If you're scrolling through the comments to see if this works, it does! I've tried a few times growing sunflower microgreens without any success. My crop would be patchy and sparse and the sunflower microgreens were growing at different rates with some not even really germinating. I thought it was my seeds until I tried this method. After the 4 hour soak, planting, watering, then leaving for 4 days with a weight on top, I finally got a dense, even crop of microgreens! Thanks so for must for this, fabulous tutorial!
I appreciate the transparency of the content in this video. Very clear and easy to understanding, definitely a lot of information but thank you for making the operation a lot more clear to see for step to step being safe and being clean where to start and how to do it was on point. Again. Thank you.
@@DonnyGreens I will be starting growing micros here in the bay area soon, I've just been doing a lot of research and thanks to content creators like you I'm bringing it all into fruition.
Best vid I've seen on sunflower microgreens. I've been using the big 40 lb pounds of black oil seed that I get from my feed store. I use them to feed my poultry which absolutely love them. Jack Spirko suggested sprinkling moldy sprouts with diluted chamomile tea and that worked like a charm for me but perhaps it would have been just as well to do as you said about the mold disappearing after unpacking and lighting them. Perhaps being in ultra humid Texas, the chamomile might be a better solution. Really great info - appreciate it very much!!
I have messed up sprouting sunflower seeds about six times now. I just started your method and I’m excited to see if I finally succeed. I will post an update! Thanks for your thorough walk-through.
Love the video Donny this style content is some of the most helpful for new and seasoned growers alike! I would love to see your full process for Pea's!
very good content. I soaked mine for 10 hours / 4 days under weight / 2 days blackout and 2 days under the light. The results are not bad. They grown big and healty, the taste is good aswell. The only problem I had is not brushing the seeds in time and the leaves got damaged.
@@DonnyGreens I'm trying both but I need a good and consistent product to be able to sell. Last tray was 30 grams of seeds and I got 400 grams productions. It was tall, green and tasty :p
I am just waiting for my first order of bootstrap trays already purchased my first 5 varieties. So excited to start growing . Really want to join the challenge just low on the funds. I really appreciate everything you do. You are an amazing human. Thank you for all the information you provide for free.
Thank you Donny, you have answered my questions here in this video. Wow. I will need to try this method with the top watering for the 2-3 days after introducing to light.
Hey Donny. I've been looking through some PRO sunflower growers to figure out what is going on with my crops. Long story short, some time ago I used to use the 10x20 tays of a similar brand like yours, but have decided to use smaller trays as we could not finish all the sprouts on time and I hate wasting food. So I switched to the cheaper version of trays (white has holes, green is no holes) sold in Amazon etc. So I am using 100 grams of Black Oil with a pre-soaking period of 6 hours where the only additive I use is the cheap Hydrogen Peroxide (3% and not the 30% one) of 1tbsp. So I use a similar quality soil which I press around 1.5cm deepness and spread the 100grams of seeds evenly. For weight I use 4-5 pounds pave laying around. So 2-3 days of blackout, 2-3 days of top watering and 2-3 days of bottom watering under light (I use some generic LED light fixture that fits the tray but have been repurposed from an Open Aquarium project, so nothing too fancy). At the harvesting time, I cut the sprouts/microgreens close to the stem but not taking roots or soil with and after weighting I am having over 2 pounds (956g of my todays crop). So I am wondering, how come you use 145 grams of seeds where I use 100, you use 10x20 trays where mine are probably 6x8 or similar, you use a PRO growing lights where I don't but at the end I end up growing almost double? I am pretty aware of the sprouts stages and I am 100% sure there are no True leaves (or less than 1-2% for some stronger and impatient to grow crops). What am I doing so that my cultivation is double as my goal is to grow not only quantity but also quality in terms of nutrition, taste etc. So far there is no stinginess or bitter taste which is an indicator of over/not enough watering etc. Thanks for your feedback and keep up the flawless work and sharing your venture :)
Donny, I have been following "On The grow", and I did my first sunflower tray, but low germination, hulls didn't come off easily, and low yield. I am going to try your way, it makes lots of sense: stacking, no blackout, fewer days to get the product!!!! BTW , I order your book. Thank you.
Thanks so much for commenting! I'm sorry you aren't having good luck with your sunflowers :( Hopefully my methods work better for you 👍🏼Thanks also for buying the book! If you still have issues, try some seeds from my website donnygreens.com. My students have been having great results with my seeds compared to others. I have a whole video on sunflower microgreen seeds coming out today at 2pm 🌱💚
@@DonnyGreens any time. The sunflowers are growing well but the hulls are not coming off easily, I guess a have to wait a few more days. I spray the with some water to lose them up. I planted the on Thursday and they are about 2inches tall. The peas about 3 inches tall, the radish 3 inches, and the arugula 2 inches tall. I will be harvesting the radish and arugula to take some samples out on Friday. I have a meeting today with a chef, I am very excited about all this man.
Jay Valencia you are probably overwatering then. I see people watering throughout germination which i strongly advise against. If you follow my exact instructions, you should see some good results
thanks so much Donnie - this was so helpful! My biggest issue was mould, but since following your instructions that seems to have cleared up. After watching this I now need to get my yields up :)
@@DonnyGreens I'm only getting between 380g - 440g (sowing 125g dry weight and pre -soaked 4-6hrs). Typically I'm seeing uneven growth and my germination is patchy. I just tried your method, so I'll let you know my results next week!
I am having problem with mould...what do you do differently now then before? I soaked for 7-8hours I will try 4hrs soak and less water at the beginning of germination...my seeds should be ok they are organic from good seller I discussed ths with them and they have no complains from other growers...I use coco coir grow medium...or shall I just ignore tiny spots of mould as Donny is advising? I use hydrogen peroxide solution to solve this occasional small mould spots and it goes away but I would rather have no mould issues at all...does airflow make any difference in germination stage if trays are stacked and covered anyway? thanks
@@tomaskocis6614 I use organic soil, so not familiar with growing on coco coir. I do have consistent air flow, however the main difference now is that I top water out of germination as Donny suggested in his mould video, which kills the spores. It's worth a try! good luck!
I just seeded a new tray, I’m trying again. Mind you I’ve only tried a handful of times but my issues were inconsistent germination, poor germination along with some weak rooting. We’ll see how this next one comes out 💫
Thanks for this vídeo! I recently started to grow my first tray of sunflower microgreen, todas was the 3rd dar of germinación and I could tell there were not to many roots germinated... I Will wait for tomorrow and check them🤞🏻
Love your videos! (You hvave no idea how much value I've gotten from them!) My biggest pain is the hulls sticking on and I spend waaaaaayy too long de-shelling before packaging
Thank you for this information. I appreciate your content and the way you present it. I purchased a tiny micro-green growing kit - those gift ones- to learn the process and play with it culinarily (ex-pro cook). I followed the directions, and it looked like way too much water, but I thought, Let's see what happens. I put it on top of the fridge and actually forgot about it (oops), anyway a few days later when i looked, some seeds were sprouted, and there was some mold on top, but also a lot of water. I was careful to measure according to the kit's instructions. I instinctively drained off some water and cleaned them, and put the tray back on the fridge (I should not have, but I did). Anyway, what you're saying about weighting the tray makes sense, and explains why my little sprouties looked defeated. :( I also did not spread and press the coir before adding seeds. When I get back home, I will see what I can do to correct things. I'll take the loss as a learning experience, but I am a little sad about it. Thanks for your info.
Great tips! I had been doing all bottom watering after germination. Love being able to top water for a few more days! Thank you for sharing your experience!
Hey Donny thank you so much - I've just started and you are my 'GoTo' and I feel like my head is exploding with all your awesome info. Thanks so much - glad I take notes as you share so much!! Mandy - Western Australia :)
Haha thanks so much for your feedback! I'm glad my content is providing you with valuable information and i look forward to keep helping! Where do you grow?
@@DonnyGreens I have a little 2 bedroom unit that I've knocked out all the walls (like a studio apartment now) - so in the spare room I have a set of shelves and also a lot of space outside! I can keep the temperature around 20 degrees (Celcius) all the time and they seem to be doing pretty well. I would love to know more about lights though please if you could do a video on that? Thank you Donny woohoo :)
I’ve been killing my stems and am so frustrated. Just found you today. If I didn’t survive on my sunflower trade I’d pack them in. I’m soaking right NOW. Timer set and back to the video. I need this😬.
Great video. I've just started growing sunflowers again after a couple of customers requested them. I too wouldn't grows them either as they're needy microgreens! I have to say I like them as well however. I've been battling with mold and I never have like this before. Going to try your methods and see how it goes. Cheers 🤠
Thanks for the comment and sorry about your mold. Try soaking for only 4 hours, that may help. Otherwise it could be the seeds. Are you getting mold just on sunflower or other varieties too?
@@DonnyGreens just these sunflowers. They're good quality seeds as I've bought the same variety from them before. I think the 4 hours might be the trick. Will plant later today. Cheers
@@easthillfarmer7216 Did this work for you? Been battling mould for months and can't figure it out. Tried 12 hour, 8 hour, and 6 hour with similar results.
Great Channel and priceless information! Quick question, I use a solution of white vinegar and water for my first and sometimes second top water to prevent/control mold. Do you see any issues with this practice? Is there a downside to using vinegar/water in the long run? Thanks
Oh my goodness! I am new to your channel, thanks for all the information I can absorb! I will soak in all your videos!😆🤔🤗🤗 . I am starting with 6 inch trays😆.
I am inspired. Planning to start growing microgreens in a small space of 900 cubic feet. Please advise how to maintain temperature and humidity in the growing space and what will be the ideal equipment.
Ive grown mine from the start exactly like i grow peas, mesh tray with pro mix, and i cover the top with soil too, never had mold or a single issue, other than seed hulls, which is what brought me here, unfortunately im not in a great situation to top water my sunflowers though.
Hi Donny, great video. I grew sunflowers for the first time this week on coco coir matting. I have had trouble with cobweb mold . I followed the procedure in the video with a few differences. Although I soaked for 4 hrs I sowed them straight away and I also started to bottom water from when I uncovered to the light. Would these 2 things have made a difference or would it be something else? I wish I had viewed your video first!
I am trying my first tray of sunflower (alongside 7 other trays of 6 other varieties) and I am convinced that 4 hours is not a long enough soak for True Leaf Black Oil. Everything is doing great except the sunflowers, which have about a 2% germination rate 3 days in, and they are barely pushed out of the seed hulls. The peas I started the same night were soaked for 9 hours, have 99% germination and the radicals are an inch long. My room is averaging low 70's, humidity is a bit high in the low 70's as well with a recent wave of late October 80F weather and lots of rain. This obviously doesnt work with True Leaf seeds, so I am throwing them out and starting over tomorrow with an 8 hour soak (since literally everyone else says 8-12 hours). Will edit later with results.
Got my first tray of true leaf black oil seeds going too, no pre-soak, and it looks like 90% germination 4 days. Couldn't tell you the humidity but low 70s temperature. Also doing it in a single tray with no holes FWIW. I feel like the 4 hours would have been perfect.
What's the update? I'm also using TL sunflower seeds. They seem to be very problematic and the germination rate is all over the place. The 5lb bag I got states 68% germ rate, but it's honestly less than 50%. Any info you have is greatly appreciated. Ty.
Sunflowers 😑 mine have been floating everytime while "soaking". Didn't seem to matter for a while, then all of a sudden, Trash germination. Also only use about 4 ounces of dry seed. Thought germination was lacking from lower temps(winter) however I am inside and the thermometer usually is between 69-74. I do use the same exact soil. Your awesome Donnie, I really hope I can get a hold of these suns! Thank you
Also use black oil suns from true leaf. Thought it was a bad batch, I've gone through three 5 pound bags. This is my third and I'm struggling, had no issue before, but like I said, different season and the seeds are never fully submerged while soaking.
I had to soak my seeds for 2days and they sprouted 1 day later after sowing and instead of dirt I use coconut coir pad so there's no dirt mess 🙃 I can reuse them and I can pull the roots out and get the whole green instead of cutting just the top to eat 😊
Such great info! I tried my first batch and failed miserably. I have coconut coir that I mix with worm castings. I grow on my kitchen counter, no fancy grow lights. Can’t wait to try! Thank you!
@@DonnyGreens Donny I love your videos and would really like to hear more about your perspective on hydroponic vs soil. I haven’t started growing yet as I am in’s the information collecting phase.
Great video. Watched cause my sunflower shoots went from what you have there to a sparatic and very poor germination rate. Ordered new seeds, think these ones got destroyed somehow. Heat, moisture. I'm at a loss.
@@DonnyGreens Sorry dude, thought i seriously replied to this on my phone. I've attempted this on a couple soaks. Initially when it worked it was 4 hours. Then it stopped working. So i soaked them for 12-16 hours. Then 36 hours. This last batch is at 2 hours. Every time they come out looking like 2 days germination and they stop growing.
I’m starting my micro green frowning. And my biggest questions atm, is how do I germinate all my seeds. Spread them on the dirt and shower them all? How is it done with broccoli due to possible overwatering in later grow stages? (I have all the same as you, radish, pea, sunflower, and broccoli) I have watched your videos for a little while now and they have been super helpful! Keep it up!
Hi thanks for all of the information. Do you ph balance the water. Also do you sanitize the sunflower seeds. If so how and with what? I am having a hard time with the sunflowers.
Thank you for the help! Do you by chance ever soak/spritz your sunflowers with food grade hydrogen peroxide? Some other growers use it and say it helps prevent mold growth. Just wanted your opinion on it.
Thanks so much for this video! I am on approximately my 10th 10X10 tray ... still figuring it out. Using coir, my 2 issues are mold during germination, but adding H2O2 to my spray has helped a ton, I pick out any seed that looks funky. So you don’t lift and spray during blackout? I will give this a try. 2 other issues, but I think related, seeds that germinate, but kinda stop there and then a few of the sprouts dampen off. Everything tells me it’s too much water, but I have really been leaning towards drier coir, so I don’t know. Growing in our main living area which is about 67-69 during winter/spring. I have not used a heating mat because I thought that would increase the likelihood of mold. I will try the next batch in a seedling mix. I have been getting my seeds from True Leaf. Again, thanks so much! 🌱😉🌱~L
Hi Donny, thanks for the great tips! I purchased your book and have found it very useful. Also, I've had good success with your 4h germination method. One question: do you wash your sunflower microgreens at harvest? Thanks for your time!
Thanks so much for this comment, I'm glad my videos are helping! I do not wash any microgreens at harvest. You can see me working live on Instagram TV (IGTV)
@@DonnyGreens thanks for following up! I think I actually remember reading in your book that washing your microgreens before selling them changed their legal status (or tax category) or something along those lines... but it seems like many people are washing their sunflower shoots as a tool to get rid of the hulls. I just need to continue refining the process to try and get rid of as many hulls as possible without having to wash them! Cheers.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
The seeds, the seeds, the seeds
That what I told my lesbians 😏
lol
You can knock the remaining the seeds off in a bath after they are cut.
@@thenewyorkredneck4735 what does that even mean?
@@jc6226 its an inside joke
If you're scrolling through the comments to see if this works, it does! I've tried a few times growing sunflower microgreens without any success. My crop would be patchy and sparse and the sunflower microgreens were growing at different rates with some not even really germinating. I thought it was my seeds until I tried this method. After the 4 hour soak, planting, watering, then leaving for 4 days with a weight on top, I finally got a dense, even crop of microgreens! Thanks so for must for this, fabulous tutorial!
Thanks so much for this comment! So glad my videos are helping you to get real results!
Good to hear I’m going to try this today
If you can’t keep the temp high enough in the room, will seed mats work instead?
Hoooooohhhh yeahhhhhhh😻
I appreciate the transparency of the content in this video. Very clear and easy to understanding, definitely a lot of information but thank you for making the operation a lot more clear to see for step to step being safe and being clean where to start and how to do it was on point. Again. Thank you.
Thanks so much for watching and this comment! I always try to be as transparent as possible. I'm glad it helped, where are you growing?
@@DonnyGreens I will be starting growing micros here in the bay area soon, I've just been doing a lot of research and thanks to content creators like you I'm bringing it all into fruition.
These videos are very well made, clean meaning not chaotic, easy to understand and helpful.
Thanks so much for that feedback, that is definitely my style haha!
You're the best
Thanks for much Ray, I think you're the best! 😆🌱💚
Best vid I've seen on sunflower microgreens. I've been using the big 40 lb pounds of black oil seed that I get from my feed store. I use them to feed my poultry which absolutely love them. Jack Spirko suggested sprinkling moldy sprouts with diluted chamomile tea and that worked like a charm for me but perhaps it would have been just as well to do as you said about the mold disappearing after unpacking and lighting them. Perhaps being in ultra humid Texas, the chamomile might be a better solution. Really great info - appreciate it very much!!
they are the only microgreen i hunger for, thanks for helping me figure out growing my own
I shared this with my son. He’s just starting a micro green business. He’s learning the ropes right now
Love it, feel free to show him this: onetrayaway.com/
I have messed up sprouting sunflower seeds about six times now. I just started your method and I’m excited to see if I finally succeed. I will post an update! Thanks for your thorough walk-through.
Watched this before even attempting. Thank you
Love the video Donny this style content is some of the most helpful for new and seasoned growers alike!
I would love to see your full process for Pea's!
Yes me too please Donny!
Thanks so much! I will have to make a video on growing peas for sure!
very good content. I soaked mine for 10 hours / 4 days under weight / 2 days blackout and 2 days under the light. The results are not bad. They grown big and healty, the taste is good aswell. The only problem I had is not brushing the seeds in time and the leaves got damaged.
Thanks a lot! Definitely try soaking for only FOUR hours. You may be pleasantly surprised 🌱😊 Do you grow for personal use or as a business?
@@DonnyGreens I'm trying both but I need a good and consistent product to be able to sell. Last tray was 30 grams of seeds and I got 400 grams productions. It was tall, green and tasty :p
I am just waiting for my first order of bootstrap trays already purchased my first 5 varieties. So excited to start growing . Really want to join the challenge just low on the funds. I really appreciate everything you do. You are an amazing human. Thank you for all the information you provide for free.
much love shawna, i hope to see you in the challenge sooon!!!
Thank you for creating this video. My sunflowers have not being coming out well. Excited to do this method.
Thanks for watching! I hope these methods will help you. DO you grow for personal use or as a business?
Love your energy became a subscriber within 0.22
keep getting brown parts on some of the sunflowers?
Thank you Donny, you have answered my questions here in this video. Wow. I will need to try this method with the top watering for the 2-3 days after introducing to light.
There you go! You are very welcome, keep me posted with your progress!! 🌱💚
Perfect timing...just had my order of black oil seeds show up
Woop woop! Sunflower microgreen videos this whole month!
Awesome video, I will follow your directions to the letter since you explained them so well. I appreciate you taking the time to post this video!
Much love, thanks for the comment!! Don't forget to join the challenge too!!! OneTrayAway.com
Hey Donny. I've been looking through some PRO sunflower growers to figure out what is going on with my crops. Long story short, some time ago I used to use the 10x20 tays of a similar brand like yours, but have decided to use smaller trays as we could not finish all the sprouts on time and I hate wasting food. So I switched to the cheaper version of trays (white has holes, green is no holes) sold in Amazon etc. So I am using 100 grams of Black Oil with a pre-soaking period of 6 hours where the only additive I use is the cheap Hydrogen Peroxide (3% and not the 30% one) of 1tbsp. So I use a similar quality soil which I press around 1.5cm deepness and spread the 100grams of seeds evenly. For weight I use 4-5 pounds pave laying around. So 2-3 days of blackout, 2-3 days of top watering and 2-3 days of bottom watering under light (I use some generic LED light fixture that fits the tray but have been repurposed from an Open Aquarium project, so nothing too fancy).
At the harvesting time, I cut the sprouts/microgreens close to the stem but not taking roots or soil with and after weighting I am having over 2 pounds (956g of my todays crop). So I am wondering, how come you use 145 grams of seeds where I use 100, you use 10x20 trays where mine are probably 6x8 or similar, you use a PRO growing lights where I don't but at the end I end up growing almost double? I am pretty aware of the sprouts stages and I am 100% sure there are no True leaves (or less than 1-2% for some stronger and impatient to grow crops). What am I doing so that my cultivation is double as my goal is to grow not only quantity but also quality in terms of nutrition, taste etc. So far there is no stinginess or bitter taste which is an indicator of over/not enough watering etc.
Thanks for your feedback and keep up the flawless work and sharing your venture :)
Donny, I have been following "On The grow", and I did my first sunflower tray, but low germination, hulls didn't come off easily, and low yield. I am going to try your way, it makes lots of sense: stacking, no blackout, fewer days to get the product!!!! BTW , I order your book. Thank you.
Thanks so much for commenting! I'm sorry you aren't having good luck with your sunflowers :( Hopefully my methods work better for you 👍🏼Thanks also for buying the book! If you still have issues, try some seeds from my website donnygreens.com. My students have been having great results with my seeds compared to others. I have a whole video on sunflower microgreen seeds coming out today at 2pm 🌱💚
@@DonnyGreens any time. The sunflowers are growing well but the hulls are not coming off easily, I guess a have to wait a few more days. I spray the with some water to lose them up. I planted the on Thursday and they are about 2inches tall. The peas about 3 inches tall, the radish 3 inches, and the arugula 2 inches tall. I will be harvesting the radish and arugula to take some samples out on Friday. I have a meeting today with a chef, I am very excited about all this man.
Jay Valencia you are probably overwatering then. I see people watering throughout germination which i strongly advise against. If you follow my exact instructions, you should see some good results
thanks so much Donnie - this was so helpful! My biggest issue was mould, but since following your instructions that seems to have cleared up. After watching this I now need to get my yields up :)
Awesome! I'm so glad I was able to help you solve that problem 🌱💚 What are you currently yielding?
@@DonnyGreens I'm only getting between 380g - 440g (sowing 125g dry weight and pre -soaked 4-6hrs). Typically I'm seeing uneven growth and my germination is patchy. I just tried your method, so I'll let you know my results next week!
I am having problem with mould...what do you do differently now then before? I soaked for 7-8hours I will try 4hrs soak and less water at the beginning of germination...my seeds should be ok they are organic from good seller I discussed ths with them and they have no complains from other growers...I use coco coir grow medium...or shall I just ignore tiny spots of mould as Donny is advising? I use hydrogen peroxide solution to solve this occasional small mould spots and it goes away but I would rather have no mould issues at all...does airflow make any difference in germination stage if trays are stacked and covered anyway? thanks
@@tomaskocis6614 I use organic soil, so not familiar with growing on coco coir. I do have consistent air flow, however the main difference now is that I top water out of germination as Donny suggested in his mould video, which kills the spores. It's worth a try! good luck!
is it absolutely necessary to have grow lights when growing microgreens?
How could anyone dislike this video?? Great job, Donny! Best content around.
Thanks so much, Much love 🌱🌱🌱💚💚💚
Any suggestions about how to efficiently cut the sunflowers?
I want to start the microgreens cultivation.. your videos are very helpful to me
Awesome, thanks for that feedback, im glad they are helping!
Thank you for the vid! Really appreciate the details and how to get the hulls off.
So cool Donald.
Thank you!!!
Excellent presentation! 🤓
I just seeded a new tray, I’m trying again. Mind you I’ve only tried a handful of times but my issues were inconsistent germination, poor germination along with some weak rooting. We’ll see how this next one comes out 💫
Trial, error, and improvement. You got this!!! Definitely join the MIcrogreens Support Group on Facebook for further assistance! 🌱💚
Thank you! Great video. Mine turned out perfectly. God bless
Thanks for this vídeo!
I recently started to grow my first tray of sunflower microgreen, todas was the 3rd dar of germinación and I could tell there were not to many roots germinated... I Will wait for tomorrow and check them🤞🏻
They can be tricky. Make sure you have high quality seeds and soak for only four hours. They take some time to master so keep on experimenting!
@@DonnyGreens thanks Donny!!!
Love your videos! (You hvave no idea how much value I've gotten from them!) My biggest pain is the hulls sticking on and I spend waaaaaayy too long de-shelling before packaging
Thank you for this information. I appreciate your content and the way you present it.
I purchased a tiny micro-green growing kit - those gift ones- to learn the process and play with it culinarily (ex-pro cook). I followed the directions, and it looked like way too much water, but I thought, Let's see what happens. I put it on top of the fridge and actually forgot about it (oops), anyway a few days later when i looked, some seeds were sprouted, and there was some mold on top, but also a lot of water. I was careful to measure according to the kit's instructions. I instinctively drained off some water and cleaned them, and put the tray back on the fridge (I should not have, but I did). Anyway, what you're saying about weighting the tray makes sense, and explains why my little sprouties looked defeated. :( I also did not spread and press the coir before adding seeds. When I get back home, I will see what I can do to correct things. I'll take the loss as a learning experience, but I am a little sad about it.
Thanks for your info.
Great tips! I had been doing all bottom watering after germination. Love being able to top water for a few more days! Thank you for sharing your experience!
Much love Eric, thanks for commenting, I'm so glad my videos are helping!
Hey Donny thank you so much - I've just started and you are my 'GoTo' and I feel like my head is exploding with all your awesome info. Thanks so much - glad I take notes as you share so much!! Mandy - Western Australia :)
Haha thanks so much for your feedback! I'm glad my content is providing you with valuable information and i look forward to keep helping! Where do you grow?
@@DonnyGreens I have a little 2 bedroom unit that I've knocked out all the walls (like a studio apartment now) - so in the spare room I have a set of shelves and also a lot of space outside! I can keep the temperature around 20 degrees (Celcius) all the time and they seem to be doing pretty well. I would love to know more about lights though please if you could do a video on that? Thank you Donny woohoo :)
love your energy and your enthusiasm!!
Thanks alot!
nice Thanks for sharing the video
No problem, thanks for watching and commenting! 🌱💚
I’ve been killing my stems and am so frustrated. Just found you today. If I didn’t survive on my sunflower trade I’d pack them in. I’m soaking right NOW. Timer set and back to the video. I need this😬.
Great video. I've just started growing sunflowers again after a couple of customers requested them. I too wouldn't grows them either as they're needy microgreens! I have to say I like them as well however. I've been battling with mold and I never have like this before. Going to try your methods and see how it goes. Cheers 🤠
Thanks for the comment and sorry about your mold. Try soaking for only 4 hours, that may help. Otherwise it could be the seeds. Are you getting mold just on sunflower or other varieties too?
@@DonnyGreens just these sunflowers. They're good quality seeds as I've bought the same variety from them before. I think the 4 hours might be the trick. Will plant later today. Cheers
@@easthillfarmer7216 Did this work for you? Been battling mould for months and can't figure it out. Tried 12 hour, 8 hour, and 6 hour with similar results.
Great Channel and priceless information! Quick question, I use a solution of white vinegar and water for my first and sometimes second top water to prevent/control mold. Do you see any issues with this practice? Is there a downside to using vinegar/water in the long run? Thanks
try not to use anything and still get no mold!! i dont see anything wrong with your methods though
You are the best 😘
Oh my goodness! I am new to your channel, thanks for all the information I can absorb! I will soak in all your videos!😆🤔🤗🤗 . I am starting with 6 inch trays😆.
I am inspired. Planning to start growing microgreens in a small space of 900 cubic feet. Please advise how to maintain temperature and humidity in the growing space and what will be the ideal equipment.
hi Donny , what lights do you use ?
You can find links to all the seeds, supplies and equipment I use in the descriptions of my UA-cam videos!
I do this for my zebra finches and they love the sprouts.
haha love that! maybe a new market !
Thanks im just doing this for fun. Going to try this
Love it! Feel free to join in on the next challenge! Https://onetrayaway.com/
Ive grown mine from the start exactly like i grow peas, mesh tray with pro mix, and i cover the top with soil too, never had mold or a single issue, other than seed hulls, which is what brought me here, unfortunately im not in a great situation to top water my sunflowers though.
over time you will make it work .glad you found my channel!
Hi Donny, great video. I grew sunflowers for the first time this week on coco coir matting. I have had trouble with cobweb mold . I followed the procedure in the video with a few differences. Although I soaked for 4 hrs I sowed them straight away and I also started to bottom water from when I uncovered to the light. Would these 2 things have made a difference or would it be something else? I wish I had viewed your video first!
Thank you! I'm not exactly sure, I would test both ways and compare so you can see if it does truly make a difference for ya
Coco coir is prone to mold
@@patrickstrasser3221 what do you use ?
Well done! Perfect! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
ur a great person thanks for everything keep up the good spirit
Much love!
Super helpful/ I’m about to start growing
Awesome!! Good luck, have fun!!!
I am trying my first tray of sunflower (alongside 7 other trays of 6 other varieties) and I am convinced that 4 hours is not a long enough soak for True Leaf Black Oil. Everything is doing great except the sunflowers, which have about a 2% germination rate 3 days in, and they are barely pushed out of the seed hulls. The peas I started the same night were soaked for 9 hours, have 99% germination and the radicals are an inch long. My room is averaging low 70's, humidity is a bit high in the low 70's as well with a recent wave of late October 80F weather and lots of rain. This obviously doesnt work with True Leaf seeds, so I am throwing them out and starting over tomorrow with an 8 hour soak (since literally everyone else says 8-12 hours). Will edit later with results.
Got my first tray of true leaf black oil seeds going too, no pre-soak, and it looks like 90% germination 4 days. Couldn't tell you the humidity but low 70s temperature. Also doing it in a single tray with no holes FWIW. I feel like the 4 hours would have been perfect.
What's the update? I'm also using TL sunflower seeds. They seem to be very problematic and the germination rate is all over the place. The 5lb bag I got states 68% germ rate, but it's honestly less than 50%. Any info you have is greatly appreciated. Ty.
Awesome video Thanks 👍
Do you use fans for your set up
Great information.
Glad it was helpful!
Donny.... My Sunflower Microgreens are not pushing their roots down and through but rather their roots just stay on the soil...
are you stacking with weight for a few days until they root?
@@DonnyGreens now I do! Much better!
Sunflowers 😑 mine have been floating everytime while "soaking". Didn't seem to matter for a while, then all of a sudden, Trash germination. Also only use about 4 ounces of dry seed. Thought germination was lacking from lower temps(winter) however I am inside and the thermometer usually is between 69-74. I do use the same exact soil. Your awesome Donnie, I really hope I can get a hold of these suns! Thank you
Also use black oil suns from true leaf. Thought it was a bad batch, I've gone through three 5 pound bags. This is my third and I'm struggling, had no issue before, but like I said, different season and the seeds are never fully submerged while soaking.
Wow thank you for the information👍
No problem! Thanks for the comment! 🌱💚
Love your videos, quick question though. When its time for them to go into the light do you keep the lights on the entire time?
Love your stuff kick on love it
much love homie
How much light time a day do the microgreens need?
My lights are on for 15 hours per day. Feel free to experiment 🌱🌱
Great video ❤️👍 Can't wait to implement these tips! 🌻
Nicee! Glad you liked it!
Really good advices, thank you!
thanks for your comment!
Hey Donny Thanks for all the info. Curious what you run your PH at when sprouting. Thanks in advance
Another great video! Thank you Donny for the tips!
Thanks so much for watching!
I wonder if you can vacuum up the hulls with a shop-vac?
As always, such helpful advice. Thanks so much!
You are very welcome!
I had to soak my seeds for 2days and they sprouted 1 day later after sowing and instead of dirt I use coconut coir pad so there's no dirt mess 🙃 I can reuse them and I can pull the roots out and get the whole green instead of cutting just the top to eat 😊
Are you top watering to aid with removing the seed hulls?
Such great info! I tried my first batch and failed miserably. I have coconut coir that I mix with worm castings. I grow on my kitchen counter, no fancy grow lights. Can’t wait to try! Thank you!
Very cool, no problem! Glad you like my videos 🌱💚
Great content
Thanks so much! I'll keep it coming 🌱💚
I love this video. I was so stressed out about mold showing up in germination, but I see it will be OK!
Thanks so much for your feedback. Im so glad this video was able to help you 🌱💚 No worries!
You are the best, thanks for sharing Donny.
Thanks so much for commenting this, much love! 🌱💚
Do you use fertilizer at all?
I have trouble with the husk staying stuck on
Hi thanks for your info and videos! Can you link where to find seed start soil in bulk?
local greenhouse distribution company or local nursery
Growing hydroponically keeps them from molding and are much cleaner. Thank you for the info/vid.
I one thousand percent disagree with this but i still love ya and appreciate your perspective and experience 🌱💚
@@DonnyGreens Donny I love your videos and would really like to hear more about your perspective on hydroponic vs soil. I haven’t started growing yet as I am in’s the information collecting phase.
@5:20 i just started growing sunflower and the trays were full of mold. Also, I was growing them on a sprouting tray instead of soil 😢
its okay, keep trying and learn from my videos! you may want to take my challenge as well: onetrayaway.com/
Great video. Watched cause my sunflower shoots went from what you have there to a sparatic and very poor germination rate. Ordered new seeds, think these ones got destroyed somehow. Heat, moisture. I'm at a loss.
How long are you soaking for?
@@DonnyGreens Sorry dude, thought i seriously replied to this on my phone. I've attempted this on a couple soaks. Initially when it worked it was 4 hours. Then it stopped working. So i soaked them for 12-16 hours. Then 36 hours. This last batch is at 2 hours. Every time they come out looking like 2 days germination and they stop growing.
Thank you for your help! I just bought the book..
awesome, enjoy!
Can you use the mason jar method?
Great info. Thank you
No problem, my pleasure!
great information. how many hours a day do i keep the sunflower seeds under the lihgt?
I’m starting my micro green frowning. And my biggest questions atm, is how do I germinate all my seeds. Spread them on the dirt and shower them all? How is it done with broccoli due to possible overwatering in later grow stages? (I have all the same as you, radish, pea, sunflower, and broccoli)
I have watched your videos for a little while now and they have been super helpful! Keep it up!
Thanks a lot! Yes, spread them and then water before stacking for germination. Same method but without soaking first
Hi thanks for all of the information. Do you ph balance the water. Also do you sanitize the sunflower seeds. If so how and with what? I am having a hard time with the sunflowers.
No problem! I do not pH balance anything. I use soil. No, I do not sanitize ANY of my seeds which is why it wasn't mentioned in the video.
Where did you get that press for compacting the soil? When I try to look it up, I get results for soil block makers instead
Can I do this outside ?
Is it the same way you do for all seeds?
Thanks !!!!
No problem!
Thanks for info your the man
No problem, thanks so much for your comment!
How long do I keep the lights on them after germination?
Still have a problem with uneven growth and the dang shells sticking. Thanks for the vid!
No problem, keep working at it, theyre a pain in the ass but once you have them down its a great crop!
My man. Thank you for this information.
Much love, thanks for your comment!
Thank you for the help! Do you by chance ever soak/spritz your sunflowers with food grade hydrogen peroxide? Some other growers use it and say it helps prevent mold growth. Just wanted your opinion on it.
A mixture of the peroxide and water. Not straight peroxide
Thanks so much for this video! I am on approximately my 10th 10X10 tray ... still figuring it out. Using coir, my 2 issues are mold during germination, but adding H2O2 to my spray has helped a ton, I pick out any seed that looks funky. So you don’t lift and spray during blackout? I will give this a try. 2 other issues, but I think related, seeds that germinate, but kinda stop there and then a few of the sprouts dampen off. Everything tells me it’s too much water, but I have really been leaning towards drier coir, so I don’t know. Growing in our main living area which is about 67-69 during winter/spring. I have not used a heating mat because I thought that would increase the likelihood of mold. I will try the next batch in a seedling mix. I have been getting my seeds from True Leaf. Again, thanks so much! 🌱😉🌱~L
I have trouble getting all the seed hulls off. Do you have to pick them off one by one when the brushing technique doesn’t work?
This is my next grow...thanks for sharing this Donny.
Very informative, Thank you Sir. All the love from Lizard Ranch Microgreens.
Hi Donny, thanks for the great tips! I purchased your book and have found it very useful. Also, I've had good success with your 4h germination method. One question: do you wash your sunflower microgreens at harvest? Thanks for your time!
Thanks so much for this comment, I'm glad my videos are helping! I do not wash any microgreens at harvest. You can see me working live on Instagram TV (IGTV)
@@DonnyGreens thanks for following up! I think I actually remember reading in your book that washing your microgreens before selling them changed their legal status (or tax category) or something along those lines... but it seems like many people are washing their sunflower shoots as a tool to get rid of the hulls. I just need to continue refining the process to try and get rid of as many hulls as possible without having to wash them! Cheers.
Do you adjust ph?, or just tap water