Sunflower Black Sprouting Seeds
Untreated whole black oil sunflower seed (Helianthus annuus), in the shell, for growing sunflower shoots on a tray, from 100 g to 4 kg. WA customers: maximum 10 kg.
About 14 seeds to the gram.
Sunflower shoots are cut when both seed leaves open, usually 8 to 14 days from the start of the soak, and are crunchy and mildly nutty. The seed is sold whole in its shell, which is not eaten, so it is grown on a tray of mix rather than in a jar. Black oil seed has a thinner shell than grey striped seed, so it sheds more easily, though its shoots grow a little shorter.
How to grow sunflower shoots on a tray
- Rinse about 50 to 75 g of seed for a 25 x 25 cm tray and pick out broken seeds and loose bits of shell.
- Cover it with two to three times its volume of cool drinking water, hold the floating seed under with a plate or a brim-full jar, and soak for 8 to 12 hours.
- Drain, then rinse and drain every 8 to 12 hours, with the jar upside down between rinses, until most seeds show a tiny white root tip.
- Spread the seed in one dense layer on 2 to 4 cm of damp seed raising mix and press it gently onto the surface. Mist it, cover it with a second tray holding a few food tins as a weight, and keep it dark.
- Lift the weight once the roots grip, and uncover the tray when the shoots push the cover up. Give it bright, indirect light, water from below once or twice a day and keep air moving.
- Brush off loose shells and cut with clean scissors just above the mix when both seed leaves have opened, usually at 8 to 15 cm, before true leaves appear.
Store the shoots dry and sealed in the fridge at 5°C or colder for 3 to 5 days. Seed that smells sour or feels slimy in the jar is thrown out, not sown.
Food safety
Sunflower shoots start as a raw sprout and can carry Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria, even when grown with care at home. The NSW Food Authority advises cooking all sprouts thoroughly before eating. People who are pregnant, aged 70 or over, children under 5 and anyone with a weakened immune system should not eat raw sprouts. Wash, rinse and sanitise trays, jars and tools between batches. Potting mix can carry Legionella bacteria: follow the warning on the bag, wet the mix down, wear gloves and a P2 mask, and wash your hands afterwards.
Guides and articles
