You are the first person to explain the most important reason behind black out! To get rid of the seed hull. obviously there are many reasons for blackout but everyone is missing the most crucial. Thank you. You have done more for me in a few videos then the months of research i have done on the internet. As a future commercial grower of hydroponics with an interest in microgreens i am learning more than i have ever. You are on to something and never stop invisioning!
Thank you so much!!! We are really grateful that you find our videos to be of value! This is why we started making these videos, because there was a lack of information being shared about techniques and how-to's so as we learn how to grow, we share what we learn openly with everyone! Again, your comment means a lot to us!! Thank you for the support!
Thanks for your videos. I’m struggling with the germination process but this video has definitely pointed me in the right direction. Please keep the videos coming. I find the both of you easy to understand and very very knowledgeable.
New subscriber. :O) The antifungal I now call "Super Antifungal". I'd slightly change it from "neem" to "cold-pressed neem" so folks aren't buying hydrophobic neem. Good to see my work spreading around and I hope it works well for you. Rock it!
Yeah! Found your recipe through another gardener! Thanks for putting that video out there! Had to change it a bit to make it organic as possible but works pretty well! We’re now experimenting with white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. Also grape seed oil seems to work great! Thanks for the sub! 🤗🌱🌱
Could you show the entire process of taking the seeds from your provider and what process you do like soaking and fir how long with the top 5 varieties you grow?
Hey, What are the signs to notice when the blackout period ends and when we are supposed to introduce it to light? Is it the color of greens or the height?
Could you show a post-harvest video on re-prepping the trays? What do you do to get the tray ready for re-use? Cut all the roots off from the bottom? Do you sterilize the tray with anything? What other steps are done to get it ready? Also, with the roots/remaining stems/grow medium... do you do anything with this? Compost? Or is there a cheap easy step you can do to allow re-use of the grow media after harvest?
Great question and we will make a video about that! We currently take the grow medium and toss it into our compost to be broken down for reuse in our garden. Then we rinse, scrub and rinse our trays again before doing a light hydrogen peroxide sanitation. It is really personal preference on your sanitation techniques as there are a lot of different ways to do it. You can use UV rays, Bleach, Grapeseed Oil, Hydrogen Peroxide and so many other methods for sanitation.
I tried to grow broccoli and green pea on paper towels for the first time... there was no white or gray mold. But the paper towels started to turn a light pink color. About on day 3. Everything was sprouted. I touched some of the seeds, and some of them had a slimy feel. I would normally not touch the seeds, but this pigment in the paper towel got me to wondering if it was some kind of mildew. We don’t have any testing equipment, but my wife (a Genius lab tech), suggested that it might be some type of bacteria because some produce a red pigment. Did you guys experience this when you tested your growth on paper towels? I’m also wondering if it could’ve just been the breaking down of the seed Hull and the pigments in the seed hill staining the paper towel.
🙂Daniel Williams Thanks for watching. We loved testing the "paper towel" theory...we don't advocate using it for growing consumed crops. We are actively working our microgreens into amazing recipes and that doesn't insure quality and taste....check on the recipe book link!!!
Could one do the "blackout" period without the flipped over top tray if they were placed into a completely dark room/chamber? I'm guessing the intention of "blackout" is to keep the roots continuing to push down into the grow medium because they think they are still underground? Does exposure to light somehow slow down or stop the vigor of root growth or stem growth or both?
Yes! Blackout also gives the stems a moment to stretch to a good length before introducing the light that causes the plants to start producing the chlorophyll that turns them green.
@@OnTheGrow yes, starting to get it now.. blackout helps the stems grow, get some length/height on them before they go onto chlorophyll mode... So I'm guessing it's also the weight of the tray, as if it were soil....
Hey Royce! Our black seed trays are standard 10x20 trays and the racks are 24x48x72 shelves! Here is a link to some of the items we use: www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=1WPKOEKRH6NL3
Great video. I've just started growing micros and this by far was the best in terms of explaining why you do certain things like weight and blackout as well as addressing mold issues. Thank-you!
😀 Peter Hallett Again...we really benefit from your support and nice compliments!!! Have you visited our newest website... www.onthegrow.net ...we are so proud of the help it provides!!! It's so much easier to be a Be-Leafer if you have a little guidance! Let us help you with recipes for your crops with our new cookbook, coming very soon!
@@Celldroidya it sure sounds like seed holes to me as well. I’ve actually heard other Microgreen growers sound like they say seed hole as well. So I started to think I was saying it wrong by saying hull instead of hole.
Thank you for creating this video. I am sure, like me, there were many questions about this topic. I learned so much which helps better the plan I currently use. I learned that I cut the staking and germination period too quickly. Perhaps I am anxious to get them growing, but now understand, its almost counterproductive. On a side note - I see you are back with Biostrate. Just ordered some. Tried VegGro and Jute and perfer Jute. Anxious to see results from Biostrate. As always, you and Mandy are providing so much info - keep up the great work!
Thank you so much for the support and I am really happy to hear that you found this beneficial! We will definitely keep making more of these types of videos to help everyone as much as possible! Jute is really great and we would prefer to use it full-time... We are trying to find more local sources of a jute or hemp medium that we can use. We are actually about to start more of the soils vs hydroponics tests again to see how hydroponics compares to organic soils! Thanks again for the support!
Thank you so much for the support!! We're really excited at how well received we have been with the community... We will see about potentially monetizing, as long as it doesn't interfere with the videos too much. Thank you again for the support!
Thank you for all of your videos! Love them. Question though... do you monitor temperature and humidity in your grow trailer? If so, what seems to be best?
I got my equipment. Started growing and this video is getting me thru a questionable stage. Thanks so much. I noticed you have the deeper trays with the sunflowers. Did that work out? I have them and thought I made a bad mistake.
What do you do with the root mat after harvesting? Do you think it could be used in a worm bin setup? It would be a good experiment to see if you could make an infinite loop. Thanks for the videos. They are full of info and straight to the point without all the rambling.
Thank you so much for the support!! We are wanting to do some tests with composting these mats in the future! For now, we are collecting them all into a compost pile and we have just left them alone... We will see how quickly they degrade, if at all... We actually question how well the biostrate will actually compost which is why we are searching for a good alternative like hemp or jute...
Hey Joe! We get great results using no soak and planting them with a thin layer of soil or a soil-like medium over it. It’s usually about 3-4days to germinate! Hope that helps!!
We currently use Ocean Solution (2-0-3) as our main hydroponic nutrient, though we have tried and will continue to try a lot more nutrients! We mix it in our filtered water at a rate of 0.5oz per gallon.
Are the trays food grade NSF safe? If not could toxins from the trays, especially after multiple uses and roots touching the plastic, absorb some toxins and take into the sprouts?
Great question! These are PP plastic which is a food grade material to use for trays. These are made specifically for growing produce on. Leeching could be a problem depending on the the plastic and how you treat the plastic. You need to worry about leeching is if it exposed to very hot temperatures or a lot of UV rays. So if you leave these outside in the middle of 120F summer in Texas, the heat and UV rays from the sun could begin to degrade the plastic. PP plastic (Polypropylene) and HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) are you best bets for the safest plastic to use. PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) is the one to be very careful with. Hope that helps!
Great video! What percentage of 1 Tbsp food grade hydrogen peroxide do you mixed with water at 2 Tbsp of peroxide per 1 liter of water? I have seen several different percentage products available for sale. Thanks in advance for the help!
💚Thank you for watching freestyleskierfasho!!! 😄 Glad you enjoyed it! Please visit onthegrow.net and read our Blog about "Damping Off"...the recipe is there.
Thank you so much for the support Sean! We have 10" spacing on our shelves currently... Here is a video where we go into detail on how to build a rack like ours: th-cam.com/video/QCJ8dNFNUYI/w-d-xo.html Hope that helps!
Thank you for the support! Here is a link to some Organic Fungicides we use! The recipes are just below the title : Organic Fungicides! www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=2BYNJU1NFW8R5
I'd like to know when to use 2 T8 lights vs. 3 T8 lights... They seem to be the most expensive part of a microgreen rack build and I've seen different videos where only two rows of lights are being used with similar outcomes.
Thank you so much and we are so happy to hear you found it of value!! We wanna see a world where everyone has access to vibrant nutritious foods! Trying to do our part, no matter how small it starts! Thank you again for the support, it really does mean a lot!
We primarily use LED lights that are 18 watts each and we use three of them per shelf. Each light puts out roughly 2,000 lumens which is a combined output of 6,000 lumens per shelf. We prefer to use only LED lights since they use less energy and create less heat than fluorescent bulbs… The color temperature we use for lighting is 6000-6500K. We keep our lights 8 inches above our grow trays. As for our lighting schedule, we have had great results with 17 hours ON and 7hours OFF everyday.
We like to use a light hydrogen peroxide spray or a more potent anti-fungal. You can see our mixing ratios on this list: www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=2BYNJU1NFW8R5
I see that when you check the china rose/radish trays that they are double stacked. Is this something you do often across the range or only with select microgreens? Loving your videos and I have lots of questions as I am about to embark on my own growing adventures here in Australia. I will be documenting everything i do along the way and watching your videos and asking a few questions here and there. Keep up the great work.
Thank you Sooo much for sharing , I just starting growing my micro greens, I’m very exciting about it . And This my sprout seeds second days !! Good luck for me and for you guys 😻
🙂We can help...Kelly Chen Have you signed up for our Master Class yet? Please get ready to take advantage of all the information we've assembled for you!!!
Thank you so much!!! That really means a lot and I am glad you said "thank you both" because often the one holding the camera doesn't get some credit :) Again, we are really grateful for the support!
I would like to use your method in my greenhouse (and use only natural light). Perhaps this isn't as perfect as your controlled lighting but do you see any reason why this would fail?
We know of quite a few growers who are primarily growing microgreens in greenhouses and they are doing amazing with it! One example is @farmingturtles on instagram. They have a few greenhouses where they are growing microgreens with great success! I know that the microgreens would love that sun and humidity in the greenhouse... I think you will see some amazing harvests using your greenhouse! We will likely do a greenhouse this year as well so we can help more on this in a few months... Hope that helps for now!
We used a medium called Biostrate that we no longer use. It was not as sustainable and compostable as the company claimed so we moved to other more sustainable options. It did work really well though!
The grow medium we use is called Coco Coir and we get ours in the brick form. You can also get it in bags as well... here is the link to the organic fungicide items and the mixing instructions are in the description of it: www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=2BYNJU1NFW8R5
Great videos by the way! Love the quality and your style of presentation - y'all were made for success on TH-cam haha. I don't know if I missed an answer to this question but, when you first setup your trays, are you putting any water in or strictly misting?
Thank you so much Matthew!! We want to give people the videos we couldn't find when we first started haha So during the germination stage we only mist. Bottom watering starts whenever they go into the light. If you haven't seen already, our newest full walk through videos show the day to day process of how we do things! 😁 Appreciate your support and feedback!
Ok. I've watched and liked most of your videos and am growing microgreens. I have 2 questions. What is the percent of hydrogen peroxide you use in the below recipe? I think I need to use it sometimes but am unsure of the amount. Also, I'm having trouble with germination with peas. Some germinate right away and they look just like yours and others are taking 7-10 days to do what yours are doing in 3. Are you soaking and always using ph balanced water? And, just a tip. I didn't like the weight of the patio block, I use bricks, they are 5 pounds. I cut a long sleeve t shirt sleeve to cover them so they wouldn't keep scratching my hands.
We have used quite a few different lights! Currently we are using full spectrum LED's that are 6500K each and put out 2,000 lumens each and we like to get a minimum of 6,000 lumens per shelf row so we use 3 per shelf row. Here is a link to some of the lights we have used: www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=300RR4HQRM5I9 We will be doing some light tests over the next two weeks as well!
We use a lot of different mediums! Currently our favorite is Coco Coir for getting the best germination. We gave also used about 7 different hydroponic grow mediums and a lot of different soils.
Hi again Dear Mandi and CJ! :) So awesome videos! Thank you! Could you consider doing two videos about pH? What would be beneficial to see if you may go with 4 trays on a lower pH and 4 trays with a higher pH range, like one tray with normal tap water pH then the other three trays with 0.5, 1 and 1.5 up and the other 4 trays, normal, 0.5, 1, 1.5 down to compare the results.
Thank you so much for the support Nora's SweetMicrogreens!! We are going to be making new content soon! 😄 For now we are focused on working on tasty recipes that will highlight the various flavors of your favorite microgreens in surprising ways...Not just a garnish...yum!!
How do I know which microgreens like to be weighted during the germination period? I noticed that Mandy did not weight Cress on the "cress walk through" video but she did weight Arugula. Both Cress and Arugula are small mucilaginous seeds.
Love the videos! Keep up the good work! I have a question. I am a total beginner, what is the easiest microgreens to grow for someone just starting out?
Thank you so much!! Radish is super easy, along with Purple Sprouting Broccoli. Since we've been doing so many full walk-through grows for various crops, I'd suggest watching a couple and mimic them and you should do amazing with more crops. Just stay away from Basil and Green Amaranth... They are tricky.
That is normal! Seeds love to stick for the first few days, but as the roots drive into the grow medium, they will stop sticking. You may have some seed coats still sticking, but that's fine, just wipe them into a compost bucket.
Are you guys only doing micros or you have regular jobs? I really hope it worth to make these kind of videos because they are really informative and most of the time only paid curses go this deep in the process.
Honestly, doing this hasn't yet paid for itself... We are really just wanting to share openly all of our practices and we know at some point it will be worth our effort! We have other revenue streams that pay the bills but we would love for this to be able to support itself so we can focus more on bringing quality content to the community. Thank you for the support!
Somehow, I get the feeling these videos will eventually earn more than the microgreens. Fortunately, if you are anything at all like me, the joy of discovery and the ability to share knowledge is even more rewarding. Cheers!
@@psychorooks The sharing has been incredibly rewarding!! It's a blast to have helped people from all over the world and we just started doing this! I cannot imagine what this will look like next year but we're both excited to keep sharing!
You can find them on amazon or bootstrap farmers website! Here is a link to our store where we list everything we use. Doesn't cost you anything extra to order from it! www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=DTGPX0RYY5R3 Let me know if you have any other questions!
The blackout phase helps the stems get a little taller before introducing to light.😊 😀 jewel niles Again...we really benefit from your support and nice compliments!!! Have you visited our newest website... www.onthegrow.net ...we are so proud of the help it provides!!!
I have been looking everywhere for the type of trays you guys mostly use I live in Nova Scotia Canada so I know I'll probably have to pay for shipping but I just gotta know where to get those trays and the bottoms
We grow peas without a medium, but sunflowers are challenging without a medium and we have always ended up with poor germination. We are trying it again soon, so hopefully we can get some better germination...
Hey guys, thank you for all your advice , im a start up hydrpponics farmer myself from India. I have a question about how long yol run your lights for the microgreens:).
We primarily use LED lights that are 18 watts each and we use three of them per shelf. Each light puts out roughly 2,000 lumens which is a combined output of 6,000 lumens per shelf. We prefer to use only LED lights since they use less energy and create less heat than fluorescent bulbs… The color temperature we use for lighting is 6000-6500K. We keep our lights 8 inches above our grow trays. As for our lighting schedule, we have had great results with 17 hours ON and 7hours OFF everyday.
These videos are very helpful. Thank you! Can you use a 1-inch tray to grow the sunflowers? Also when it comes down to growing medium for micro greens, what do you find best? I know that you guys like do hydroponics and solution-based growing... why don't you use soil? Do the results vary if you use 100% peet moss or coco core, or 80% peet moss 20% compost? I am trying to figure out what is optimal for growing. Also where do you buy the seeds that you grow?
Great questions! Yes you can use 1inch trays, we usually use those for most of our grows! If you haven't seen already we have a full walk through grow for sunflower microgreens. We love coco-coir the most. It's always given us the best results rather we add nutrients or not. Soil usually gives us mixed results, though in our old town we did have a soil there that we absolutely lovedddd, but we can't seem to find it any where now :( The main reason we love coco-coir is we have control over what the plants are getting. Those are things that we're hopping to start testing out soon and will be able to answer that question better for you 🥳 www.pjtra.com/t/TUJGRklGSkJHRUhNSEpCRkpIRk1K?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.trueleafmarket.com%2F
HI! i'm from Russia glad to see u. thanks for yr video. i have question - how many centimeters between bottom and second (for germination) containers? because it's very important.
Hello, thank you for the support! I am having a little trouble deciphering the question... If your asking about the distance between the trays while stacked, there is no distance, they are placed directly ontop of the trays below... If you are asking about our shelf spacing, we have our shelves 10 inches or 25.3cm apart. Thanks again for the support!
@@zhukovgnt I understand now! So the distance is very small... I think it is about 0.25 inches or 0.635 centimeters. The seeds are only separated from the water by the thickness of the upper tray and the growing medium. Since we are growing hydroponically, the seeds are very close to the water source. If we were growing in soil, the seeds would be much higher, probably around 1 inch or 2.54 centimeters.
Hello!! May I ask what those trays are called? I'm trying to buy some but I can't find much options under, "Microgreens Trays." I'm guessing they go under a different name haha
Sorry about that! We tested all of the links and they are all directing correctly... We even tried it with all of our ad-blockers and everything enabled and it still worked. Maybe just try closing the browser and trying again? Here's another link to see if it works: www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=2BYNJU1NFW8R5 Let me know if that helps! -CJ
It really comes down to each individual's local market... We aim to get a minimum of $20-$30 per tray depending on the variety... I think $25/tray is pretty standard across the industry. It also just depends on how you are wanting to sell it... If you're doing direct to consumer, you can make more but it is more work versus selling bulk to a wholesaler.
As long as the greens of the plant are edible, then you can eat them! I quickly googled it and it seems like people boil the young leaves to eat them, so it seems like they would be able to grow as microgreens! 🤗🌱🌱
Every crop has a different black out time, on our website we have a grow guide section that shows the black out time with do for some of the crops. Soon will have a bigger grow guide available with more crops and easier to read. 😄 www.onthegrow.net/growing-guide
If you are referring to the white growing medium, it is called "Biostrate". We moved away from the grow medium because it wasn't as compostable as it claimed to be: www.amazon.com/dp/B01523DEWU/?tag=aiponsite-20&linkCode=ic5&ascsubtag=amzn1.idea.1TLPC82K82FZQ&creativeASIN=B01523DEWU&ref=exp_onthegrowfarms_dp_vv_d
You are the first person to explain the most important reason behind black out! To get rid of the seed hull. obviously there are many reasons for blackout but everyone is missing the most crucial. Thank you. You have done more for me in a few videos then the months of research i have done on the internet. As a future commercial grower of hydroponics with an interest in microgreens i am learning more than i have ever. You are on to something and never stop invisioning!
Thank you so much!!! We are really grateful that you find our videos to be of value! This is why we started making these videos, because there was a lack of information being shared about techniques and how-to's so as we learn how to grow, we share what we learn openly with everyone! Again, your comment means a lot to us!! Thank you for the support!
Thanks for your videos. I’m struggling with the germination process but this video has definitely pointed me in the right direction. Please keep the videos coming. I find the both of you easy to understand and very very knowledgeable.
New subscriber. :O) The antifungal I now call "Super Antifungal". I'd slightly change it from "neem" to "cold-pressed neem" so folks aren't buying hydrophobic neem. Good to see my work spreading around and I hope it works well for you. Rock it!
Yeah! Found your recipe through another gardener! Thanks for putting that video out there! Had to change it a bit to make it organic as possible but works pretty well! We’re now experimenting with white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. Also grape seed oil seems to work great! Thanks for the sub! 🤗🌱🌱
Could you show the entire process of taking the seeds from your provider and what process you do like soaking and fir how long with the top 5 varieties you grow?
Hey, What are the signs to notice when the blackout period ends and when we are supposed to introduce it to light? Is it the color of greens or the height?
Thanks on the grow! You guys are amazing, your experiments are so good to watch and learn from 👏🏻🙏🏼
Hi, nice video! May know if it is necessary to soak the seeds before sowing them onto the medium.
Could you show a post-harvest video on re-prepping the trays? What do you do to get the tray ready for re-use? Cut all the roots off from the bottom? Do you sterilize the tray with anything? What other steps are done to get it ready? Also, with the roots/remaining stems/grow medium... do you do anything with this? Compost? Or is there a cheap easy step you can do to allow re-use of the grow media after harvest?
Great question and we will make a video about that! We currently take the grow medium and toss it into our compost to be broken down for reuse in our garden. Then we rinse, scrub and rinse our trays again before doing a light hydrogen peroxide sanitation. It is really personal preference on your sanitation techniques as there are a lot of different ways to do it. You can use UV rays, Bleach, Grapeseed Oil, Hydrogen Peroxide and so many other methods for sanitation.
You guys are sooo good at explaining things...I am looking forward to your book...
Thank you so much for the support Sapiensalada!! The books are online NOWWWW... visit onthegrow.net to get your copies!!
I tried to grow broccoli and green pea on paper towels for the first time... there was no white or gray mold. But the paper towels started to turn a light pink color. About on day 3. Everything was sprouted. I touched some of the seeds, and some of them had a slimy feel. I would normally not touch the seeds, but this pigment in the paper towel got me to wondering if it was some kind of mildew. We don’t have any testing equipment, but my wife (a Genius lab tech), suggested that it might be some type of bacteria because some produce a red pigment. Did you guys experience this when you tested your growth on paper towels? I’m also wondering if it could’ve just been the breaking down of the seed Hull and the pigments in the seed hill staining the paper towel.
🙂Daniel Williams Thanks for watching. We loved testing the "paper towel" theory...we don't advocate using it for growing consumed crops. We are actively working our microgreens into amazing recipes and that doesn't insure quality and taste....check on the recipe book link!!!
Could one do the "blackout" period without the flipped over top tray if they were placed into a completely dark room/chamber? I'm guessing the intention of "blackout" is to keep the roots continuing to push down into the grow medium because they think they are still underground? Does exposure to light somehow slow down or stop the vigor of root growth or stem growth or both?
Yes! Blackout also gives the stems a moment to stretch to a good length before introducing the light that causes the plants to start producing the chlorophyll that turns them green.
@@OnTheGrow yes, starting to get it now.. blackout helps the stems grow, get some length/height on them before they go onto chlorophyll mode... So I'm guessing it's also the weight of the tray, as if it were soil....
Just subscribed. Thank you for sharing this video. We just started to grow our own microgreens.
could you inform us on which seedlings require weight and which do not? or do you use weight on all of your seedlings?
What size are your black seed trays? And what’s the shelf size on your stainless chrome racks??
Hey Royce! Our black seed trays are standard 10x20 trays and the racks are 24x48x72 shelves! Here is a link to some of the items we use: www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=1WPKOEKRH6NL3
Great video. I've just started growing micros and this by far was the best in terms of explaining why you do certain things like weight and blackout as well as addressing mold issues. Thank-you!
😀 Peter Hallett Again...we really benefit from your support and nice compliments!!! Have you visited our newest website...
www.onthegrow.net ...we are so proud of the help it provides!!! It's so much easier to be a Be-Leafer if you have a little guidance! Let us help you with recipes for your crops with our new cookbook, coming very soon!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge 🙏
Thanks for the very interesting videos
Glad you like them! 🥳
What are seed holes ? Is that similar to the hull of the seed ?
Lol, Seed Hulls. Pretty sure you're being sarcastic.
@@OnTheGrow I was. Sure sounds like
" holes " though.
Thanks for all the informative vids.
You guys Rock !
@@Celldroidya it sure sounds like seed holes to me as well. I’ve actually heard other Microgreen growers sound like they say seed hole as well. So I started to think I was saying it wrong by saying hull instead of hole.
Thank you for sharing. Needed to see this walkthrough. Please keep sharing!
Thank you so much for the support! Glad to hear that it was of value to you and we will keep the videos coming!
On The Grow awesome, glad to hear! I would love to see something on production cycles.
I’ll put that on our list of videos to create!
On The Grow thank you so much!!
Where do you get your 10 X 20 trays with so many holes?
Thank you for creating this video. I am sure, like me, there were many questions about this topic. I learned so much which helps better the plan I currently use. I learned that I cut the staking and germination period too quickly. Perhaps I am anxious to get them growing, but now understand, its almost counterproductive.
On a side note - I see you are back with Biostrate. Just ordered some. Tried VegGro and Jute and perfer Jute. Anxious to see results from Biostrate. As always, you and Mandy are providing so much info - keep up the great work!
Thank you so much for the support and I am really happy to hear that you found this beneficial! We will definitely keep making more of these types of videos to help everyone as much as possible! Jute is really great and we would prefer to use it full-time... We are trying to find more local sources of a jute or hemp medium that we can use. We are actually about to start more of the soils vs hydroponics tests again to see how hydroponics compares to organic soils! Thanks again for the support!
Thanks
I learn a lot from you guys
Thank you so much for the support!
Growing your TH-cam channel to 1000 subs is a big milestone. Enjoy and monetize!
Thank you so much for the support!! We're really excited at how well received we have been with the community... We will see about potentially monetizing, as long as it doesn't interfere with the videos too much. Thank you again for the support!
5:55 What is that growing medium called ? Because paper towel or tissue is easily torn, is it cotton or flanel ?
Very cool video with lots of info, thanks.
Fantastic videos you guys!! Super duper helpful; descriptive, engaging, insightful!
Thank you so much for this comment! We're so happy that you enjoyed it this much and we hope to continue bringing you insightful and engaging content!
Thank you for all of your videos! Love them. Question though... do you monitor temperature and humidity in your grow trailer? If so, what seems to be best?
Hey! Thank you for such a great video! I just want to ask--maybe I missed something, but how come you mist the top if you bottom water it?
I got my equipment. Started growing and this video is getting me thru a questionable stage. Thanks so much.
I noticed you have the deeper trays with the sunflowers. Did that work out? I have them and thought I made a bad mistake.
Thanks for the video!
Thank you for the support!!
What do you do with the root mat after harvesting? Do you think it could be used in a worm bin setup? It would be a good experiment to see if you could make an infinite loop. Thanks for the videos. They are full of info and straight to the point without all the rambling.
Lucien Fiorello, Ive seen people put them in their compost piles. Not sure about worms though - great question.
Thank you so much for the support!! We are wanting to do some tests with composting these mats in the future! For now, we are collecting them all into a compost pile and we have just left them alone... We will see how quickly they degrade, if at all... We actually question how well the biostrate will actually compost which is why we are searching for a good alternative like hemp or jute...
do beat seeds need to be soaked ? how many days to germinate. thankyou joe
Hey Joe! We get great results using no soak and planting them with a thin layer of soil or a soil-like medium over it.
It’s usually about 3-4days to germinate!
Hope that helps!!
What type of nutrients are you adding into your water and at what ratio.
We currently use Ocean Solution (2-0-3) as our main hydroponic nutrient, though we have tried and will continue to try a lot more nutrients! We mix it in our filtered water at a rate of 0.5oz per gallon.
I am your student, and you are very good instructors. Thank you both.. In this video, what is the base for your microgreens to sow on ?
🙂Biostrate was the grow base this test...normally we use a base called Coco Coit! Thank you for watching rmstreeter!!! 😄 Glad you enjoyed it!
How do we clean our trays?
Another excellent informative video!
Thank you so much!! We're so happy that you found this to be informative!
What’s the percentage of the peroxide you use to make your fungicide?
Are the trays food grade NSF safe? If not could toxins from the trays, especially after multiple uses and roots touching the plastic, absorb some toxins and take into the sprouts?
Great question! These are PP plastic which is a food grade material to use for trays. These are made specifically for growing produce on.
Leeching could be a problem depending on the the plastic and how you treat the plastic. You need to worry about leeching is if it exposed to very hot temperatures or a lot of UV rays. So if you leave these outside in the middle of 120F summer in Texas, the heat and UV rays from the sun could begin to degrade the plastic.
PP plastic (Polypropylene) and HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) are you best bets for the safest plastic to use.
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) is the one to be very careful with.
Hope that helps!
Great video! What percentage of 1 Tbsp food grade hydrogen peroxide do you mixed with water at 2 Tbsp of peroxide per 1 liter of water? I have seen several different percentage products available for sale. Thanks in advance for the help!
💚Thank you for watching freestyleskierfasho!!! 😄 Glad you enjoyed it! Please visit onthegrow.net and read our Blog about "Damping Off"...the recipe is there.
It looks like they use 2tbs 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide per 1 liter of water.
Love your vids!
Curious what spacing you have on your racks?
Thank you so much for the support Sean! We have 10" spacing on our shelves currently... Here is a video where we go into detail on how to build a rack like ours: th-cam.com/video/QCJ8dNFNUYI/w-d-xo.html
Hope that helps!
Great videos. How much weight do you put onto the plant? You mentioned that sunflowers do not need very much weight, but what about other seeds?
I'm guessing the weight is to help thicken the stems a bit. Very informative video. Thanks!
Yes, and it also helps with germination and to act as resistance for it to push its seed hull off onto. Thank you so much for the support!
Also helps the roots push their way into the grow medium.
excellent info. thanks ,,,what kind of antifungal did you use ?
Thank you for the support! Here is a link to some Organic Fungicides we use! The recipes are just below the title : Organic Fungicides!
www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=2BYNJU1NFW8R5
On The Grow hi thanks for the videos! Can you just use 3% hydrogen peroxide for that?
what is the grow medium you are using for the sunflower greens?
That medium is called Biostrate. It was something we used a lot but moved away from because it didn’t stack up against its claim to be compostable.
thanks i guess i will just use coco coir then i had success with it previously .
Isn’t is easier to use shallow tray with holes , what is your preference ?
I'd like to know when to use 2 T8 lights vs. 3 T8 lights... They seem to be the most expensive part of a microgreen rack build and I've seen different videos where only two rows of lights are being used with similar outcomes.
Hi. Just wondering if there’s any significance to using that smaller 10 x 10 tray for sunflowers?
Nice video, this is what i need right now! Thanks a lot
Thank you so much for the support and we're glad you found this valuable!
Great Video guys!!! Thanks for sharing, learned a lot with this one!!
Thank you so much for the support! We will keep more videos like this coming then!
Have you done fennel microgreens or dill microgreens?
We are doing those right now!
What is the growing medium, is it a silicon mesh?
Great job as usual and terrific info! Thank you for everything you do for this community 😊❤️💚
Thank you so much and we are so happy to hear you found it of value!! We wanna see a world where everyone has access to vibrant nutritious foods! Trying to do our part, no matter how small it starts! Thank you again for the support, it really does mean a lot!
what kind of lights are you using?
We primarily use LED lights that are 18 watts each and we use three of them per shelf. Each light puts out roughly 2,000 lumens which is a combined output of 6,000 lumens per shelf. We prefer to use only LED lights since they use less energy and create less heat than fluorescent bulbs… The color temperature we use for lighting is 6000-6500K. We keep our lights 8 inches above our grow trays. As for our lighting schedule, we have had great results with 17 hours ON and 7hours OFF everyday.
@@OnTheGrow thank you so much
What anti-fungal solution do you use?
We like to use a light hydrogen peroxide spray or a more potent anti-fungal. You can see our mixing ratios on this list: www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=2BYNJU1NFW8R5
I see that when you check the china rose/radish trays that they are double stacked. Is this something you do often across the range or only with select microgreens? Loving your videos and I have lots of questions as I am about to embark on my own growing adventures here in Australia. I will be documenting everything i do along the way and watching your videos and asking a few questions here and there. Keep up the great work.
Thank you Sooo much for sharing , I just starting growing my micro greens, I’m very exciting about it . And This my sprout seeds second days !! Good luck for me and for you guys 😻
🙂We can help...Kelly Chen Have you signed up for our Master Class yet? Please get ready to take advantage of all the information we've assembled for you!!!
Another GREAT video, thank you BOTH!!!
Thank you so much!!! That really means a lot and I am glad you said "thank you both" because often the one holding the camera doesn't get some credit :) Again, we are really grateful for the support!
Where you buy groving trays
Here's a link to them!
www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=DTGPX0RYY5R3
I would like to use your method in my greenhouse (and use only natural light). Perhaps this isn't as perfect as your controlled lighting but do you see any reason why this would fail?
We know of quite a few growers who are primarily growing microgreens in greenhouses and they are doing amazing with it! One example is @farmingturtles on instagram. They have a few greenhouses where they are growing microgreens with great success! I know that the microgreens would love that sun and humidity in the greenhouse... I think you will see some amazing harvests using your greenhouse! We will likely do a greenhouse this year as well so we can help more on this in a few months... Hope that helps for now!
What grow medium did you use here?
We used a medium called Biostrate that we no longer use. It was not as sustainable and compostable as the company claimed so we moved to other more sustainable options. It did work really well though!
i love u folks!!! what is the medium you are using now? it looks like paper towel
Make sure its an organic paper towel with no chemicals i guess.... if that exist...like hemp paper towels maybe
Its probably micro-mats or (hydroponic )grow pads. If you want to use hemp just know its not a great medium
How do you spell the coco growing medium ? And what type of organic spray to prevent molds/mildews excetra? Thank you..Sherry in Seatac
The grow medium we use is called Coco Coir and we get ours in the brick form. You can also get it in bags as well... here is the link to the organic fungicide items and the mixing instructions are in the description of it: www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=2BYNJU1NFW8R5
Great videos by the way! Love the quality and your style of presentation - y'all were made for success on TH-cam haha. I don't know if I missed an answer to this question but, when you first setup your trays, are you putting any water in or strictly misting?
Thank you so much Matthew!! We want to give people the videos we couldn't find when we first started haha So during the germination stage we only mist. Bottom watering starts whenever they go into the light. If you haven't seen already, our newest full walk through videos show the day to day process of how we do things! 😁 Appreciate your support and feedback!
Ok. I've watched and liked most of your videos and am growing microgreens. I have 2 questions. What is the percent of hydrogen peroxide you use in the below recipe? I think I need to use it sometimes but am unsure of the amount. Also, I'm having trouble with germination with peas. Some germinate right away and they look just like yours and others are taking 7-10 days to do what yours are doing in 3. Are you soaking and always using ph balanced water? And, just a tip. I didn't like the weight of the patio block, I use bricks, they are 5 pounds. I cut a long sleeve t shirt sleeve to cover them so they wouldn't keep scratching my hands.
Hey what kind of lights do you guys use?
We have used quite a few different lights! Currently we are using full spectrum LED's that are 6500K each and put out 2,000 lumens each and we like to get a minimum of 6,000 lumens per shelf row so we use 3 per shelf row. Here is a link to some of the lights we have used: www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=300RR4HQRM5I9
We will be doing some light tests over the next two weeks as well!
Wondering if blackout stage needed the lights? If it's on blackout why waste light space on shelf
which medium are you using for germination ?
We use a lot of different mediums! Currently our favorite is Coco Coir for getting the best germination. We gave also used about 7 different hydroponic grow mediums and a lot of different soils.
Great video thank you for all of the tips!!
Thank you!! Anything we can do to help others grow the best they can, we will share it!!
How much did the sand weigh on the 1010 of sunnies?
Hi again Dear Mandi and CJ! :) So awesome videos! Thank you! Could you consider doing two videos about pH? What would be beneficial to see if you may go with 4 trays on a lower pH and 4 trays with a higher pH range, like one tray with normal tap water pH then the other three trays with 0.5, 1 and 1.5 up and the other 4 trays, normal, 0.5, 1, 1.5 down to compare the results.
Thank you so much for the support Nora's SweetMicrogreens!! We are going to be making new content soon!
😄 For now we are focused on working on tasty recipes that will highlight the various flavors of your favorite microgreens in surprising ways...Not just a garnish...yum!!
How many hours do you puts your micro greens under the lights per day?
Currently we are doing 17 hours on and 7 hours off. We are going to be experimenting more with the lighting schedules soon!
How do I know which microgreens like to be weighted during the germination period? I noticed that Mandy did not weight Cress on the "cress walk through" video but she did weight Arugula. Both Cress and Arugula are small mucilaginous seeds.
Love the videos! Keep up the good work! I have a question. I am a total beginner, what is the easiest microgreens to grow for someone just starting out?
Thank you so much!! Radish is super easy, along with Purple Sprouting Broccoli. Since we've been doing so many full walk-through grows for various crops, I'd suggest watching a couple and mimic them and you should do amazing with more crops.
Just stay away from Basil and Green Amaranth... They are tricky.
I get a lot of seeds and coir stuck to the bottom of my top trays. Is that a normal problem or am I too wet or what?
That is normal! Seeds love to stick for the first few days, but as the roots drive into the grow medium, they will stop sticking. You may have some seed coats still sticking, but that's fine, just wipe them into a compost bucket.
Are you guys only doing micros or you have regular jobs? I really hope it worth to make these kind of videos because they are really informative and most of the time only paid curses go this deep in the process.
Honestly, doing this hasn't yet paid for itself... We are really just wanting to share openly all of our practices and we know at some point it will be worth our effort! We have other revenue streams that pay the bills but we would love for this to be able to support itself so we can focus more on bringing quality content to the community. Thank you for the support!
Somehow, I get the feeling these videos will eventually earn more than the microgreens. Fortunately, if you are anything at all like me, the joy of discovery and the ability to share knowledge is even more rewarding. Cheers!
@@psychorooks The sharing has been incredibly rewarding!! It's a blast to have helped people from all over the world and we just started doing this! I cannot imagine what this will look like next year but we're both excited to keep sharing!
Where did you find the 10x10 trays?
You can find them on amazon or bootstrap farmers website! Here is a link to our store where we list everything we use. Doesn't cost you anything extra to order from it!
www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=DTGPX0RYY5R3
Let me know if you have any other questions!
What is the substrate you are using?
In this video we are using a substrate called Biostrate, but we like to try a bunch of others as well!
What's the blackout for?
The blackout phase helps the stems get a little taller before introducing to light.😊 😀 jewel niles Again...we really benefit from your support and nice compliments!!! Have you visited our newest website...
www.onthegrow.net ...we are so proud of the help it provides!!!
I have been looking everywhere for the type of trays you guys mostly use I live in Nova Scotia Canada so I know I'll probably have to pay for shipping but I just gotta know where to get those trays and the bottoms
I know the paper pot.co has some really good trays but they are expensive
Is there a reason why you use a medium with big seeds like sunflower? Have you tried growing sunflower just in the trays?
We grow peas without a medium, but sunflowers are challenging without a medium and we have always ended up with poor germination. We are trying it again soon, so hopefully we can get some better germination...
@@OnTheGrow thankyou for your videos! I've never had great results growing sunnies with out a medium and an antifungual mist. God bless.
Are growing all in water only .?
💚Thank you so much for the support Rukhsana Husain!! We are going to be making new content soon! 😄 For these tests we used water only!
Hey guys, thank you for all your advice , im a start up hydrpponics farmer myself from India. I have a question about how long yol run your lights for the microgreens:).
We primarily use LED lights that are 18 watts each and we use three of them per shelf. Each light puts out roughly 2,000 lumens which is a combined output of 6,000 lumens per shelf. We prefer to use only LED lights since they use less energy and create less heat than fluorescent bulbs… The color temperature we use for lighting is 6000-6500K. We keep our lights 8 inches above our grow trays. As for our lighting schedule, we have had great results with 17 hours ON and 7hours OFF everyday.
Thank you so much for the support! You can check out our website for more FAQ's! www.OnTheGrow.net
Thank you so much :)
Would you mind telling me when you start adding the Ocean Solution?
How come you don’t get molds during gemination? Does using tap water cause molds?
Over watering, soaking seeds too long, seeding too densely, not having enough airflow, and/or using bad seed will cause mold in most cases.
@@OnTheGrow thanks, but during germination the seeds are covered with weights, at this stage does airflow matters? Thanks
Do you always use the mats to grow sunflower microgreens?
We have moved to Coco coir for our main grow medium now... Soil or Coco seem to do the best with Sunflower.
What is the medium in the trays? Paper Towel?
The medium we used in this video is called Biostrate. Here is a link to some: www.amazon.com/dp/B01523DEWU/ref=dp_cerb_3
Why you leave black out on shelf with light on
We only do that during filming.
These videos are very helpful. Thank you! Can you use a 1-inch tray to grow the sunflowers? Also when it comes down to growing medium for micro greens, what do you find best? I know that you guys like do hydroponics and solution-based growing... why don't you use soil? Do the results vary if you use 100% peet moss or coco core, or 80% peet moss 20% compost? I am trying to figure out what is optimal for growing. Also where do you buy the seeds that you grow?
Great questions!
Yes you can use 1inch trays, we usually use those for most of our grows! If you haven't seen already we have a full walk through grow for sunflower microgreens.
We love coco-coir the most. It's always given us the best results rather we add nutrients or not.
Soil usually gives us mixed results, though in our old town we did have a soil there that we absolutely lovedddd, but we can't seem to find it any where now :(
The main reason we love coco-coir is we have control over what the plants are getting.
Those are things that we're hopping to start testing out soon and will be able to answer that question better for you 🥳
www.pjtra.com/t/TUJGRklGSkJHRUhNSEpCRkpIRk1K?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.trueleafmarket.com%2F
HI! i'm from Russia glad to see u. thanks for yr video. i have question - how many centimeters between bottom and second (for germination) containers? because it's very important.
Hello, thank you for the support! I am having a little trouble deciphering the question... If your asking about the distance between the trays while stacked, there is no distance, they are placed directly ontop of the trays below... If you are asking about our shelf spacing, we have our shelves 10 inches or 25.3cm apart. Thanks again for the support!
On The Grow On The Grow my question is a what is a distance between first (upper) trays where are the seeds and second trays where is a water
@@zhukovgnt I understand now! So the distance is very small... I think it is about 0.25 inches or 0.635 centimeters. The seeds are only separated from the water by the thickness of the upper tray and the growing medium. Since we are growing hydroponically, the seeds are very close to the water source. If we were growing in soil, the seeds would be much higher, probably around 1 inch or 2.54 centimeters.
On The Grow thanks
One more, could you provide me about led light which are you used? I have 1200 mm x 600 mm trays
Hello!! May I ask what those trays are called? I'm trying to buy some but I can't find much options under, "Microgreens Trays." I'm guessing they go under a different name haha
I get so much mold if I keep in dark period for 4 days. Using peroxide and washing trays, less watering, nothing helps. This black mold is a monster!
Your Amazon links aren't working for me. They just go to a blank page.
Sorry about that! We tested all of the links and they are all directing correctly... We even tried it with all of our ad-blockers and everything enabled and it still worked. Maybe just try closing the browser and trying again? Here's another link to see if it works:
www.amazon.com/shop/onthegrowfarms?listId=2BYNJU1NFW8R5
Let me know if that helps!
-CJ
How much do you sell a tray of Microgreens for?
It really comes down to each individual's local market... We aim to get a minimum of $20-$30 per tray depending on the variety... I think $25/tray is pretty standard across the industry. It also just depends on how you are wanting to sell it... If you're doing direct to consumer, you can make more but it is more work versus selling bulk to a wholesaler.
Can you MICRO Papaya seeds?
As long as the greens of the plant are edible, then you can eat them! I quickly googled it and it seems like people boil the young leaves to eat them, so it seems like they would be able to grow as microgreens! 🤗🌱🌱
I noticed no one is posting about Microgreens in the last 8 or 9 months
We see a ton of people posting everyday all day! Instagram/Facebook and here on TH-cam... Even we post 3 times a week on it for the past 8-9 months.
@@OnTheGrow awesome..
Wasn't sure how covid was affecting the business...I appreciate your content and advice
How long is the "Blackout" period before exposing them to full light
Every crop has a different black out time, on our website we have a grow guide section that shows the black out time with do for some of the crops. Soon will have a bigger grow guide available with more crops and easier to read. 😄
www.onthegrow.net/growing-guide
That's a different kind of growing medium
If you are referring to the white growing medium, it is called "Biostrate". We moved away from the grow medium because it wasn't as compostable as it claimed to be: www.amazon.com/dp/B01523DEWU/?tag=aiponsite-20&linkCode=ic5&ascsubtag=amzn1.idea.1TLPC82K82FZQ&creativeASIN=B01523DEWU&ref=exp_onthegrowfarms_dp_vv_d
what growing medium are you using in these trays, please?