Impact of Fertilizer & Sanitation to Prevent Disease and Maintain Nutritional Quality of Microgreens
- Green Life Now
- Feb 18, 2022
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 20, 2022
Sanitation to Prevent Disease and Yield Loss
Do Microgreens Need Fertilizer?
Most of microgreens require some fertilizer to reach the ideal size and quality. For some growers fertilizer is not require in growing microgreens, but if the soil is not nutritious you will be required to use fertilizer.
Using fertilizers in microgreens is beneficial. For some who’s using fiber mats, jute or hemp as growing medium, these are the top of the lists that needs fertilizer. And for others that has low nutrient mediums.
Know that seeds have nutrient stored to help them grow, however these stored nutrients will be used up once the root is out of the seed. By then you will need to have extra nutrients to continue the growth process. These added nutrients will help to achieve great yields of microgreens.
Without using fertilizer you’ll be depended on the nutrients contained in the seed.
Fertilizer is not necessary but Microgreens need extra nutrient in the age of 3-5 days as it will start to absorb nutrients from the soil and minerals to strengthen the cell wall and its growth development.
You can purchase ready-made organic fertilizer on the market, same as you can mix your own hydroponic fertilizer. This will help you cut the costs and gives you a sense of fulfilment contributing on the growth of your own microgreens.
Microgreens Fertilizer doesn’t need to be expensive. Most brands of fertilizer are inexpensive, but it’s still better to pay a little more and buy a brand you trust.
Here are Great Fertilizers you can use in Growing Microgreens:
> Liquid Kelp
Liquid Kelp is one of the best liquid fertilizers to use in microgreens. It doesn’t give strange flavor to microgreens.
It is organic fertilizer that packs of trace minerals and nutrients like potassium, phosphate, nitrogen, magnesium and delicate growth hormones that stimulate extra growth in microgreens and in soil microbes.
Microgreens with kelp fertilizer showed resistance on drought and bugs. It reduces pests as they don’t like the taste of kelp and can reduce powdery mildew.
> FloraGro
FloraGro is a water soluble fertilizer that provides nitrogen, calcium and trace minerals which are necessary for comprehensive hydroponic microgreens grow development. It provides well-balanced amount of nutrients for structural and foliar growth.
There are brands that offers Flora Series, a combination of FloraGro, FloraMicro and FloraBloom that specializes on plants life cycle from seedling, to transitional, flowering and fruiting.
> Azomite
Azomite is a trace mineral fertilizer that improves soil depletion. It is naturally occurring mineral deposit, formed by an ancient seabed volcanic eruption which has high concentration of nitrates that is essentials for plant growth.
> Earthworm Casting
Earthworm Casting is an organic fertilizer, that ensure all the nourishment from the soil will get by microgreens and well-sheltered from extreme wet. It provides also nutrition in growing larger leaves.
> Organic Fertilizer
Organic Fertilizer provides healthy macrobiotic system in growing microgreens. Like compost, manures or extracts from plants, animals, rocks, they contain essential nutrition that is beneficial to microgreen, they also have capabilities to improve water retention, aerate soil, and condition in moderate temperature.
It provides nutrients for long lived microgreens without the environmental cost of a synthetic chemical fertilizer.
These fertilizers listed above, adds nutrients that are essential to grow healthy, vibrant and tasty microgreens especially if you’re using hydroponic methods. Just ensure that fertilizer are certified organic and biodegradable, if not it can be risky to your microgreens.
It’s also important to have time to research and find the right nutrients to your microgreens, some brands have high and miss nutrients. And a fertilizer that’s easy to use and apply.
Fertilizer is quite pricey, but if you’re dedicated in growing microgreens, it’s worth the expense and rewards you with high yield, blooming and healthy growing microgreens.
> Importance of pH Control in Growing Microgreens
It’s important to know the pH level of nutrient in water. This pH level of your water influences the solubility of the nutrients. pH that is too high or too low, won’t absorb all the nutrients your plants need.
pH means potential hydrogen, it’s the measurement of acid or base in a liquid. It ranges from 0 to 14. Zero (0) is ultra-acid, from 0.1 to 6.9 it is considered acidic, 7 is neutral, and 7.1 to 13.9 are alkaline, 14 is extreme alkaline.
Microgreens at early stage thrive with water having 6.0-6.5 pH level to start germinating in both in water and soil. To adjust the pH level of your water, you can use pH Down solution to lower the pH or pH Up solution to increase the pH level.
This ph Down and pH Up are easily find in market, they are typically sold in complete kit together with pipette.
> pH Down
pH Down is made of food-grade phosphoric acid.
> pH Up
pH Up is made of of potassium hydroxide and potassium carbonate.
You simply add a little at a time if your nutrient pH is too low or too high in order to raise the pH to the proper level. Typically, you will only need 1-2 milliliters of these chemicals per gallon of water to adjust the pH. Note also this stuff is acidic, use gloves and eye protection for possible splash when using it.
If you don’t have this pH solution adjuster, you can add a bit of lime juice or white vinegar to lower the pH level or baking soda to increase it.
Uses of pH control in Microgreens
In growing microgreens they like the water a bit acidic, by then you will need to test and adjust downward the water’s pH level.
Remember not to rush for quick fix on your pH level, it may shock your microgreens. And if pH levels swing too far, microgreens can suffer from nutrient lockout, and it’s important to test your pH level in regular basis.
Some microgreens require different pH level and it may cause harm if they’re fed from same reservoir.
Here are the important uses of pH control in growing microgreens:
> When soaking the microgreen seeds, it’s necessary to check and adjust the pH level of water.
You just need to follow the directions of the pH control kit to test your 1 gallon water. Base on the results, adjust the pH level following the directions indicated in your kit.
> For hyroponic method , if using growing mat make sure the water you’ll be using is between 5.6 and 6.5 pH level. By then you can pour the water on growing tray and place the growing mat on the surface, and allow it to absorb the water. Wring out the pad and pour the excess water.
> For growing medium, pour evenly 3 to 4 cups of pH adjusted water into the tray of coconut coir, then flatten the surface of the medium.
Nowadays potting soils in market are ready to use, you don’t have to worry on pH level, it’s already adjusted.
> Ways of Measuring pH Levels
All kinds of water have different pH level. If the pH level of water is not considered, it can have dramatic impact on microgreens. That’s why testing the pH level in water or soil is vital.
> Litmus Paper
It’s the cheapest and quickest method to test the pH level.
You dip the strip and wait until the color changes and compare it to the chart where the pH level falls. However it isn’t the most accurate as some colors can be hard to detect and interpret.
> Liquid pH control Kit
It costs high compare with litmus paper but more reliable. You just take few drops into vials and after a while the color change, you compare it with the chart what pH level you get.
> Electric Meter
Electric Meter is the most expensive options but give the exact pH level result without using color chart. The most common electric meter is digital pH pen, just place it in the nutrient mix and read the exact pH level.
Using electric meter can vary the readings overtime, that’s why it’s important to calibrate it on regular basis.
When pH level is correct, microgreens absorb all micro and macro nutrients like nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, that root needed for grow development.
Importance of Sanitation in Growing Microgreens
Microgreens are considered as power foods however at some point there is also health risk concern if not properly grown. The key to avoid this is through sanitation.
Sanitation is essential to avoid spreading of fungus, pests and insects. It also prevents significant yield losses.
Prevent mold and fungus that can wipe out your entire tray of microgreens, by below effective disease prevention and treatment sanitizers to help maintain nutritional quality and safety of microgreens.
> Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide is one of the safest sanitizer
Hydrogen Peroxide is safe and eco-friendly substitute to chlorine bleach. It use as antifungal spray to prevent mold and decay after the seeds been soaked, and fungus away to microgreens. It helps destroy bacteria that grows quickly especially in hydroponic environment. Remember to wear gloves when handling hydrogen peroxide. And use a food grade hydrogen peroxide to ensure it’s safe for humans.
> Potassium Bicarbonate
Potassium Bicarbonate is good remedy to fight fungus. It can be used to control powdery mildew and black spot. It can reduce also the decay development and helps manage foliar diseases.
> Vinegar
Vinegar is another organic sanitation for cleaning and sanitizing your trays and gardening tools.
> Neem Oil
Neem Oil is a botanical control that is plant based. It uses as pesticides and a mist of it prevent fungal disease at seedling stage.
> Oregano Oil
Oregano Oil is plant based that use to fight against powdery mildew of plants or microgreens.
> Organic Liquid Soap
Organic Liquid Soap use for cleaning and sanitizing microgreen equipment.
Spreading disease is possible when growing microgreen are handled incorrectly.
To prevent health risk, below are the routine to make pathogens inevitable:
> Humidity
> Every after use sanitize the trays and other gardening tool
> Washing hands thoroughly
Keep your hands clean while handling the sprouts and microgreens.
> Sanitizing seeds
In most cases, contamination happen in seed stage, other microgreen seed doesn’t require soaking, what you can do is spray them with hydrogen peroxide after your spread them.
> Seeds not over watered
Some seeds need to be soaked overnight, which may cause pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa). To control pathogen growth in environment, sanitizing seeds is vital. You can soak them in sanitizer to control the spread or growth.
> Seed Density
Microgreens seeds must not be dense when laying down in growing media
> Source of Microgreen Seeds
Ensure seed are certified organic sprouting and tested for pathogens, E.Coli and Salmonella. Seeds must be grown for human consumption.
It’s important to buy seeds from company that sells seeds for sprouting, because these companies are required to follow strict sanitation use.
> Room must have well circulated air
> Keeping Grow Spaces Clean and Sanitized
> Use organic fungicides
Always keep in mind poor sanitation practices can result to an outbreak.
Learn more about Growing Microgreens:
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