A Detailed Guide to Growing Buckwheat Sprouts: Even Beginners Can Learn with Ease

Select large, plump seeds from the current year's harvest. First soak the seeds in 20°C clean water for 22-24h to ensure they absorb enough water, then place them in a 22-25°C environment to sprout. From 5-6 days after sowing, pay attention to watering at regular times, keeping the seedling tray neither waterlogged nor dry. The best time to harvest is when the cotyledons are flat and green, the epicotyl is purplish red, and the area near the root is white.

1. Environmental Requirements

The suitable temperature for buckwheat sprout growth is 20-25°C. In winter, early spring and late autumn, they must be grown in a solar greenhouse or an idle room. When the outside temperature reaches about 20°C, they can be produced in the open field, but care must be taken to provide shade and protect them from rain. To make the sprouts
tender, soil and air humidity should be increased appropriately.

2. Choice of Facilities

The growing racks are made of angle iron, steel bars or bamboo and wood materials. For ease of operation, a rack height of about 1.6m is suitable, with 3-5 layers in the middle and 50cm between each layer; plastic seedling trays are best, and the production paper should be a type that absorbs a lot of water and is cheap.

3. Seed Selection

To ensure yield and improve product quality, it is best to select large, plump buckwheat seeds from the current year's harvest, and be careful to remove empty grains, shriveled grains, grass seeds and so on.

4. Seed Soaking and Sprouting

First soak the seeds in 20°C clean water for 22-24h to ensure they absorb enough water. To make the buckwheat sprouts thicker and increase their commercial value, a small amount of stem swelling agent and gibberellin can be added to the warm water to promote thickening and elongation of the buckwheat sprout stems. Then remove the seeds, wash them and put them in a container, and sprout them at a constant temperature of 22-25°C for about 24h. When the sprouts are 1-2mm long, they are ready for sowing.

5. Sowing

Take a clean seedling tray, lay 1-2 layers of white paper on the bottom, and spray water so that it does not drip. Evenly broadcast the sprouted seeds onto the wet paper at a density of 0.08g/m2. After sowing, stack the seedling trays together, cover them tightly with black plastic film, and place them in a 22-25°C environment to sprout. After 3-4 days, when the sprouts are about 2cm long, the seedling trays begin to be placed on the racks to grow in the light.

6. Cultivation Management

During the growth period of buckwheat sprouts, maintaining the moisture of the seedling tray and the relative air humidity is key. From 5-6 days after sowing, the sprouts grow to 5-6cm, with a stem thickness of about 1.2mm, but at this time the seed shells have not yet fallen off, so attention must be paid to watering at regular times. When the temperature is 15°C, spray once every 5-6h; when the temperature is above 15°C, spray once every 8-12h, keeping the seedling tray neither waterlogged nor dry, so as to promote the rapid shedding of the seed shells and the quick unfolding of the cotyledons.

7. Timely Harvesting

From 10-12 days after sowing, the hypocotyl of the sprouts is about 12cm long, and the best time to harvest is when the cotyledons are flat and green, the epicotyl is purplish red, and the area near the root is white.