How to Grow Cat Grass

Pet owners know it as cat grass, but really wheat berries and can be found at your local health food store. Cats go nuts for this easy to grow grass! It helps with digestive issues and keeps cats from eating potentially harmful house plants.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wheat berries (found at healthy food stores)
• Container (low profile about 4 to 6 in. deep)
• Soil formulated for edible vegetation (preferably organic)
• Water
• Dark closet
• Sunlit space

How to Grow Cat Grass

1. Soak 2 tbsp. of wheat berries in room temperature water for 6 to 8 hours. Do not soak longer to keep wheat from developing mold.

2. Fill the container with soil, almost to the top. Lightly water Distribute wet seeds evenly over soil. Cover seeds with 1/4 inch of soil. Lightly water again.

3. Cover container with plastic. Place it in a dark place (like a closet). Check daily to make sure the soil stays moist.

4. Once you can see grass growing, remove plastic and place plant in sunny place like a windowsill. Within a week or so, the grass should be ready for your cat!

Tips & Warnings

• After the grass is grown, trim it regularly to keep the plant healthy.
• A low profile planter is best so the cat doesn't get dirt on the floor. Keep planter out of cat's reach if you worried about them knocking it over.

[xxzalexx]

on 5/2/2008 Those aren't fruit flies, they are fungus gnats. They feed on the decaying matter in soil and can be very difficult to get rid of.

Adding a spoonful of vinegar to the water you water your plants with can disrupt the egg/larva part of their lifecycle.

Letting your plants dry out thoroughly between waterings (if the plants witll tollerate it) can help to control them.

The best solution I have found is to purchase the yellow sticky traps from a gardening centre - they are nontoxic, the gnats are attracted to the yellow and wind up stuck to the trap.

[GreenKnitter]

on 4/7/2008 I hate those little things! I 've never experienced them with growing cat grass, but you might want to try putting a small jar or glass with an inch of cider vinegar and a small squirt of dish soap. I do this in the summer next to my fruit bowl and it keeps their population down. Here's another article on it too - http://www.ehow.com/how_2178788_eliminate-fruit-flies.html?ref=fuel

[remre5]

on 4/6/2008 And, then how do you prevent the little flying fruit fly looking critters? Have done the grass thing many times and it's inevitable that the flying critters come with it.