Growing Cat Grass, And I Need Help!

[Columbine]

Is anyone here good with cat grass?

I keep trying to grow it, but it always goes mouldy at the base in a month or less. Am I missing something? I'm getting sick of having to throw it out, and I really need this current batch (which is just starting to sprout) to last at least a bit longer.

 

[Norachan]

I stick a few pebbles in the bottom of the pot, then put a piece of newspaper in and put the potting soil on top of that. I tend to get on better with several small pots rather than one big pot too.

Terracotta pots are more absorbent, so if you have something that doesn't like too much water it does well in an un-glazed terracotta plant pot.

 

[LTS3]

I've never had a mold problem. Are you seeing mold on the top of the soil? Are you sure it's mold and not the fuzzy root hairs that are poking out of the soil?

 

[foxxycat]

What's the environment like where you are growing it? The temp and whether it's humid or dry air.

I find I dont have to water as often when growing indoors plants...and I've killed quite a bit of them from over watering.

 

[jcat]

Are you using a kit, or seeds in potting soil? The kits tend to get moldy because of the plastic tubs.

 

[Willowy]

Cat grass is rye or wheat or oats. Under normal conditions the grass grows up into producing grain. But in a pot it can't put down deep enough roots to mature. So it starts to die and the roots go moldy.

I think you're doing fine. It just isn't meant to be long-lived. I'd say a month is probably the best you can get.

If you start a new small batch every week or 2 weeks, you'll always have a steady supply .

 

[DreamerRose]

I agree with W Willowy . Growing grass indoors just isn't like growing it outdoors.

 

[Columbine]

Ah...I think W Willowy and jcat have hit the nail on the head. I've only ever tried cat grass growing kits, in their plastic trays. It never occurred to me that the tubs were causing the problem

...unfortunately, I've just set three trays going to keep the cats from chewing the tree when it comes in Ah well, I'll know better next time...

Thanks guys

 

[Willowy]

The tubs/trays aren't really the problem. I mean, the deeper the pot, the longer it'll last, so a real plant pot might help a bit, but you just can't plant it indoors and expect it to live 9 months like outside .

Sometimes you can get it to live a little longer by cutting it down to an inch, which puts it back into the growing stage instead of the maturing stage. But it really is a short-lived kitty snack.

If you want to cut back on expense, you can buy loose wheat or oats at any bulk grocery store and use those instead of the expensive little trays from the pet store. Just be sure to find potting soil without fertilizers.

 

[Columbine]

Thanks W Willowy I'm familiar with how to grow grass as a crop (horsey country girl, used to the process of growing, cutting and drying hay for livestock) I just hadn't put two and two together when it comes to cat grass

 

[jcat]

Hubby is the one with the green thumb in our household. He uses deep ceramic pots, potting soil, and "cat grass seeds" (actually oats) and usually keeps two pots going, cutting one down like W Willowy mentioned and giving the other to Mowgli to munch on. He puts the pots outside for a couple of hours in the afternoon, temperatures allowing, which extends the grass's life.

Jamie used to like young Cypress grass, which lasts a lot longer, but is a pain because you have to separate the roots to start new pots of it. The blades get too sharp with age, too.

 

[amethyst]

As others have said, growing it in a small shallow pot it doesn't have enough room to properly grow, so it will die in a few weeks (about 2-3 weeks from spouting). The pot I use is about a foot deep and a foot in diameter, and a self watering pot. Another thing you need to realize is that it's the young tender grass that cats tend to like the best. So keeping it going for too long it will mature, not taste as good, and the cat will loose interest.

 

[azpops]

I'm no help, but I purchased a few kits on Amazon! And well, I gave up! ... ... I must have 4 or 5 boxes of seeds and such, which only reminds me not to try this again! ...

Pops

 

[doomsdave]

Grass plants are big, vigorous things, and they need room.

All of the comments about pots, drainage, etc., are spot on.

I have a "container ranch" of potted palms in my yard, and sometimes a palm dies, but the weed grass living in the pot survives.

I wash it off, and bring it indoors for Great Great Grandma to graze on. She appreciates its emetic (vomit-causing) properties. She also nibbles on potted palm leaves.

One suggestion about getting more miles out of your cat grass is when it sprouts, pull out a "plug" about 1" (2.5 cm) across, and stick that in a pot of potting soil, in a pot about 6" (20 CM) across and about as deep, with holes in the bottom, and a saucer on the bottom. Keep moist, and the grass will grow and live a long while, look a bit like Tina Turner's hair.

 

[engine4154]

At the risk of cheating, I've been going with the already grown wheat grass from Meier's. A buddy of mine's daughter told me about it.

Wheat Grass | Meijer.com

It seems to last longer than the kits I've tried.

 

[Jack B]

Hello My Friends
Here is a link to a post I made earlier this year over on the Fur Pictures forum. It shows step by step how we grow our cat grass. This is just what works for me. In the wintertime I put it in a sunny window and it grows just fine. As to the mold, it sounds like you are watering too much. This is easy to do in a small container. You might consider buying a garden soil moisture gauge. Just poke the probe into the soil and it will indicate how much moisture in the soil.
Jack
Ginger's Cat Grass

 

[Mother Dragon]

I have a big pot of lemon grass in our raised container garden. Every morning, when Darwin goes for his walk in the back yard, he heads straight for it and has a good nosh. He even passes the catnip to go for it. I thought cats didn't like citrus but he sure does. The lemongrass is starting to die back, and if we get a freeze, I'm sure it'll be a goner. Then I'm going to be in a heap of trouble.

I would love to grow cat grass, but with three nibblers, a pot won't last long enough for another one to sprout. And if I leave it in the house to grow (too chilly outside in the winter), it's going to vanish overnight.