Learning how to grow cress on cotton wool offers great benefits to you.
First, it’s quick and easy to grow this nutritious food. It does not even take much to get it done and even kids can do it.
And most importantly, it’s cheap. You should be able to start munching it in just a few days. So, it’s quick, easy, and healthy – those are plenty of reasons to start growing cress today!
If you are keen on growing cress, you’re in the right place. I’ll share with you expert tips you need to know on how to grow these amazing greens – tools, techniques, and even a fun recipe you can make with cress. Ready, set, sow!
Quick Facts on How to Grow Cress on Cotton Wool
It’s common knowledge that you need soil to grow plants.
But this is not the case at all times. In fact, you can grow cress on cotton wool – no need for soil at all!
If you keep reading, you’ll discover 5 simple tools you need and a few pointers to make sure your cress grows strong, healthy, and flavorful.
First, let’s talk about cress and what’s good about it.
Cress is rich in nutrients, especially vitamin K. This vitamin offers excellent support to your bones and even helps prevent osteoporosis.
Moreover, cress promotes heart health. The high antioxidant levels lower the risks of many types of cancer and chronic diseases.
Overall, it’s a great vegetable to eat because of its health benefits. As a bonus, it adds an exciting pop of aroma and flavor to your sandwiches and salads.
Now that you know some basic facts about cress and why soil is not always a necessity to grow it, let’s proceed to the most exciting part…
5 Expert Tips How to Grow Cress on Cotton Wool
You can choose from different cress varieties to grow such as the Greek, common, or curled. No matter which type you choose, you can be sure that it tastes amazing. And of course, all varieties are a breeze to grow – even indoors.
Here are some tips to get you started.
1. Get your planting tray ready.
Cress should grow quickly in any type of pot. However, I recommend a shallow pot or tray instead of a deep one. These plants don’t grow too tall, so you should be fine with shallow trays such as an old plastic takeaway food container from the restaurant.
2. Prepare your medium.
As I mentioned earlier, you can easily grow cress on cotton wool. So, skip the dirt and go with a bunch of cotton wool. Some people also use paper towels and these work just as well.
3. Moisten the cotton wool.
Next up, prepare your planting medium by moistening it. Use a spray bottle to get your cotton wool nice and moist. However, be sure it is not entirely soaked that it’s completely drenched in water.
4. Sow the seeds.
This is the fun part, yet it’s tricky, too. When sowing the seeds, be sure to spread them out evenly to make sure they are not overcrowded. It will be hard for the seeds to germinate and grow roots when they are on top of each other. Use the back of the spoon to spread out the seeds more evenly over the cotton wool.
5. Mist, cover, and wait.
Lastly, mist the seeds once more before covering the tray to keep it humid. I use another plastic container turned upside down as a cover. Then, you need to place your tray in a dark area in your home to allow the seeds to germinate.
One more quick tip – seeds germinate faster in an ideal temperature. I have observed that by keeping the room between 68 and 75 degrees, seeds should germinate quicker than in a colder environment. So, you may have to keep this in mind.
Here is a helpful video that shows how to grow cress on cotton wool. Check it out:
When is Cress Ready to Harvest?
Expect the germination process to take a day or two. Many factors determine how fast or slow the seeds germinate such as the temperature, growing environment, and the level of humidity in the tray.
However, you will know it’s time to harvest cress once it has grown about 1.5 to 2 inches tall. This should take 5 to 7 days after planting.
Since you’re using cotton wool, this keeps the cress cleaner than when you plant it in the soil. Simply cut off the stalks and leave the roots on the cotton wool. Then, give them a rinse, and they should be ready to munch!
Speaking of munching…
Here are some quick, tasty, and easy cress recipes you may want to try.
Additional Tips on How to Grow Cress on Cotton Wool
The best thing about cress is that you can easily grow it all year round.
As long as you have basic materials such as a tray, cotton wool, and a favorable temperature in your home, then you should be good to go.
When deciding whether you should harvest or let it grow some more, you simply need to check the height and leaves of your plants. I would allow the plants to develop a couple more leave after the feathery, “true” leaves appeared.
Once some leaves and the stems are about an inch tall, you can remove the tray’s cover. You can then expose your cress to sunlight. This way, the leaves can turn green for more nutrients.
Bottom Line
Growing cress is so easy – and it does not take much at all to get started.
I hope this post has inspired you to begin growing cress in your home. After all, what can be better than growing your own food? it’s cheap, fast, and healthy, too.
Start your own cress mini garden at home and enjoy all the delicious recipes you can make with it!
HI KIDS HAVE FUN