Choosing a Sprouter

This article shows you what to look for when choosing a sprouter. Sprouts contain very high levels of nutrients and can be juiced (better results will be obtained from twin gear or masticating juicers). Growing sprouts at home is easy and takes less than a week.

There are many different types of sprouter which use different materials and offer different features. The number of features is normally reflected in the cost of the sprouter. When choosing a sprouter the features you should consider will include:

How much time is needed to maintain the sprouts each day?
Quality of sprout crop produced
Space available for housing the sprouter
Availability of water and/or power supply for 'automatic' sprouters
Initial cost and any running costs

The beauty of sprouting your own seeds, nuts and beans is that it is a simple process with just a few golden rules. As long as you follow these simple rules then you should grow healthy, nutritious sprouts. Whichever model of sprouter you choose, the basic process of sprouting remains the same and if used properly the end product sprouts should be of the same quality.

Remember that bad drainage results in the seeds or sprouts sitting in water. Seeds won't germinate in water and sprouts will rot so it is is vital to make sure your chosen sprouter has good drainage properties.

Basic sprouters

There are three forms of basic sprouter, sprouting tray, the sprouting jar and the sprouting bag.

Sprouting trays
Sprouting trays are one or more trays that you spread your seeds across. They normally have drainage holes in the bottom of the trays to allow water that rinses the sprouts to drain off freely. A tray sprouter may have drip trays built into it and may have tray lids to help retain moisture levels in the sprouting environments air. Tray sprouters often offer a 'modular' design where trays can be stacked on top and next to each other in a snug fitting modular fashion to make economical use of the room space you have allocated to sprouting.

Sprouting Jars
Sprouting Jars are probably the most well known form of sprouter and are often peoples first sprouter. You can make your own sprouting jar whereas commercial sprouting jars tend to have sprouting functionality built into them such as an angled storage and perforated lids to aid in efficient drainage. Sprouting jars don't tend to have as good air circulation as other forms of sprouter which means that you may have to rinse your sprouts more often.

Sprouting bags
Sproutman's sprouting bag Sprouting bags are sometimes chosen in preference to sprouting jars because they allow better air circulation and drainage due to their porous nature. Sprouting bags are often made of hemp fibre which is a natural fibre that drains freely. Sprouting bags also make rinsing and drainage as simple as can be as they are simply dipped and swirled for rinsing and then hung up to allow for drainage (this is however not the least messy of sprouters). Sprouting bags are the best option for those that travel a lot as you can easily pack your sprouting bag and a selection of seed packets into any travel bag. Do not be tempted to make your own sprouting bag from plastic carrier bags as the drainage and air circulation will be poor. Sprouting bags are especially popular for sprouting beans and seeds.

Automatic Sprouters

Automatic sprouters are so called because they automate some part of the sprouting process which means you have to spend less time in tending your sprouts.

Examples of automatic sprouters include

The Easy Green
Freshlife Automatic Sprouter
The Automatic Sprouter
Auto Sprout