Growing Wheatgrass
Spend as little as $1 per week to have your very own wheatgrass juice at home. All you need is a wheatgrass juicer and growing supplies. Get all your supplies from us to begin growing right away. We have seeds, planting trays, small or large hydro-sol growing racks, and the "how to" DVD. Small trays (10" x 10") will yield up to 10 ounces of juice and large trays (17" x 17") up to 20 ounces of juice per tray. The DVD covers all different kinds of sprouts: mung beans, whole lentils, fenugreek, alfalfa, broccoli, clover, garbanzo beans, adzuki, quinoa, millet, etc., as well as wheatgrass, sunflower, and buckwheat. Pea Greens can be grown the same way as wheatgrass!
Growing Consultations
Please visit Michael in the Greenhouse for more details on growing your own wheatgrass. At this time, phone consultations are not available, only email questions will be answered at michael@hippocratesinst.org Please also visit our FAQ page for some common questions and answers. Don't forget that ALL your questions will be answered on the "How to Grow Wheatgrass", 2 hour DVD by Michael Bergonzi available NOW in the store.
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Growing Basics
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Soak your hard winter wheat seed (also called wheatberries) overnight (8 to 12 hours).
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Sprout the seed in a jar for the next 16 to 24 hours, rinsing the seed well three times a day.
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Plant the seed after a very short "tail" is visible, on top of the soil. Basic potting mix or top soil will work fine, peat moss is an important ingredient to look for in your soil. If you have to add peat moss the mix is one part peat moss to three parts soil, filled half way up a two-inch deep tray.
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Water the tray and then cover the seed to keep from them drying out for the first three days.
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During the first three days of growth, water once a day in the morning and really soak the soil (until the tray drips is a good sign you are watering enough). Then lightly mist your seed in the evening. (Lift cover off to mist seed.)
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On the fourth day, uncover grass (roots should begin to take over your soil), water heavily once a day and keep the grass in the shade (never direct sunlight).
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For mold problems, increase your air circulation with a fan or air conditioning to keep the temperature between 60 and 80 degrees Farenheit ( 21° to 26° Celsius).
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Harvest grass when a second blade of grass appears on the grass blades, or when the grass "splits" toward the bottom of the blade. Average growing time is 7 to 12 days depending on the weather, but still always watch for the second blade of grass as you can never judge by how many days it has been growing or how tall the grass is.
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Only harvest one time. Cut grass will store in the fridge about 7 to 10 days, longer in the Evert Fresh bags also called GREEN BAGS availalbe in the HHI store, then start the process all over again with new seeds and soil.
These are just some hints on growing, refer to the DVD for detailed instructions and also visit Michael in the greenhouse. Don't forget to BREATHE and KEEP GREEN!!! Also visit: www.craxysexycancer.com blog section from Nov. 2007 for some great info written by greenhouse manager, Michael Bergonzi (blog below). Way to go Kris! We love you here at HHI!
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Michael's BLOG
First of all, allow myself…to ...introduce....myself. My name is Michael Bergonzi, Greenhouse Manager / Expo Manager / Program Consultant in West Palm Beach, FL for the past seven years. My career in the field of alternative health & wheatgrass began in San Diego, CA back in 1990. Growing grass for a living and not ending up in jail seemed like a pretty cool job! Ok, I'll take it! Of course, the cost per one ounce is $1.00 rather than $350.00! =)
Most people now a days have at least heard of wheatgrass juice if not actually tasted it themselves from a juice bar or health food store. (There are always some people that enjoy drinking it, but no one ever hangs around those people!) The taste of wheatgrass is not always a pleasant one and we are told that it must be our bodies that are detoxing. However, that is not always the case. For example, as a wheatgrass grower, I would bring a tray of grass to the health food store, ready to juice. If they juiced it that day, it would not taste at all bitter or cause that nausea feeling. But, they choose instead to put it in the store window for a display for people to see it, and now it stays in the window for two more days in which the sun shines on it, which it should never. They haven’t watered it, which they should everyday, and now, that same sweet tasting wheatgrass has aged almost 80 years in two days. It’s kind of like people, the older it gets, the more bitter it becomes! =) Wheatgrass should be harvested when a second blade becomes visible, and then the entire tray needs to be cut at the same time. It may then be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week without losing it’s value and taste.
Let’s talk about the ‘greens’ on the planet Earth. First of all, everyone can agree that we, as humans, are mammals. Most of the mammals on this planet are living on leafy greens. In fact, we are one of the few mammals that still eat meat and the only mammal that cook our food. To say that protein only comes from eating meat is an uneducated statement. Sprouts, sprouted beans and GREENS are the best source of proteins for our bodies. Think about it on a bigger scale. How is it possible that most every mammal (and you all agreed that WE humans are mammals) can live on eating just leafy greens? Elk, moose, deer, giraffes, gorillas, elephants, horses, etc… and don’t forget the one that WE get most of our food here in the USA from, the COW!!! Ahhhhhhh… and here is the problem now a days. You see, in the past, when you lived on red meat and dairy products, in-directly you lived on GRASS. The cow was eating the grass; we were eating the cow. It just makes sense. We were getting the EARTH in our diets. But, today, that is NOT the case. Most cows are now trough fed, mostly grains, which are making their systems too acid base, and are having to be shot full of antibiotics, steroids and of course hormones. They go over to the trough, eat as much as they can, and now want to take a nap because they are ‘full.’ (Ringing true to us as humans these days who drive through the fast food joint, meaning WE are being trough fed too! Staying full, getting tired and staying sick.) A cow taking a nap because it’s too full? Are you kidding me? So, the problem now is our red meat and dairy aren’t what they used to be. We are not getting the GRASS (green / earth) in our diet any longer. Look, I have been in this field now for 17 years, too long to judge anyone for what they choose to eat. I just want to educate people on “what’s simple is TRUE.” Get the Earth back in your diet, more oxygen back into your cells and exercise once a day. (yoga, walking, stretching, etc…)
OK. Is any of this making sense yet? Let’s go to the first thing your body needs to live. Before food, before water, you need OXYGEN!!! Everyone reading this, please pause for a moment and take a DEEP BREATH… Count to three on the inhale and three on the exhale. Wasn’t that good? Let’s face it, the only people that really focus on breath these days, unless you’re into yoga, thai-chi or meditation, are smokers! =( Personally, I smoked for 10 years, and I know why I felt the ‘need’ for a cigarette, because it would relax me. Exactly, what are you doing when you smoke? (You now have to leave your job and go outside the building. Amen to that law, so you get a bit of stress relief too.) You’re BREATHING DEEP, for the first time all day. I am NOT encouraging smoking, however, I am encouraging breathing. Try it without the “stick.” Walk away from people, your job, etc… and go somewhere, by yourself, and spend 5 minutes breathing deep. It’s amazing how much calmer you will be after doing this.
Now, let’s take a moment and go back to how ‘wheat’ grass came to light. A woman by the name of Ann Wigmore founded Hippocrates in Boston approx. 50 years ago. She actually healed her own health issues by chewing on ‘lawn’ grass. That’s right; I said lawn grass, not wheatgrass. She began chewing on it and got sick for many weeks, but stayed with it till she eventually started feeling better and better. She learned that the grass / greens were the most complete foods on the planet, as well as having other healing properties. The wheat seed was chosen because of its sweeter, more palatable taste. (Her cat picked it out.) She also learned that the green / chlorophyll will increase the hemoglobin in the blood which then distributes oxygen to every cell in our body. Take another deep breath! Remember that oxygen is a good thing? Ann started this because of watching the animals do it, as well as a statement that was made to her as a child, “Instinct guided creatures, left to them selves, do not make mistakes.” (I LOVE that one.) Most of us chewed on grass as children, if it was around. Why then and not now? We lost sight of our instinct. Here’s a FYI on oxygen content on the planet these days: 100 years ago, there was over 30% and now it is at an average of 15%. The most out there, if you live in a lush, green area, is 21%. However, in downtown major cities it is down to 9% or less. Does anyone remember ‘smog alerts’? I do, but not since 1990, when they stopped telling people. Fact: Oxygen in the cells means less chance for cancer to survive. GREENS = Chlorophyll = increased hemoglobin = more OXYGEN in your cells. GET IT NOW? Don’t forget, fresh wheatgrass juice is the best way to FEEL a difference. Drinking 2 ounces / day on an empty stomach is optimum.
In closing, remember these two simple words: “Stay Present.” More too come on GREENS and sprouted beans next month… Till then, yours in the greenhouse at Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, FL, breathing in approx. 30% oxygen everyday, Michael Bergonzi
For questions on growing your own wheatgrass or sprouts (Watch the DVD and read the FAQ page first, please!), visit my personal website (which I am still working on improving) and send me an email anytime. Please NO phone calls!
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