Moringa Microgreens Kit

Step 7: Water with MLE solution

Use about 1/4 gallon of MLE solution to fully soak the soil and surface. Then, for the remaining week, only use water. When you do water, every day or every other day, allow the surface to dry before watering again, or fungus and mold will form. Water early in the day so the soil surface can dry out. There is a fine balance of watering, they don't like it too wet, but they need to be wet to sprout. Practice makes perfect. That's why the soaking of the seeds helps to promote faster germination and prevents mold and fungus to form. During the germination process, keep in a dark space. If you keep in the light, it will dry out too much and get too hot. The ideal temperatures for germination are around 70-75 degrees F.

Step 8: Sprouting

This step can take 7-14 days to see any action. Lift the tray to see how heavy it is, if it seems really heavy, there's already a lot of water in the bottom. If it seems light, give it a good watering, getting the whole surface wet. Water with the MLE mix once sprouted, soak the tray well and keep the surface more dry from this moment. Several light waterings does not water the roots and only keeps the surface wet, making it more susceptible to mold and fungus. They love the sun once sprouted, but only for short periods. Do not let them sit in full sun for hours, maybe 1-2 hours in the morning, some sun in the evening, not too much at first.

Step 9: Harvesting

Cut back your greens regularly! Soon as you begin to see some discoloration, grab those greens before they yellow. If you cut the stem above the first leaf, it will sprout new stems from the first leaf nodes. If you cut the stem below the first leaf, it will most likely re-sprout a new stem from the seed, emerging from the soil within a few days after cutting. Use this knowledge to keep your microgreens tray less crowded and healthier. If the leaves are too crowded they will turn yellow fast. If leaves are turning yellow or have brown spots, you could be over watering, but most likely you are not harvesting the greens fast enough. Remove any leaves that are yellow and discard them. Do not leave yellowing leaves or yellow leaves in the tray, they will attract pests and fungus. Remove any yellowing leaves. Cut them back at different heights so they regrow at different levels to reduce touching and spreading any fungus.

Step 10: Eating & Packaging

Eat the greens! Don't wait for your greens to turn yellow. Eat them or package them while they are green. Moringa leaves do not last long, they want to be harvested and enjoyed for their nutritional content. Cut and remove the oldest leaves first, trim back above the first leaf or below the first leaf. Get some practice and create space between the trees by trimming back at different heights. Eat the little trees so they regrow new greens. They'll re-grow even more greens.

Step 11: Transplanting

After about 30-90 days from sprouting, the trees will begin to outgrow the tray and will need to be transplanted to a larger pot or planted in the ground. Place the young tree in a 1-3 gallon pot and cut the leaves back at that time. It will resprout new stems. Within a year, it will grow into a full sized tree. The seeds are normal moringa oleifera pkm1 seeds, they are not dwarf trees or miniature trees. They will form large moringa trees with drumsticks and seeds if you are in an area that does not frost. If your trees do not survive the winter or something happens, start over and replant a new tray each year as an annual hobby for fresh moringa microgreens.