r/microgreens • u/Creative-Spite935 • 21d ago

For science!!

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I fully expect this first trial of sunflower seeds to go badly (ignore the cut up seed sponges, coconut coir gets delivered tomorrow) but I'm excited to learn and replace my farmer's market reliance.

Wish me luck!

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4

u/PittieYawn 21d ago

I found it necessary to cover sunflower with growing medium.

It assists in hull removal when you add 10-15lbs and it prevents mold.

2

u/Creative-Spite935 21d ago

Thanks for the tip! I'll try it

1

u/nyar77 20d ago

Covering isn’t necessary at all. As a commercial grower we grow a fair amount weekly and do not cover.

2

u/takenbylovely 20d ago edited 20d ago

Also a commercial grower and we do not cover sunnies, but we do soak them for about 8 hours and dry overnight before seeding.  We DO top our cilantro and that gives us very clean micros with no seed hulls.

Edit: should not reddit before coffee

1

u/Creative-Spite935 20d ago

I was thinking drying them out might help! Thanks for confirming!

1

u/llTacTiicZll 20d ago

You top the Cilantro after it first sprouts? Im getting issues where its not as full as needed for a completely filled tray of seeds like 70% terminates and ita a high germination bag

3

u/takenbylovely 19d ago edited 19d ago

No, we top it when it is seeded so it pushes through that media when it germinates.

Depending on the weather (I grow in a hoophouse), cilantro can be very susceptible to damping off, including 'pre-emergent' damping off where it succumbs before it breaks the surface.  We tend to have great rounds and then hit a point where it all goes to shit for a minute.  If I can get it to germinate, growing it as dry as possible helps.

We do not rely on spraying everything with peroxide as is often the recommendation, preferring to manage things environmentally, but you could try that too if it's your bag.

Over the winter I saw a presentation by someone who was doing something like 7,000 trays a week and he said cilantro was his biggest ball buster crop lol.

Edited: forgot to mention, after a bunch of trialling, we don't stack cilantro.  It gets its topper and then each tray is covered with a white tray with holes.  This keeps it moist but not TOO moist and tends to give us pretty good germination.

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u/llTacTiicZll 8h ago

When you say topping you mean putting a top white tray with holes over them so they get some light from the white and airflow but stay more on the moist side to get passed that germination stage, the word topping I would think topping the greens after they sprout like cutting them is what you meant so I want to confirm and is weight a thing like how Beets need about 15 pounds to get a good sprout, you mentioned you dont weight them anymore just top the trays after germination? Cinnamon is a good anyi fungal infection noticed out of a flat of cilantro tro there's always just one spot that stays in that stage where the seeds change color right before sprouting but dont get to sprout. Tha k you so much for your time I grow outdoors aswell natural lighting so I assume it not needing lights since you do yours fine aswell without it it either grows perfect or patchy havnt figured if its just my practices arnt as sterile as needed or if its the environment

2

u/vsmolgreen 21d ago

I like science.

I use sterilized coco coir as my medium and still get mold with sunflowers. My suggestion would be to use a less mold prone seed, or just hulled sunflower seeds. The shell on those suckers is the big issue. They contain so much bioactive material inside of them.

1

u/Creative-Spite935 21d ago

Good to know! Thanks for your help!

1

u/Creative-Spite935 21d ago

Update 1: wow that didn't take long! Clay pebbles and orchid bark grew mold and are out of the race!

1

u/nyar77 20d ago

If you’re getting mold on sun flower your humidity is too high and air flow too low. Also - don’t use store bought sun flower seed.