A Microgreens Adventure - Day 3

Well, my microgreens adventure has already gone wrong.

If you missed the start of the adventure, check out what happened on Day 1.

But back to Day 3 - What did I forget to do? Spray the seeds down with 3% hydrogen peroxide!

Fortunately the mould really hasn't gotten out of control. I've heard before that sunflower seeds are particularly susceptible and it seems true, as whilst the radish and amaranthe show no signs, there is some mould on the sunflower seed husks. Now, it's not to be confused with the fluffy white fibres that appear on the sunflower roots; that is completely natural. But a soft sheen of white across the husks is cause for alarm.

Luckily, it's not Sunday (I mean, everything that could ever go wrong ALWAYS happens on a Sunday when the shops are closed, or you have to pay emergency out of hours vet fees, or you've run out of gas and the nearest 24hr gas station is too far away). But it's Saturday, so I dashed to Boots and picked up some hydrogen peroxide, got a spray bottle and also picked up a cheap £6 fan from Wilko. Of course, I'll need a MUCH more substantial air agitating and cooling system in the future, but at the moment I only intend to have two shelves on the go.

A few more supplies; a cheap fan and hydrogen peroxide to keep the mould at bay.

The only peroxide I could get was 6%, so I diluted it down to 3%, sprayed the seeds and re-covered. I'm really pleased to see germination already happening on both the radish and sunflowers. There's no signs yet on the amaranthe; something I'll learn from as they're in the same tray as the radish. I should've done them in separate trays as now I'll have to choose whether to leave the radish in the dark for longer, or pull them and have the amaranthe in the dark for a shorter period of time.

Sunflower seeds are quick to germinate but prone to mould.

Radish germinate whilst amaranthe show no signs. Next time - separate trays!

But, you know, this is all a learning experience!

So, that's Day 3. I LOVE how quickly seeds germinate! Now just to keep the dreaded mould at bay, give a few more days darkness to these babies and then flick on the growlights and start the next stage.

THANKS FOR READING - PLEASE CONSIDER UPVOTING, RESTEEMING AND REPLYING BELOW

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You're keeping these covered, right? While germinating?

Of course, Kevin! That's like the one thing I DO know! LOLOL

Bahaha. I figured! Had to check though ;)

Better reminded than not....just in case I hadn't done it. ;)

Hey did take a look now and i have to say theres too much seeds on that cocopads...

but you can pick the best startups and cut then the last ones...

Next time try it with half of seeds ;)

I know. Waaaaaay too many. I had no idea but now they're germinating I can see my error. Thanks for the comment! :D

but theres enough time to use more pads and double the fun ;)

I've taken your advice, soaked some more fibre and made another tray with half the seeds. ;D

Oh no!!!!! Mold!!! Arghhhh! Glad it was on a Saturday! I actually miss that everything is closed on Sundays - life is always so busy here. But it has its advantages if you are encountering mold on a Sunday :) Hope all goes well! LOoking forward to your next update.

Yeah, there are the good old days when Sunday was a proper day off as things were shut down.

Seriously. When I used to go back to Germany for visits, it always struck me how peaceful Sundays are. Of course, I can always choose not to do anything on Sundays - but the possibility is there. That means that I have to make a decision. And as we all know, thinking is hard!!!! LOL

Good luck on the mold control! It looks like you've got the arsenal to fight it now.

Thank you! Should've sprayed when I first started but I learned that now. :D

I didn't realize mold could be such a problem. It must already be on the sunflower shells to start with.

Yes, I think it is...it appeared as if by magic!

I'm learning so much from your experiment! Definitely adding hydrogen peroxide to my list for when I try to grow microgreens.

I was watching the video again and John was like 'here's the most important step'....and I was like 'DOH. I need to go shopping'. LOL

Well, I'm glad it was on a day the shops were open. Keep us updated. :)

Right?! Seems to have done the trick so far!