SPROUTED SEED TEA

When working with no-till, organic, living soils it is important to work with all of the abundance nature has to offer.  Sprouted seed teas, otherwise known as ‘sprouted enzyme tea’ or simply ‘enzyme tea’, provide a rich resource for living plants.  Many gardeners have observed a ‘praying effect’ (pointing upwards) of their leaves soon after application.

Once a seed germinates, the developing endosperm provides a significant amount of gibberellins, cytokinins and a plethora of enzymes.  These substances enhance overall plant growth and health amongst a host of other benefits too numerous to list.

Any seed can be made into a sprouted enzyme tea.  I prefer to use Barley seeds.

How To Make a Sprouted Enzyme Tea

1. Weigh 2oz (54g) of dried seed, preferably barley seed. Wash the barley seed with tap water in a strainer.
2. Place in a container with water, I use a mason jar for this step. Let sit for 12 hours.  Dump out the water and refill.  Let sit another 12 hours or until the seeds weigh 84g.
3. Place the wet seed on an organic, non-dyed piece of cloth. Do not use paper towels. Fold the towel in half so the seeds are covered and in the dark.

4. Let the seeds sprout so the taproot emerges to be the length of the seed. I use a seedling heat mat for this process and cover the folded towel with a piece of plastic to keep moisture retained.  You want to generally stay between 65F-85F ambient temperature.

5. Take the sprouted seeds and place in a blender with dechlorinated water and blend. You will get a milky/frothy substance that smells sweet. Dump that blended enzyme tea into a 5-gallon bucket and water via top dress to your plants.  That’s it!!!

6. Enzyme tea applications are done once a week, or at the least, once a month.

Categorised in: Tips, Uncategorized

This post was written by sperling