No doubt most of us have gone to a juice bar for a wonderfully healthy smoothie, and noticed the wheat grass plants, growing in small flats.  I always order up a little cup of wheat grass juice, along with my smoothie.  Some folks don’t appreciate the strong, grassy taste of wheat grass juice, but I always inhale deeply as I drink it, because it reminds me of emerald fields in spring time.  Happy thoughts indeed. 

During the early nineties, I did some research and found out about the fantastic benefits of drinking wheat grass juice.  I also bought a juicing machine and grew my own wheat grass, so I could have this healthy drink at home, daily.  I figured out how much to plant for my daily needs, and when to start another flat, so I’d have an uninterrupted supply.  That was almost twenty years ago.  In the meantime, I ended up with more birds to look after, and no time to grow and juice my own wheat grass.  But I haven’t lost the memory of how to propagate, and during the breeding season for my Galahs I always grow wheat grass for them.  They seem to crave the healthy green grass, especially when they are feeding their babies.  Smart birds.  I also grow wheat grass for my indoor pets occasionally, and they really enjoy it too.

Growing wheat grass is next to foolproof.  Most feed stores and health food stores sell whole, wheat berries by the pound, and bulk wheat is very inexpensive.  Start with a couple of pounds just to give it a try.  When growing wheat grass you really must sprout it before planting.


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Susie Christian© 2010

From Susie Christian's article in Australian BirdKeeper Magazine