Grow Grass for Your Pets: Easy and Fun

Do you notice that your pets -both cats and dogs- nibble on the lawn? It's a myth that domestic animals only chew grass when they're sick. They eat it because they like it! If you see your pet throwing up after nibbling on the lawn, it's because of pesticides, fertilizers and who-knows-what else is on it. Here's a simple, fun way to provide safe, healthy wheat grass for your favorite feline or pampered pooch:

What you'll need:

* Hard Winter Wheat --you can find this in bulk at your local health-food store
* 2" deep cake rectangular cake pan
* Sterile Potting Soil
* Thick, high-end paper towels
* Water --if your tap water is very alkaline, use filtered water
* Spray Bottle

Sounds easy so far, right? That's because it is! First you need to sprout the wheat kernels. Accomplish this by placing several layers of paper towels in your cake pan. Pour water over towels to fully soak. Spread a single layer of wheat kernels on towels, then cover with another several layers of wet paper towels. Place out of direct sunlight. Spray several times a day, to maintain soaking-wet towels without creating puddles of water.

Depending on your wheat, it will take up to a week to sprout. Once you see that 80% of the kernels have sprouted, carefully remove the whole shebang from the pan. Fill pan with sterile potting soil and thoroughly soak. When soil is completely soaked, transfer sprouts to the top and push gently into soil. Don't worry if sprouted kernels overlap each other a bit-- your wheat grass will make a plant smaller than the initial seeds. Lay a wet paper towel over your sprouts and continue to maintain moisture. In a day the sprouts will be pushing the top towel off-- this is when you'll remove that paper towel and start misting your sprouts directly. Then you can place the growing tray near a window-- plants need sunlight to do the photosynthesis thing and turn green. Once plants are 2-3" tall you may set them somewhere your pet has access to, so they can munch the healthy, delicious treat you've made for them!

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