Grow Your Own Wheatgrass???

[IluvePiggies]

Wasn't for sure which prefix to put this in.

What is Wheat grass? I hear people talk about growing it all the time but what is it???

 

[akstrohm]

It's a kind of grass. You can often get seeds for it in the bulk bins of your grocery store. It's easy to grow and pigs love it.

 

[IluvePiggies]

Thank you. I heard lots of people talking about it but none of them would answer me what it was.

 

[angiekay]

Does anyone grow their own wheat grass here, if so, I've done some research and it seems pretty simple to grow.

I was wanting to know, if anyone has any suggestions on a good reliable website or company to purchase the seeds from online? There's 1000's of ebayers and website that sell them, just wondering if anyone had a suggestion.

Thanks.

 

[Paula]

I was wanting to know, if anyone has any suggestions on a good reliable website or company to purchase the seeds from online?

I've had good luck with (broken link removed).

 

[angiekay]

I've had good luck with (broken link removed).

Thank you! Just wanted to be sure I was getting from a reliable source to feed to my pigs. I will order some, as I wanna try growing it myself.

 

[akstrohm]

Many grocery stores sell them in the bulk bins. That's where I get mine.

 

[PiggieMamaKelly]

I've never grown it myself but you can get the little pots of wheat grass at the grocery store or farmer's market. The pigs eat it down then you can water it and put it in the sun for a week or so and it grows back. It will keep growing back for several rounds of that.

 

[angiekay]

Many grocery stores sell them in the bulk bins. That's where I get mine.

I'm not sure what people here mean when they say "bulk bins", I'm in the US and not familiar with that term, or have ever seen any seeds or anything like that in our grocery stores here. I will check the feed stores and see if they may have them. Probably just as easy to order online though.

I wanted to do "trays" of them, that I can just place in the cage and let them chop/eat away and then remove and let regrow kinda thing. I found Mojo's Mom's (can't remember her name here, and she's on guinea lynx too?) website and she has great instructions with pictures on how to grow it. Here's the link, just in case anyone wants to check it out.

(broken link removed)

 

[JD In Van]

They also sell it as 'pet grass' up here and you can buy those trays that way at many pet stores. A lot of people put it in their garden for their cats and dogs (as they eat it too apparently) as well as rabbits and cavies. I /think/ you need to check out the acid content on it, I seem to recall when I looked it up that it can only be fed in moderation (or at least that's what the company I was going to buy from said).

 

[akstrohm]

Many grocery stores sell things like grains, candied nuts, granola, etc. in large bins so you can buy the exact amount you want. They look like the bins coffee beans are sold in.

I would not recommend putting the trays in the cage. Wheatgrass needs a lot of water, and you will soon have a wet cage. The dirty will get dragged everywhere as well. Also, if you cut the top part of the wheatgrass off but leave the bottom few inches, it will grow back many times. The pigs, however, will eat the entire blade the first time, and it will not grow back. Finally, you don't want the pigs to choke on the seed coats, and it molds easily, so you need to keep an eye on it.

 

[angiekay]

Many grocery stores sell things like grains, candied nuts, granola, etc. in large bins so you can buy the exact amount you want. They look like the bins coffee beans are sold in.

I would not recommend putting the trays in the cage. Wheatgrass needs a lot of water, and you will soon have a wet cage. The dirty will get dragged everywhere as well. Also, if you cut the top part of the wheatgrass off but leave the bottom few inches, it will grow back many times. The pigs, however, will eat the entire blade the first time, and it will not grow back. Finally, you don't want the pigs to choke on the seed coats, and it molds easily, so you need to keep an eye on it.

Thanks Akstrohm! Yes, I've seen this "mold", as I was going to buy a small plant thing of the wheat grass last time I was in Petsmart and I looked down into the planter, and it was completely molded, ALL of them were, nasty! I'm getting my pig supplies from online now, and don't plan on supporting Petstupid anymore!!!!

And our grocery stores here don't have any of those "bulk" bins with seeds or anything like that, we do have the coffee bins, so I know what you mean, just no seeds.

 

[akstrohm]

The best ways to prevent mold are to not soak your seeds for too long and drain it well (8 hours should be good), don't plant too much seed in a pot (one layer), keep the room cool (below 80), and allow plenty of air circulation (you can use a fan if you want). If you see mold, wipe it off so it doesn't spread. It isn't pathogenic, but feed pigs only mold-free grass. Wheat grass is very easy to grow and the seed is cheap, so if you get a lot of mold, just start over.

 

[angiekay]

The best ways to prevent mold are to not soak your seeds for too long and drain it well (8 hours should be good), don't plant too much seed in a pot (one layer), keep the room cool (below 80), and allow plenty of air circulation (you can use a fan if you want). If you see mold, wipe it off so it doesn't spread. It isn't pathogenic, but feed pigs only mold-free grass. Wheat grass is very easy to grow and the seed is cheap, so if you get a lot of mold, just start over.

Thanks SO much for the tips, I'm ordering me some today! Not much of a green thumb, but seems simple enough, we will see.

Is this a forage I can give to them daily? Someone had mentioned that it was high in acid content?

 

[akstrohm]

It is really very easy to grow. Just give it lots of water.

And yes, it can be fed daily, but you should still continue to feed hay.