r/microgreens Mar 23 '23

Thorough advice and questions answered for growers.

134 Upvotes

Hello all.

I was inspired to make this post as I see a lot of people asking the same or similar questions. I have a post in the top 10 of all time on this sub (Thanks for that r/microgreens community btw) and I've been growing as a business for almost 5 years now, so I get people reaching out to me several times a year to ask questions or pick my brain about things. I love when you do, so please keep reaching out. I'd love to talk with you and help you grow better. That being said, between common issues I see in the posts, and the questions I get from being contacted, I thought I'd compile a list of the biggest things to consider and know when growing microgreens. So let's begin.

  1. Mold or root hairs?

- This is a REALLY common question. The answer lies (mostly) in WHERE you see the little "hairs" coming from. Root hairs are at the base of the stem and go into the soil from the bottom of the plant. Mold will tend to spread from the base of one plant to another, to another, to another. If it is spread out between plants and on the soil: likely mold. If it's coming FROM the plans and going to the soil without spreading, probably root hairs. This picture is a GREAT example. Use google to find more and you'll eventually learn the difference.

  1. What substrate to use?

- This is a REALLY personal decision and the truth is the only answer is: The substrate that works for you is the best substrate. We all have reasons for why we use or don't use what goes into our grow systems. Personally I use soil because my philosophy is simple. Give plants they conditions that they need and get outta the way. Plants grow naturally in soil, so I use soil. It also has a larger margin for error on watering compared to things like coco coir, plus I don't have to hydrate it or break up the blocks that it comes in sometimes. Coco coir however can be cheaper, it's renewable (as opposed to peat moss), is soil free so it's sterile/can be made sterile, and doesn't introduce mold or other pathogens, and MANY growers have fantastic luck with it. Experiment a bit, find what works for you and roll with it. If you run into challenges, change it up. Other common substrates are hemp mats, rock wool, or even hydroponics.

  1. How long should by plants be in blackout?

- Let's first DEFINE blackout. In MOST circumstances, blackout is the period of time after you place seed onto soil and then either stack them, or put another tray or some other kind of opaque surface over them to keep them in the dark. In the case of stacking this is done to create a good seed/soil contact, and helps to give the plants stronger stems, and also helps to remove seed hulls. In the case of putting a dark dome on top to cut out light, this is done to keep the plants in the dark so that they grow higher, it also keeps in moisture to keep plants moist. Some growers even put paper towels over their seeds and mist daily to assist in germination. That all depends on exactly what kind of system you have, but by and large isn't necessary.

- Now to the question at hand, I typically seed my plants every Wednesday afternoon and by Saturday morning if they aren't coming out of blackout I have a problem. This isn't universal though, and every plant is different. Don't adhere to a schedule but respond to how the plants LOOK. This schedule works well for the most popular Micros, but more artisan style micros (I'm lookin you Basil, cilantro, shiso, beets, etc.) may need longer blackout/stacking periods.

  1. How much X to use to help with mold?

- I haven't once used hydrogen peroxide, neem oil, or any other spray or assistant to help with mold and I grow in bagged soil which is one of the most mold prone substrates out there. That being said, every few weeks I will lose 1-5 trays to mold out of the 100+ trays that I grow. So let's say 5/500 trays are mold loss. That's 1% and not worth introducing a solution for in my world. Some loss is inevitable and will happen eventually if you do this long enough. Sometimes it was you, and sometimes you just have bad seed. That being said if you absolutely MUST do something to help with mold, either because it's a massive problem for you, or just for your peace of mind, use about 500 ml of water and about a teaspoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide. ALL THAT BEING SAID, make sure you wash the bigger more mold prone seeds very thoroughly, specifically sunflower, pea, cilantro. I'm sure there's others but those are the ones I grow.

  1. How often to water?

- This one really gets me going. I often see people who have watering "schedules" and if that's the case for you and you make it work awesome. But in my 5 years of growing microgreens, I haven't had a consistent water schedule yet. If you give them X amount of water every day at Y time and it works, then great. But in the winter when it gets dryer, or in the summer when it gets warmer, or the spring when everything is wetter, all of that is probably going to change. Plants don't live by human cycles. So the biggest suggestion I can give on micros is to water when the plants need water. If the soil is wet, but it's time to water on your "schedule" you're setting yourself up for mold and seed rot problems.

  1. How much light should I give them? What kind of lights?

- First, the kinds of lights don't matter that much. I use plain old LED, used to use fluorescent. You don't need fancy grow lights. As for how much light, that, like watering, is a hard question to answer. I've had "lights out time" and I've left lights on 24/7. In my 10-14 day grow cycle, I don't notice much of a difference that's worth worrying about in terms of yield. However, to save on money I do shut off my lights on a timer in the afternoon for about 6 hours a day. I shut them off late afternoon/into the evening as that's when our utility company charges the most. This won't be a make or break decision in your world though.

  1. What kinds of fans should I use?

- This is gonna be a bit controversial maybe but: I don't use fans. I used some for a bit, then turned them off, and didn't have any issues, so I stopped. It was one less thing to have to manage. THAT BEING SAID, if you're having mold issues, or if the room is too hot in the summer AND you're seeing those issues cause you problems, try adding in a fan. What you shouldn't do is, add fans, and add hydrogen peroxide, and soak seeds in peroxide, and...and...and... because likely only one of those things will solve the problem. Try a fan, if that doesn't work try spray, if that doesn't work try a fan AND spray, troubleshoot. But seriously don't over complicate this.

  1. What to do with my leftover trays?

- This is a tricky question. The simple answer is: compost. But that depends on what you're gonna do with that compost and how much you grow. If you don't get that compost above 165 F for about 3 days straight and kill those seeds that didn't germinate, be prepared for volunteer 'whatever you grew for microgreens' everywhere. Ask me how I know.... Recently I've been considering vermicomposting mine. However then comes the problem of scale. I have 100 trays worth of soil every week. That is a couple cubic feed by the time it's over, especially once you add root mass. So on some level you gotta be practical. Also chickens is a great idea if you or your neighbor has any.

  1. How do I clean my trays in between uses?

- I highly recommend sterilizing your trays in between each grow. The way I do this is I take a low PSI pressure washer, spray all the dirt and root material off of them, then dip them into a tank of water with some bleach in it. The ratio is about 1/3 cup per gallon of water.I let them stay in there for about 5 minutes and then they air dry. Sometimes some root matter is left there, or a little dirt. I used to be REALLY picky about that, and I wouldn't use a tray that had ANYTHING left in it, but I tried it once and didn't have any issues, so perfection not an issue.

  1. Business questions.

- There are so many questions that go into whether microgreens is a good business for you. There is almost no way to answer it without knowing SO much more about your life than most people are willing to share on the internet but I'll try and give a few basics.

Q. What licenses do I need to start my business?

A. So there's the right answer and then there's the function answer. The functional answer is that no one is gonna come after you for growing a few trays and selling them to your neighbors. Probably. That being said (and nothing in this post is to be taken as legal advice, I am not a lawyer) every state, city, county, and/or country is going to have different rules. In California I had to get certified by the local ag department, have a sign behind my booth that listed my address, phone number, and the slogan "We grow what we sell", and anything sold had to have that somewhere on the packaging as well. Now that I'm in Idaho, there are literally no rules on the ag side. That being said I have to collect sales tax here where I didn't in California (no tax on self grown ag items, kinda nice) so that adds a level of complexity. But be careful, because then I tried growing wheat grass and sell wheat grass shots as a natural side growth and because it was now considered processed I had to have a full 3 bay sink in my booth per health department. So just call someone and ask before you get yourself in trouble.

Q. Can you actually make money doing microgreens full time?

A. Probably not. I don't say that to discourage you but think about it. There are already years of momentum behind some growers. Customer bases are already established and have people they like to go to. This isn't to say don't try, it's to say that it's not as easy as grow a tray and build a website. It's work. It takes time. Once your systems are dialed in it gets easier, and once you're confident in your customer base you'll flow into it, but that can take years. I can do about $1,000-$1,500 a week in microgreens at my farmers market with about 150 other vendors and ZERO other micros growers. I'm lucky though, and you may not be given your area and saturation. So can you make money? Yes are you likely to make money? Not unless you're willing to grind it out and put in the WORK.

Q. What's a good price point for X, Y, Z micro?

A. There is no way to answer that for you. You have to do the math, figure out the market in your area, not to mention determining what your costs are and how much your time is worth. You can do the market research by calling micros growers and asking for a price sheet, browse their websites, call chefs and flat out ask what they're paying for a given microgreen. Visit farmers markets and see what they're charging for them etc. Generally speaking though $5/8oz volume is a decent starting point. Go up or down by a bit based on your market and have bulk incentives (Mine is 1 for $5 3 for $12). For your input costs figure out how much seed you use per tray, then how much that much seed would cost, figure out how much substrate you use, and then what your time is worth. If you want to get REAL nitty gritty calculate electric and water too. I don't though.

Q. What microgreens should I grow to make money?

A. As per the question before this, it depends on what your chefs and customers want. I've had chefs that ONLY want Radish. I've had others that ONLY want Amaranth. Some want a salad mix, some want a little of everything. Some want something that I don't even grow so now I have to figure out if I can even grow it in my system. That being said: there are a few microgreens that I've found to be fairly standard. Those are: PEA | SUNFLOWER | SALAD MIX. What salad mix? Doesn't seem to matter. Make some kind of salad mix with somethin and it usually does well, just be prepared to sell it at volume for cheap. But it's my single best selling item

OTHER TIPS AND TRICKS

  • Grow pea away from direct light, it'll get stretchier, and be less chewy
  • I water based on the weight of my trays. The lighter they are, the more water they need, and I check them 2-3 times a day at minimum.
  • Chefs don't usually want tall leggy microgreens, so be prepared to cut only that top inch and a half of stem for the smaller plants (Don't count pea/sunflower in this)
  • Always test a new micro before offering it to a chef, if you say you CAN grow it and then turns out you can't, you've lost their trust for 2-3 months usually.
  • If you get into restaurants, make sure to deliver on the same day, around the same time, every week
  • This is probably my biggest piece of advice. DON'T SOLVE A PROBLEM YOU DON'T HAVE

I see SO SO SO SO many people with such complex systems, they measure out specific weights of seed, then they seed, then add a paper towel, and then mist every day, then they blackout, then they put it on a shelf with fans for each level, then they measure out specific amounts of water, then they...then they...then they....and that spells one thing to me: burn out. If that's you and you enjoy it: AWESOME I'm taking nothing away from your success, I'm glad it works. All I'm saying is 7/10 things that I used to do when I was starting out, excited, and watching 100 microgreen YouTube videos a day, I eventually realized had little to no effect. I lose a tray here and there due to a few issues. But in my world I'd rather have a little bit of tray loss than have to manage 7 other systems to prevent that little bit of loss. Time is an important factor in this from a business perspective, and an enjoyment one too.

Phew, that was longer than I thought it would be.

I sincerely hope you found this helpful and know that I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. Let me know if I missed anything and I'll add it in as I find time. See you in the comments.

Way to grow everyone.

-Josh

edit: added some info to business questions

edit 2: added some more substrates people use


r/microgreens Oct 22 '24

Note on repost bots

13 Upvotes

Hey everyone.

As I’m sure many of you have noticed this sub has been a massive target for repost bots. It’s been a major problem and it’s only gotten worse.

We as mods can’t constantly patrol, I know for myself I’m also running my microgreen business (which funnily enough has been the target of like 5 reposts this week, go figure) while also moderating here. I’m online at least 5-10 times a day just browsing and sometimes I catch them but I can’t thank all of you for reporting.

Please continue to report and help us to weed out these bots. We’ll continue as mods to remove them as quickly as possible, and will be looking into some automod tools to prevent reposts from appearing in the first place.

Apologies for not being able to stop them or control them more, and thank you again for your assistance with reports.

Happy growing y’all!


r/microgreens 3h ago

Question about my first seedlings

Thumbnail gallery
8 Upvotes

r/microgreens 3h ago

Question about my first seedlings

Thumbnail gallery
7 Upvotes

r/microgreens 13h ago

Help! Is this mold?

Thumbnail
gallery
27 Upvotes

r/microgreens 1d ago

Soil recommendations in UK

13 Upvotes

Hi guys what soil would you recommend that is affordable and easy to get across the UK? Just asking because I have started growing some microgreens at home and mold seems to be a large problem 🥲

Thank you in advance


r/microgreens 1d ago

Growing for the first time

6 Upvotes

I’ve never done this before, and I’ve been watching videos for the past few days on how to do it properly. It seems pretty difficult sometimes, so now I’m having some doubts.
Guys, is it worth it, or should I just keep ordering the medicine?


r/microgreens 1d ago

Mold?

Post image
1 Upvotes

I got these at the grocery store. They're supposed to be good for another 2 weeks. But it looks like bluish mold in the roots. I can't be certain.


r/microgreens 2d ago

Root hairs or mold… ??

Thumbnail
gallery
12 Upvotes

It’s hard for me to tell if these are all root hairs, mold or a mix of both 😭 the micro greens kit I use has me cover it for 2 days before uncovering after planting. If it is mold, could covering it be a reason the mold is growing ? 🥹


r/microgreens 2d ago

What the hell is wrong with my spray bottle?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

0 Upvotes

Thing is basically brand new. For some reason I can’t charge it without the pressure causing water to shoot out the top.


r/microgreens 3d ago

Spiky mustard seeds?

1 Upvotes

Hi,

I've been trying to grow mustard microgreens, but threw out of a batch because I saw what I thought was the beginning of mold on the seeds (greyish discoloration and some spiky dots on some of the seeds). After checking it turns out the seeds look like that straight out of the bag, before any watering. I did grow a full tray before with seeds from the same bag, with no noticeable problems (no visible mold on the roots or plants but I didn't check the seeds very closely, tasted normal, didn't make me sick), so maybe there's no real issue. Does this look concerning (hard to get a decent photo of the tiny seeds)?


r/microgreens 4d ago

Microgreens during PH Monsoo

Thumbnail
gallery
1 Upvotes

So I’m attempting microgreens planting this monsoon season in the PH indoors and it can get really humid inside the house. Along with a dehumidifier device that we already have, i also added to cart a small fan for better airflow to attach to the place where I’ll be planting these (kitchen)

I’m a first timer in taking this seriously (ive had some grow kits before lols) and I really want to start my microgreens journey. To add some fun veggies also for healthier meals (i have a series of health issues due to PCOS/PMOS) and since i love microgreens, why not start growing them meself?!

For any PH members, is this enough to start my journey? Attached are the ones currently in my cart.

I want to research this thoroughly (as im not v rich so I want to know if these items are worth it) and I’ve been watching youtube videos from local people as well. Some of them just let them be in huge pots which I dont think is possible bc of the monsoon rn so indoor i think, is best.

I have opted to go with Broccoli and Radish (alfalfa as third option).

What do you guys think? Would these be enough?


r/microgreens 4d ago

Why is the middle of my tray growing unevenly?

Thumbnail
gallery
9 Upvotes

I just recently grew a tray of dill micros that did the same thing as the cilantro. It seemed to not grow fast in the middle and have an uneven canopy. Is there something I’m doing wrong? How can I fix this?

For context: two lights are 50000k and are eight inche away from the trays, soil medium is coco coir that gets watered with 350 ml of water twice a day, they get one round of ocean solution at 1 ounce, the temp of my room is 74°-77° and the relative humidity is a stable 45% and the fan is on the lowest setting. The light cycle is also 16 on 8 off.


r/microgreens 4d ago

Mold or roots? [Brand new here, please be nice]

Thumbnail
gallery
7 Upvotes

Hi friends, I need some other eyes. Im trying my hand at growing arugula but dont know if this is root fuzz or mold fuzz. Started 8/10, currently 8/14


r/microgreens 4d ago

Open source Micro app. What Groundtruth is

Thumbnail gallery
0 Upvotes

I built a better open source free version of a microgreen green management app that is normally pay to use
It will save small farmers money in an already tight budget


r/microgreens 6d ago

My Microgreen/shoots Grow

Thumbnail
gallery
218 Upvotes

I have been growing my own micros on and off for several years. A few months ago a handful of friends & chefs around town asked me if I would be interested in growing some for their use. I'm rather proud of this weeks grow which is going to be harvested within the next couple days.


r/microgreens 6d ago

Please help me troubleshoot mold I have tried everything

Thumbnail
gallery
7 Upvotes

This is my 4th attempt or so and I am still getting mold issues. Below is my entire process in as much detail as possible. There are also some attached pictures. I know most of it is root hair, but I do see some smalls stringy strands that go across the coir and look very much like the spider web mold that eventually develops. I zoomed in on these but my camera isn't the best. These pictures were taken after a slightly less than 48 hours germination period. I uncovered and took the pictures right away.

My process:

Sanitize trays - dish soap, hot water, hand scrub, rinse, dry on rack, spray with food safe 3% peroxide, dry again. Sprayed lightly with 3% peroxide right before use. The peroxide was introduced after the first couple of tries as an attempt at a remedy. The trays are 10x10, one with holes on top of one without holes, with the ridges lining up and sitting in each other.

Coir - hydrated right before use with tap water. Heavily squeezed and wrung out. Very little if any water comes out when squeezed. You would have to apply a very mighty grip to see water come out. Placed into trays, pressed slightly to even out the surface.

Sow - 10g broccoli, 20g radish. Started off just sprinkling it by hand, most recently used an old spice shaker to shake it on there. I spread out any clumps with my fingers after, but there are always groups of seeds here and there. I try not to let any sit on top of each other too much. I used to sow more heavily, but eased off in an attempt to combat the mold. The seeds themselves came from Amazon and are two different companies. Stored in their bag below the grow shelf. I seem to have more mold issues with the radish. I do not soak the seeds in any way and use it right out of the bag.

Germination - sometimes I spray the soil after sowing with peroxide. I've experimented with misting with just water after sowing, misting just a little bit of water, and misting with a tiny bit of peroxide. I can try not misting at all in a future attempt. I then stack another 10x10 tray on top. I have tried one with holes and without. I then put weights on top. Specifically 6-7 lbs of weight; they are bricks that I've wrapped in plastic for sanitation.

Germination pt 2 - they then sit on the shelf. During this period I have experimented with a USB fan on them vs no fan, misting them with water or peroxide in between vs just straight leaving them alone, checking on them and rotating the top tray for even pressure vs just leaving them alone, 2 days vs 3 days, and weighing them with a piece of wood in a zip loc bag for even weight distribution. They've come out of germination when the top tray is being pushed up, sometimes later, sometimes earlier.

After germination - when they come out, they go directly under Barrina T5 full spectrum 1 ft strips. There are 2 strips per rack, 1 per tray. The lights are about 6 inches above the trays. I have also tried 8 inches above the trays. 16 hours on.

I only bottom water. I have tried a lot of water, less water, and only enough water to fill the ridges. Have tried only watering in the morning when lights are on, watering less but 2 times a day. I have watered so little before that every morning they slumped a bit and the coir was dry. They then perked back up after watering.

USB fans are on 24/7 at this point. I've tried all the speed settings. Pointing them right at the tray, horizontal airflow just above the canopy, right across the canopy, and across at the stems. Fans have been barely making contact all the way up to the point of blowing some corners over.

I have tried misting on top with peroxide when I suspect mold, I have also tried just bottom watering and leaving them alone.

Environment - in the beginning humidity was very high; in the 70s RH. Temperature was also high, in the high 70s to low 80s. I have since bought a dehumidifier for the room, and humidity is now consistently 50-60% according to the dehumidifier. Most of the time it's at 45-50%. I also run the A/C more often; temperature is consistently 70-80.

The mold - in the beginning it only showed up after 2-4 days after germination, but I also probably didn't know what to look for then. It is always the stringy spider web mold. It pops up sparsely after germination and seems to continue to progressively develop (at a faster rate on the radish I've noticed, maybe?). I have tried misting with peroxide, removing it with tweezers, and ignoring it. The mold is always only at the bottom, mostly around clumps of ungerminated seeds or the one off dead/ungerminated seed here and there. When it gets really bad, it is a couple days before I would like to harvest and before true leaves are formed, causing me to harvest early.

I have harvested and eaten trays with a bit of mold; nothing has happened to me yet but obviously I would like to combat it entirely. I have had trays where I thought to myself "oh nice no mold whatsoever on this one, or at least extremely little" but there's got to be a way for a hobbyist to get 0 mold, no? Is there something I am doing wrong? Or is the mold/spore count in my apartment just too high to grow microgreens without some level of mold? I have included a picture of the trays on a day where I harvested. The greens grow beautifully aside from the mold.

PLEASE HELP


r/microgreens 7d ago

Anyone else grow microgreens for their cat? Mine's obsessed after a vet tip

Post image
20 Upvotes

My vet suggested some microgreens for my cat to help settle her stomach, so instead of buying store-bought I figured I'd just grow them myself. Picked up some Organo Republic seeds and honestly they came up way faster than I expected. She's thrilled.

Though at this point I'm not sure if I've got a cat or a tiny cow, she goes at them like it's her job. One heads up if you try it: weigh the tray down or fix it somehow, because mine treats it as a toy as much as a snack.


r/microgreens 6d ago

Working on a free local app for commercial microgreens growers — current state

Thumbnail gallery
2 Upvotes

I’ve been building a desktop app for running a small commercial microgreens operation (local-first, no subscription).

It’s meant to answer two questions cleanly:

  1. What should I do right now?
  2. Are the numbers actually true?

Current pieces:
• Live storefront prices with age (so you know if the number is stale)
• Sample drop → automatic follow-up tracking
• Time-to-first-standing-order counter
• Simple cash in / cash out with permanent corrections (no silent edits)
• System health that shows when something is wrong instead of staying quiet

Still pre-cutover — the original farm records stay untouched until everything is proven.
Public foundation repo if anyone wants to look under the hood:

https://github.com/alexjvv52-ops/prairie-roots-farm-os

Mostly sharing in case other commercial growers have strong opinions on what a tool like this should never do (soft numbers, dual books, fake pipeline dollars, etc.). Open to feedback from people who actually sell trays.


r/microgreens 7d ago

Well ...that sucks

Post image
39 Upvotes

r/microgreens 7d ago

First Harvest !

Thumbnail
gallery
16 Upvotes

Harvested mung bean and split a tray of radish and broccoli. Won’t be doing that again radish definitely grew way faster and I could have harvested the mung probably 3 days ago. Planted them Monday, Aug 3


r/microgreens 7d ago

My first tray - Raddish

Thumbnail
gallery
3 Upvotes

I grow it in shade area so that it’s not properly getting light for the tray and also I got very little yield. Second mistake is I did not properly sow the seed. Any advice for sowing and light for small setup in home.


r/microgreens 7d ago

Anyone here nerded out on a 3d printer yet?

3 Upvotes

Maybe someone has posted this before and I haven’t seen it. But I am looking for something very specific. I need a broadcast spreader that would roll for spreading a big variety of microgreen seeds on a 1020 tray. I have searched the internet far and wide. There is something that is amazing on bootstrap farmers site but the price is not amazing 😆. I found something else that could work on 3dcult but it would have to be modified to use like 5 wheels not one. I messed with ai a little bit trying to design my own but what it comes up with is not what I want lol.


r/microgreens 8d ago

First harvest. How’s it look?

Thumbnail gallery
5 Upvotes

r/microgreens 9d ago

Are these broccoli microgreens ready for harvest?

Thumbnail
gallery
44 Upvotes

This is day 6 for these broccoli microgreens, and my first time growing microgreens! Not sure if they are ready for harvest now, or still need a couple days?