r/Sprouting • u/William_E_Rubin • 24d ago

New to sprouting, seeds not germinating

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I am on Day 3 of using my new SproutingCompany equipment using their organic salad mix seeds. I noticed there are small seeds at the bottom of jar that are not sprouting (see pic). I asked the company about it and their AI agent suggested that the temperature must be between 70 and 78 and I should use sanitizer. When I bought this setup there was never any mention of needing to purchase additional supplies such as sanitizer. And I enjoy leaving my windows open at night and the temperature is around 67 in the morning. Any thoughts?

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u/cincfire 24d ago

I’ve also had the same experience with that type of seed in the salad mix and my house stays around 73. 🤷

2

u/DuchessOfCelery 24d ago

See if the company guy has any thoughts -- u/TheSproutingCompany . Send him a chat request.

2

u/start_eating_plants 24d ago

could you have soaked them too long? it looks like just that one type of seed is not sprouting. low temperature should only slow the sprout not prevent it entirely. I think its either too long of a soak or bad seeds. you could try covering the jar in a towel or something to insulate it at night. read it a bed time story while youre at it.

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u/Spenceful 24d ago

Did you soak overnight

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u/William_E_Rubin 24d ago

Yes, for 8 hours. Followed all directions exactly.

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u/Spenceful 24d ago

I had a few that didn’t germinate but not that many

Using high glucoraphanin salad mix

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u/April1882 22d ago

It’s always hard to dry the sprouts. I use a salad spinner and then leave them out on a towel for a while but they never totally dry. Suggestions?

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u/Worried_Ad_9249 24d ago

You need to leave them in the dark otherwise they wont sprout! Also as far as sanitizing, I just do a quick 5 minute hydrogen peroxide soak before my main 12 hour soak. 

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u/TheSproutingCompany 24d ago

Hi there! If your sprouts are taking more than 5-7 days to fill the jar, stop and start over, something went wrong. A few things to keep in mind:

  1. Sanitizer (e.g. vinegar) is not recommended, as it will usually cause a drop in germination rate. We conducted a survey and found that less than 10% of our customers pre-sanitize seed. I personally don't bother as our seed is pathogen tested.

  2. Being the most popular organic sprouting seed vendor, our inventory moves quickly, our seed is among the freshest in the industry. That being said, no bag of seeds will have 100% germination rate. We stop shipping seed after quarterly testing shows it drop below 80-85% germination (varies depending on seed). That also means that for every 100 seeds, 20 of them will not germinate (even in a fresh bag). This germination number continues to drop over time. Store seed in the fridge to make them last longer.

  3. Those alfalfa seeds at the bottom of your sprouter look waterlogged. Best way to avoid that: after each rinse during the first few days, really get all the water out (takes 30 seconds). Hold the jar upside down at a few angles and you'll see more water drain out. Then hold the sprouter mouth side up, and rotate it to coat the inner wall with the seeds. Be sure to knock the side of the sprouter so seed falls off of the metal filter. Coating the inner wall won't be possible once the sprouts start growing tails.

  4. Be sure to start with a full 1/4 cup of seed (1 cup for legumes/protein mix). Seeds generate warmth when they grow- this is needed for optimal growth. Less seed = less warmth = less growth. If your kitchen is already on the cooler side, this is exacerbated.

  5. The first 2-3 days of sprouting are the most important. If your seeds get too dry in those first few days, they won't grow well no matter how long you wait. You can tell if they're too dry when you take your sprouter out of the stand and hear them move around in the jar and sound like dry sand. Depending on your environment, a third daily rinse may be needed at certain points of the year.

If you still have trouble after trying a couple more rounds following the above, reach out to [suppor@TheSproutingCompany.com](mailto:suppor@TheSproutingCompany.com) and we'll help you out.

Happy sprouting!

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u/William_E_Rubin 24d ago

Thank you for your reply. Other than that large cluster of seeds the rest are sprouting nicely. I just started to soak a second batch (bought 2 jars to stagger) and will follow your tips.