How To Sprout - Step By Step Guide

Yes I understand you cannot make sprouts from poor seeds etc. I purchased new organic supplies from what looks like a decent supplier, we will see. Will pick the sunflowers out of soaking batch and see how it goes. Thanks again @Roz it's really great to have an experienced sprouter to ask :)
 
Not sure if being hulled they will sprout?
Yes you can feed as is... sunflower very sparingly due to high fat content, perhaps use as training treats. Pumpkin seeds I always add a sprinkle to dry food bowl - they are a good source of protein and of magnesium, which assists with calcium absorption.
 
Cheers tomsmum I will wait till some one can tell me if they will sprout before I try them. So can you sprout seeds out of your normal bird seed mix?
 
Are these any good to sprout? If not can I feed them to my parrot as they are?View attachment 24272

Hey @Yellowchickenparrot try sprouting them. I sprout very similar... BUT a lot of sunflowers and pumpkin seed are heat treated nowadays which kills them so they won't sprout. As you can see I have both sunflowers and pumpkin plus some hemp seeds in one of the little sieves here. You can see the lengthening sunflower "tails":

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I get my sunflower seed from this company. In fact I get a lot of my sprouting mix ingredients from these guys. I know for sure their organic sunflowers sprout:

https://www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk/organic-sunflower-seeds-500g.html

I haven't had much luck with their pumpkin seeds though... I am suspicious they might have been heat treated, so I have found some in a local health shop. They are hulled like yours.
 
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Oww this could be interesting shall i pick certain seeds out or just chuck it all in and try it?

If the seed mix is just whole seed, ie. without bits of fruit and nut, etc. just chuck it all in and try. It will be a good indication as to how fresh it is!

Plus you can try sprouting millet spray! I've never had much luck with it, but it looks amazing sprouted!
 
An interesting read on heat treated not sprouting.When I tried sprouting Hemp (which is heat treated to prevent cannabis plants from growing)84 out of 100 seeds sprouted within 3 days and after 7 days 95 had sprouted ! I now do not use any Hemp.
I always sprout a small sample of the seed as seed that will not sprout is worthless to birds.
 
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An interesting read on heat treated not sprouting.When I tried sprouting Hemp (which is heat treated to prevent cannabis plants from growing)84 out of 100 seeds sprouted within 3 days and after 7 days 95 had sprouted ! I now do not use any Hemp.
I always sprout a small sample of the seed as seed that will not sprout is worthless to birds.

I didn't know hemp was heat treated. Quite a few sprout for me too. The heat treated sunflowers and pumpkin are really dead - they definitely don't sprout and start smelling after about two days.
 
Ha - you got soaking seed! :D Instead of sprouting you can also soak seed overnight and feed it the next day. If the contents are all whole seeds and grains, you could try sprouting them too - if only to see how alive the mix is.
 
IV never heard of it before Ringo will eat it whatever but what's the advantage of soaking seed? Other than it will be softer ?
 
I did post a response earlier, but it seems to have disappeared. Here it is again:

Dry seed has a protective coating which inhibits enzyme production (to prevent the seed from germinating) and nutrient absorption. Soaking is the very start of the germination process and activates those enzymes. Plus antioxidants rapidly multiply as do other vitamins and minerals. Nutrients become more digestible as the complex carbs and proteins are broken down into simpler forms. Sprouting for 48 hours further ups that nutritional content.
 
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