams of seeds and I got 400 grams productions. It was tall, green and tasty :p
thanks so much Donnie - this was so helpful! My biggest issue was mould, but since following your instructions that seems to have cleared up. After watching this I now need to get my yields up :)
Awesome! I'm so glad I was able to help you solve that problem 🌱💚 What are you currently yielding?
@@DonnyGreens I'm only getting between 380g - 440g (sowing 125g dry weight and pre -soaked 4-6hrs). Typically I'm seeing uneven growth and my germination is patchy. I just tried your method, so I'll let you know my results next week!
I am having problem with mould...what do you do differently now then before? I soaked for 7-8hours I will try 4hrs soak and less water at the beginning of germination...my seeds should be ok they are organic from good seller I discussed ths with them and they have no complains from other growers...I use coco coir grow medium...or shall I just ignore tiny spots of mould as Donny is advising? I use hydrogen peroxide solution to solve this occasional small mould spots and it goes away but I would rather have no mould issues at all...does airflow make any difference in germination stage if trays are stacked and covered anyway? thanks
@@tomaskocis6614 I use organic soil, so not familiar with growing on coco coir. I do have consistent air flow, however the main difference now is that I top water out of germination as Donny suggested in his mould video, which kills the spores. It's worth a try! good luck!
is it absolutely necessary to have grow lights when growing microgreens?
Donny, I have been following "On The grow", and I did my first sunflower tray, but low germination, hulls didn't come off easily, and low yield. I am going to try your way, it makes lots of sense: stacking, no blackout, fewer days to get the product!!!! BTW , I order your book. Thank you.
Thanks so much for commenting! I'm sorry you aren't having good luck with your sunflowers :( Hopefully my methods work better for you 👍🏼Thanks also for buying the book! If you still have issues, try some seeds from my website donnygreens.com. My students have been having great results with my seeds compared to others. I have a whole video on sunflower microgreen seeds coming out today at 2pm 🌱💚
@@DonnyGreens any time. The sunflowers are growing well but the hulls are not coming off easily, I guess a have to wait a few more days. I spray the with some water to lose them up. I planted the on Thursday and they are about 2inches tall. The peas about 3 inches tall, the radish 3 inches, and the arugula 2 inches tall. I will be harvesting the radish and arugula to take some samples out on Friday. I have a meeting today with a chef, I am very excited about all this man.
Jay Valencia you are probably overwatering then. I see people watering throughout germination which i strongly advise against. If you follow my exact instructions, you should see some good results
Perfect timing...just had my order of black oil seeds show up
Woop woop! Sunflower microgreen videos this whole month!
I am just waiting for my first order of bootstrap trays already purchased my first 5 varieties. So excited to start growing . Really want to join the challenge just low on the funds. I really appreciate everything you do. You are an amazing human. Thank you for all the information you provide for free.
much love shawna, i hope to see you in the challenge sooon!!!
How could anyone dislike this video?? Great job, Donny! Best content around.
Thanks so much, Much love 🌱🌱🌱💚💚💚
As always, such helpful advice. Thanks so much!
You are very welcome!
Excellent presentation! 🤓
So cool Donald.
Thank you!!!
Oh my goodness! I am new to your channel, thanks for all the information I can absorb! I will soak in all your videos!😆🤔🤗🤗 . I am starting with 6 inch trays😆.
Hey Donny thank you so much - I've just started and you are my 'GoTo' and I feel like my head is exploding with all your awesome info. Thanks so much - glad I take notes as you share so much!! Mandy - Western Australia :)
Haha thanks so much for your feedback! I'm glad my content is providing you with valuable information and i look forward to keep helping! Where do you grow?
@@DonnyGreens I have a little 2 bedroom unit that I've knocked out all the walls (like a studio apartment now) - so in the spare room I have a set of shelves and also a lot of space outside! I can keep the temperature around 20 degrees (Celcius) all the time and they seem to be doing pretty well. I would love to know more about lights though please if you could do a video on that? Thank you Donny woohoo :)
Thank you Donny, you have answered my questions here in this video. Wow. I will need to try this method with the top watering for the 2-3 days after introducing to light.
There you go! You are very welcome, keep me posted with your progress!! 🌱💚
I want to start the microgreens cultivation.. your videos are very helpful to me
Awesome, thanks for that feedback, im glad they are helping!
love your energy and your enthusiasm!!
Thanks alot!
Mold. I always have mold. It’s my building. I bought your seeds too but I’ve ruled out everything else and it’s just my environment. I sanitize and wash trays well, bake soil in the oven, have tried soaking and not soaking seeds, soaking with hydrogen peroxide, spray seeds with hydrogen peroxide during germination..I’ve discovered I need heat mats during germination when my grow room is cooler to speed up germination to keep mold down. It’s such a headache but I love having them. So you skip blackout phase entirely??
keep getting brown parts on some of the sunflowers?
not sure whats going on
Hi Donny, I have learned so much about growing sprouts from your videos. Great job on your business and your videos. I was wondering if you have a link or source page for where you purchase your supplies, lights, trays, soaking bags, etc. I specifically am looking for a tray source at the moment. I want to grow greens for our family, then maybe sell if we end up with our own "health testimony" to share. Thank you!
Thanks so much, and yes, you can find links to all the seeds, supplies and equipment I use in the descriptions of my TH-cam videos!
I have been geminating my sunflowers for about three days only about 5 or 6 have sprouted and the are just tiny white stems and there is a little mold any tips
Thank you for the vid! Really appreciate the details and how to get the hulls off.
Hi Donny, thanks for the great tips! I purchased your book and have found it very useful. Also, I've had good success with your 4h germination method. One question: do you wash your sunflower microgreens at harvest? Thanks for your time!
Thanks so much for this comment, I'm glad my videos are helping! I do not wash any microgreens at harvest. You can see me working live on Instagram TV (IGTV)
@@DonnyGreens thanks for following up! I think I actually remember reading in your book that washing your microgreens before selling them changed their legal status (or tax category) or something along those lines... but it seems like many people are washing their sunflower shoots as a tool to get rid of the hulls. I just need to continue refining the process to try and get rid of as many hulls as possible without having to wash them! Cheers.
Thank you! Great video. Mine turned out perfectly. God bless
Another great video! Thank you Donny for the tips!
Thanks so much for watching!
Great video as always! Can you let me know where you get your seed soaking bags?
Thanks so much!! There is a link to all the supplies, seeds, and equipment I use in the descriptions of all my youtube videos!
Great Channel and priceless information! Quick question, I use a solution of white vinegar and water for my first and sometimes second top water to prevent/control mold. Do you see any issues with this practice? Is there a downside to using vinegar/water in the long run? Thanks
try not to use anything and still get no mold!! i dont see anything wrong with your methods though
Still have a problem with uneven growth and the dang shells sticking. Thanks for the vid!
No problem, keep working at it, theyre a pain in the ass but once you have them down its a great crop!
I am inspired. Planning to start growing microgreens in a small space of 900 cubic feet. Please advise how to maintain temperature and humidity in the growing space and what will be the ideal equipment.
Dear Donny. I have a question re the taste. I have noticed that sometimes my sunflower microgreens have beautiful buttery taste and it seems you are eating sunflower seeds, but recently the taste has become bitter even in smaller shoots where there are no true leaves appearing.
Have you had issues with bitterness and how do you fight it in sunflower microgreens?
I also noted, that after true leaves appeared the taste changes drastically and the cotyledons become thinner, flatter and less juicy. I have just started working commercially on them and i have to pick mine after three full days in light, as after that true leaves change taste. How do you keep them going for 7-8 days without taste issues?
Thank you!
I haven't really noticed them being bitter, nor have my customers complained. Each seed lot is different. Thats just how mine grow in my environment
I have trouble with the husk staying stuck on
Yes this is very common. More moisture and swiping
This is AMAZING - thank you so much 🧚🏽🙏🏽🧚🏽🙏🏽🧚🏽🙏🏽🧚🏽. Would LOVE a “how to” video on Wheatgrass!!!!!
Much love!!! 🌱💚💚 definitely coming in the future
@@DonnyGreens 🙌🌱🙌🌱🙌🌱
I’m growing beet, broccoli, pea, and sunflower. Would you recommend stacking all of these seeds, or only for sunflower? My concern is that broccoli might not be strong enough to push up against the stack like sunflowers.
I’m starting my micro green frowning. And my biggest questions atm, is how do I germinate all my seeds. Spread them on the dirt and shower them all? How is it done with broccoli due to possible overwatering in later grow stages? (I have all the same as you, radish, pea, sunflower, and broccoli)
I have watched your videos for a little while now and they have been super helpful! Keep it up!
Thanks a lot! Yes, spread them and then water before stacking for germination. Same method but without soaking first
I have trouble getting all the seed hulls off. Do you have to pick them off one by one when the brushing technique doesn’t work?
I planted a 10 X 20 tray of sunflower seeds four days ago per your instructions here. I just lifted up the tray to check on them. A few were germinating but not too many and there were small, light patches of mold here and there. Should I just leave them uncovered now? Is all lost? I've never had moldy sunflowers yet, in about 6 different grows. Could it be poor seed, or what?
i have a few videos on mold you should watch. Check out my channel!
Did your trays ever succeed, or did you have to do something different to get them going? I am trying my first tray of sunflower (alongside 7 other trays of 6 other varieties) and I am convinced that 4 hours is not a long enough soak. Everything is doing great except the sunflowers, which have about a 2% germination rate 3 days in, and they are barely pushed out of the seed hulls. The peas I started the same night were soaked for 9 hours, have 95% germination and the radicals are are an inch long. My room is averaging low 70's, humidity is a bit high in the low 70's as well. I see a bit of fuzz on my mustard mix, but I think that is just root hairs. I see no mold on the sunflowers (yet) but h2o2 made them foam like crazy and I am throwing them out and starting over tomorrow with an 8 hour soak.
Hey Donny Thanks for all the info. Curious what you run your PH at when sprouting. Thanks in advance
ur a great person thanks for everything keep up the good spirit
Much love!
Thanks for this vídeo!
I recently started to grow my first tray of sunflower microgreen, todas was the 3rd dar of germinación and I could tell there were not to many roots germinated... I Will wait for tomorrow and check them🤞🏻
They can be tricky. Make sure you have high quality seeds and soak for only four hours. They take some time to master so keep on experimenting!
@@DonnyGreens thanks Donny!!!
Great tips! I had been doing all bottom watering after germination. Love being able to top water for a few more days! Thank you for sharing your experience!
Much love Eric, thanks for commenting, I'm so glad my videos are helping!
Wow thank you for the information👍
No problem! Thanks for the comment! 🌱💚
Where did you get that press for compacting the soil? When I try to look it up, I get results for soil block makers instead
would be fun IF YOU HAD TIME to talk about small scale like my house and how things work
am trying those 4 x 4 containers
and various grow media - soil too messy and expensive for in house
Great video. Watched cause my sunflower shoots went from what you have there to a sparatic and very poor germination rate. Ordered new seeds, think these ones got destroyed somehow. Heat, moisture. I'm at a loss.
How long are you soaking for?
@@DonnyGreens Sorry dude, thought i seriously replied to this on my phone. I've attempted this on a couple soaks. Initially when it worked it was 4 hours. Then it stopped working. So i soaked them for 12-16 hours. Then 36 hours. This last batch is at 2 hours. Every time they come out looking like 2 days germination and they stop growing.
Donny.... My Sunflower Microgreens are not pushing their roots down and through but rather their roots just stay on the soil...
are you stacking with weight for a few days until they root?
@@DonnyGreens now I do! Much better!
Love your videos, quick question though. When its time for them to go into the light do you keep the lights on the entire time?
You are the best, thanks for sharing Donny.
Thanks so much for commenting this, much love! 🌱💚
I have messed up sprouting sunflower seeds about six times now. I just started your method and I’m excited to see if I finally succeed. I will post an update! Thanks for your thorough walk-through. Update: this also did not work for me.
Best of luck!!!
Well done! Perfect! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Really good advices, thank you!
thanks for your comment!
Love your stuff kick on love it
much love homie
I wonder if you can vacuum up the hulls with a shop-vac?
What type of lights are you using? Can you recommend a brand/type. I’m currently using LED and they work fine, but wondering if there a is better option. Thanks for making these videos. Great content!
Thanks so much for your ind words, I love helping out! You can find links to all the supplies and equipment I use (including lights) below the video in the description 🌱💚
Great video! So you do not put sunflower in blackout?
Thank you! I put NOTHING in blackout 🌱💚
How much light time a day do the microgreens need?
My lights are on for 15 hours per day. Feel free to experiment 🌱🌱
Hi Donny.. about how many trays can you get with the large Pro mix soil bale? where do you purchase from? Thank you for the Awesome Sunflower information:)
About 60 trays! I get mine from a local greenhouse supply company. Thats really the only way to do it because they are heavy and VERY expensive to ship.
Hey Donny. I've been looking through some PRO sunflower growers to figure out what is going on with my crops. Long story short, some time ago I used to use the 10x20 tays of a similar brand like yours, but have decided to use smaller trays as we could not finish all the sprouts on time and I hate wasting food. So I switched to the cheaper version of trays (white has holes, green is no holes) sold in Amazon etc. So I am using 100 grams of Black Oil with a pre-soaking period of 6 hours where the only additive I use is the cheap Hydrogen Peroxide (3% and not the 30% one) of 1tbsp. So I use a similar quality soil which I press around 1.5cm deepness and spread the 100grams of seeds evenly. For weight I use 4-5 pounds pave laying around. So 2-3 days of blackout, 2-3 days of top watering and 2-3 days of bottom watering under light (I use some generic LED light fixture that fits the tray but have been repurposed from an Open Aquarium project, so nothing too fancy).
At the harvesting time, I cut the sprouts/microgreens close to the stem but not taking roots or soil with and after weighting I am having over 2 pounds (956g of my todays crop). So I am wondering, how come you use 145 grams of seeds where I use 100, you use 10x20 trays where mine are probably 6x8 or similar, you use a PRO growing lights where I don't but at the end I end up growing almost double? I am pretty aware of the sprouts stages and I am 100% sure there are no True leaves (or less than 1-2% for some stronger and impatient to grow crops). What am I doing so that my cultivation is double as my goal is to grow not only quantity but also quality in terms of nutrition, taste etc. So far there is no stinginess or bitter taste which is an indicator of over/not enough watering etc.
Thanks for your feedback and keep up the flawless work and sharing your venture :)
Great video. I've just started growing sunflowers again after a couple of customers requested them. I too wouldn't grows them either as they're needy microgreens! I have to say I like them as well however. I've been battling with mold and I never have like this before. Going to try your methods and see how it goes. Cheers 🤠
Thanks for the comment and sorry about your mold. Try soaking for only 4 hours, that may help. Otherwise it could be the seeds. Are you getting mold just on sunflower or other varieties too?
@@DonnyGreens just these sunflowers. They're good quality seeds as I've bought the same variety from them before. I think the 4 hours might be the trick. Will plant later today. Cheers
@@easthillfarmer7216 Did this work for you? Been battling mould for months and can't figure it out. Tried 12 hour, 8 hour, and 6 hour with similar results.
Awesome content! Thank you! Your sunflower microgreens appear to be HUGE, maybe 6 inches tall? At about 3-4", mine tend to grow their first set of true leaves, at which point the flavor goes from sweet and nutty, to more in the bitter range. Yours appear to still be at the cotyledon stage. Any thoughts on this? I am using an organic Black Oil seed from handypantry. Also, you didn't specify as to why the 4 hour soak is critical. Does this help avoid mold? I have been soaking 8-10 hours. Thanks again!
Follow my procedures exactly and see if that helps. Sunflowers are sensitive to water
Thank you for this information. I appreciate your content and the way you present it.
I purchased a tiny micro-green growing kit - those gift ones- to learn the process and play with it culinarily (ex-pro cook). I followed the directions, and it looked like way too much water, but I thought, Let's see what happens. I put it on top of the fridge and actually forgot about it (oops), anyway a few days later when i looked, some seeds were sprouted, and there was some mold on top, but also a lot of water. I was careful to measure according to the kit's instructions. I instinctively drained off some water and cleaned them, and put the tray back on the fridge (I should not have, but I did). Anyway, what you're saying about weighting the tray makes sense, and explains why my little sprouties looked defeated. :( I also did not spread and press the coir before adding seeds. When I get back home, I will see what I can do to correct things. I'll take the loss as a learning experience, but I am a little sad about it.
Thanks for your info.
Very informative, Thank you Sir. All the love from Lizard Ranch Microgreens.
Are you top watering to aid with removing the seed hulls?
Good day. I treat the mold with hydrogen peroxide. But I noticed that young plants twist their leaves. Can peroxide be the cause of twisting?
Not sure, I've never heard of that though. I don't get mold or use hydrogen peroxide on the plants, just for sanitizing.
@@DonnyGreens ok, how do you fight mold, or do you have no mold at all?
I have four videos on mold. Feel free to watch 🙂
My man. Thank you for this information.
Much love, thanks for your comment!
Is it the same way you do for all seeds?
You put the soil in a slotted tray. I have seen many other videos where the individual will put water anywhere from 2 to 4 cups of water in the trays and then put soil in. They then put the seeds on top and pretty much follow what you are doing except they water from the top. What is your opinion on this. I am getting ready to start growing microgreens for my family (to learn and hopefully one day go into business for myself) and I want to make sure before I buy supplies. Thank you for your help.
I recommend using the exact methods I talk about in this video and other videos I have posted. I have really dialed in my processes and have beautiful crops and efficient grows because of this.
I just seeded a new tray, I’m trying again. Mind you I’ve only tried a handful of times but my issues were inconsistent germination, poor germination along with some weak rooting. We’ll see how this next one comes out 💫
Trial, error, and improvement. You got this!!! Definitely join the MIcrogreens Support Group on Facebook for further assistance! 🌱💚
great information. how many hours a day do i keep the sunflower seeds under the lihgt?
Is it possible to grow without soil? I tried 2 times and both times i found molds on them. I throw them away cause they smell kinda wierd. I grew the microgreens in a dark place and watered on the 2nd day . 😒
Hi Donny, great video. I grew sunflowers for the first time this week on coco coir matting. I have had trouble with cobweb mold . I followed the procedure in the video with a few differences. Although I soaked for 4 hrs I sowed them straight away and I also started to bottom water from when I uncovered to the light. Would these 2 things have made a difference or would it be something else? I wish I had viewed your video first!
Thank you! I'm not exactly sure, I would test both ways and compare so you can see if it does truly make a difference for ya
Coco coir is prone to mold
@@patrickstrasser3221 what do you use ?
hi Donny , what lights do you use ?
You can find links to all the seeds, supplies and equipment I use in the descriptions of my TH-cam videos!
Love your videos! (You hvave no idea how much value I've gotten from them!) My biggest pain is the hulls sticking on and I spend waaaaaayy too long de-shelling before packaging
I have having trouble with the hulls not coming off. I am going to switch to top watering for the first few days after blackout. Any additional advice would be much appreciated.
Good idea, that should help. Swipe them off every day as well!
How long do I keep the lights on them after germination?
Super helpful/ I’m about to start growing
Awesome!! Good luck, have fun!!!
Awesome video Thanks 👍
Hey Donny! I'm currently using deeper trays beneath the shallower trays w/ holes. There's a lot of water leftover (24 hours later) from the first bottom-watering. Should I be replacing the leftover water every day? How high should I be filling the water in the first place?
thanks man!
The water that you gave the greens should be close to the exact amount that they actually need. With this being said there really shouldn’t be any excess water sitting in those trays. If you use too much water then it can build up and suffocate the roots. I don’t think this has anything to do with the deeper and shallower trays, I recommend just watering less in general so this excess doesn’t happen 🌱 does this make sense?
@@DonnyGreens I guess the deeper tray is the problem. If the bottom tray is too deep you will have to fill in more water for the roots to reach the water surface.
Can you use the mason jar method?
Hi thanks for your info and videos! Can you link where to find seed start soil in bulk?
local greenhouse distribution company or local nursery
Hi Donny, do you blackout any of your microgreens? If not, do you put them directly under light after germination or something else? Thanks. Great info. thanks for sharing
Thanks!! I never do blackout on anything. I just do the weight and then straight under lights!
nice Thanks for sharing the video
No problem, thanks for watching and commenting! 🌱💚
I am trying my first tray of sunflower (alongside 7 other trays of 6 other varieties) and I am convinced that 4 hours is not a long enough soak for True Leaf Black Oil. Everything is doing great except the sunflowers, which have about a 2% germination rate 3 days in, and they are barely pushed out of the seed hulls. The peas I started the same night were soaked for 9 hours, have 99% germination and the radicals are an inch long. My room is averaging low 70's, humidity is a bit high in the low 70's as well with a recent wave of late October 80F weather and lots of rain. This obviously doesnt work with True Leaf seeds, so I am throwing them out and starting over tomorrow with an 8 hour soak (since literally everyone else says 8-12 hours). Will edit later with results.
Got my first tray of true leaf black oil seeds going too, no pre-soak, and it looks like 90% germination 4 days. Couldn't tell you the humidity but low 70s temperature. Also doing it in a single tray with no holes FWIW. I feel like the 4 hours would have been perfect.
What's the update? I'm also using TL sunflower seeds. They seem to be very problematic and the germination rate is all over the place. The 5lb bag I got states 68% germ rate, but it's honestly less than 50%. Any info you have is greatly appreciated. Ty.
I do this for my zebra finches and they love the sprouts.
haha love that! maybe a new market !
Do you adjust ph?, or just tap water
I really enjoyed your thorough explanation, Don, great job, thank you!!!!
Thanks so much Lana!
I love this video. I was so stressed out about mold showing up in germination, but I see it will be OK!
Thanks so much for your feedback. Im so glad this video was able to help you 🌱💚 No worries!
Do all same as you…. but finding quite a few germinated dying with little stems laying on surface and not rooting… help don!! I have some pics of these… how do I send to you here?
I’ve been killing my stems and am so frustrated. Just found you today. If I didn’t survive on my sunflower trade I’d pack them in. I’m soaking right NOW. Timer set and back to the video. I need this😬.
Hi Donnie. I am considering ordering your microgreen marketing course. I am having a problem finding a system to manage customers and orders. Does your course have something where I can manage customers and orders! Thanks so much!