Second Growth and reuse of soil?
Some microgreens/ grasses will continue to grow after first cut but there are some problems with continuing to grow them:
- The regrowth is much slower than with fresh seeds.
The yield will not be as large the second time around.
The trays get root bound and are harder to water well.
Disease becomes more of an issue because the colonies of bacteria (there are always bacteria) have time to grow in numbers. They also have much more plant material to colonize on.
Same with mold.
The second growth can be more fibrous and tough.
The flavour will not be as good and often more bitter than the first cutting.
The nutrition value will not be so high.
The soil has lost most of its nutrients, and you may need to fertilize the plants for a usable yield.
Just think of it as of Wheat, it doesn't produce a second crop. Farmers have to prepare the field and plant a new crop. You are better of just composting the soil and starting over.
Do not reuse soil after cutting your microgreens/ wheatgrass. After cutting it the tray is full of stems, broken microgreens, and roots which will rot as it's growth cycle ended.
It’s best to use new soil to reduce the possibility of disease. Plus, the new crop will grow better on fresh soil
The chance for disease is too great, and it takes some time to prepare the trays for planting. We’d rather throw the old soil in the compost heap and plant a new tray of microgreens on fresh soil.
Fresh soil leads to fresh microgreens!