FAQ
Why can't I just use a Window Screen instead of your Medium?
A: Window/Lanai Screens and other Industrial Mesh Materials contain extremely toxic compounds and coatings meant to prevent corrosion or make the material heat retardant. Since they weren't designed to grow food on them, making them out of non-toxic materials was not a priority.
Can't I just source some Dehydrator Mesh to grow on, since some of those are NSF Certified?
A: While it's true that some of these materials are certified for use with nominal heat to dehydrate food, plant roots are exceptionally good at leeching compounds from materials. In addition, solutions used within the organic growing world, like liquid nutrients, ph stabilizers and antifungal compounds may very well begin to break down the plastic materials that the dehydrator mesh is made from, enabling some of these molecules to make their way into your Microgreens. EGS Reusable Mediums have been studied extensively with a wide variety of chemicals and solutions used within the hydroponics world and have been proven not to leech any polymers back into those solutions or the plants themselves.
After harvesting a tray of Microgreens, how difficult is it to remove the roots for reuse?
A: It's a very simple mechanical process. Our customers constantly tell us about their new more efficient methods to do this. Some of them use our recommended approach, with a gentle plastic scraper. Some use a soft scrub brush. Others tell us about using powerful wet/dry shop vacs to vacuum out the roots, while still others just use their hands and the tip of their nails. There are many ways to do this efficiently, just choose a method that is gentle on your screens, and don't forget to sanitize the mesh after each use.
When watering, how do I determine the correct level for my Microgreens?
A: During the seeding and germination phase, you will be spraying the seeds from the top. Having the Medium wet when seeding helps the seeds to stick to the spots you place them and simulates the moist soil they would have on the ground outside. We recommended spraying most seeds once per day. When your Microgreens are developed enough to put the trays under lights, you'll begin bottom watering. At this point, you'll be adding water (with or without nutrient solution) to your bottom tray until it is just below your EGS Mesh Medium. It's okay if the water touches the very bottom of the mesh, but you never want to have water coming through the slots in the mesh, soaking your seeds for very long.