How to Grow Wheatgrass at Home

Wheatgrass is the young shoot of the common wheat plant (Triticum aestivum), harvested before the plant begins to develop grain. It is grown primarily for juicing — the raw grass is fibrous and not palatable to chew, but run through a masticating juicer it produces a concentrated green shot rich in chlorophyll, enzymes and a range of vitamins. Growing wheatgrass at home is straightforward and substantially cheaper than buying shots or powder.

Seeds and Pre-Soaking

Use hard winter wheat berries — the same grain used for flour, but bought as raw whole berries. Hard red winter wheat is the most common and easiest to find. Organic wheat berries from a health food store or grain mill are ideal. Rinse the berries and soak in cool water for 8 to 12 hours. After soaking, drain, rinse again and allow to sit in a jar or sprouting tray at room temperature for another 8 to 12 hours, rinsing once more. You are looking for a tiny white sprout tail 1 to 3 mm long before sowing — this confirms the seed is alive and germination will be rapid.

Sowing and Germination

Fill a 10×20-inch tray with 2 to 3 cm of moist potting mix or coco coir. Spread pre-sprouted wheat berries in a dense, single layer across the medium — seeds can touch but should not be piled. Press gently to seat them in the medium. Mist thoroughly and cover with an inverted tray. Keep in a warm spot (18 to 22°C) for 2 to 3 days. Wheatgrass germinates very quickly after pre-sprouting and will be pressing against the cover within 48 hours.

Growing to Harvest

Remove the cover when the shoots are 3 to 5 cm tall and move the tray to a bright window or under a grow light. Wheatgrass is a grass and tolerates a wide range of light conditions, but more light produces greener, more chlorophyll-rich grass. Water from the bottom every 1 to 2 days. The grass will grow rapidly — gaining several centimetres per day in good conditions. Wheatgrass is ready to harvest when it reaches 15 to 20 cm and just before it begins to split and develop a second blade (called the "jointing" stage). This takes 7 to 10 days from sowing.

Harvesting and Juicing

Cut wheatgrass with scissors just above the medium when it is 15 to 20 cm tall. A standard 10×20-inch tray produces roughly 60 to 120 ml of juice, depending on the juicer and the vigour of the grass. Wheatgrass must be juiced with a masticating (slow) juicer — centrifugal juicers cannot process fibrous grass effectively. Drink the juice immediately after extraction: chlorophyll and enzymes begin to degrade quickly. If you cannot drink it right away, refrigerate in a sealed container and use within 24 hours.

Regrowth and Successive Trays

Wheatgrass will regrow after the first cut — the second harvest is typically 30 to 40% of the first cut in volume and takes slightly longer to reach cutting height. Most growers take just two cuts before discarding the tray, as subsequent growth decreases in both yield and nutritional quality. To maintain a regular supply of fresh wheatgrass, stagger trays 3 to 4 days apart so a new tray is always approaching maturity as the previous one is being finished.