Post #3059889

2026-05-12 19:24 UTC

Any tips? Every time I tried growing microgreens without any medium I failed. Mostly, because they dry out too quickly, even when spraying. I now use a bit coco coir and it works wonders, but feels wasteful. Paper towels or cloth works too, but dries out a bit too fast for my liking, and the cellulose rots too quickly. Oh, and how do you keep the seeds from smelling? Especially stuff like radish got bacterial very fast when I tried it

Replies (2)

@SolarMonkey@slrpnk.net 2026-05-13 01:27

I rinse my seeds well by spraying water on them in the mesh tray, and then use RO/distilled water (because I have an RO unit, I’m sure tap water would be fine, but I've got lead pipes) to fill the bottom water tray until it just starts coming through the mesh layer, such that if I push down in the middle, the seeds float around, then cover on top and thats it, I don't touch them again until harvest. Never had a failed run, did get some mold before I started rinsing, but hasn’t been a problem since. Haven't had a problem with smells afaik. I’ve been doing hydro for years, and as long as seeds aren't drowning, they are fine resting in water. If they are in so much water they are floating around without pushing down the middle of the tray, you have too much, thats about it, though.

Open ##3059893
@jaykrown@lemmy.world 2026-05-12 20:12

Soaking before with a small amount of hydrogen peroxide, then colander and rinse after soak period. Careful water level management. Covered with a dome. Spray with mister twice a day, diluted hydrogen peroxide mix about 1%. If the seeds are smelling that's the beginning of anaerobic conditions. I've got the process mostly here https://masland.tech/microgreens/

Open ##3059894