I tried growing a chia pet and this is how it went..

Well we all have heard about how healthy and amazing Chia seeds are for our bodies. It is a superfood after all, packed with nutrients like calcium, protein, fiber, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. I had recently read that Chia sprouts are also an amazing addition to your plate. They go great in salads, sandwiches, guac, burrito bowls, and so much more.

They’re not only rich in all the nutrients above but also have chlorophyll as it a microgreen. You can definitely buy the sprouted microgreens, but they could go as expensive as $30 a pound.

I have always wanted to grow my own food, I grew chilies, tomatoes, mint, wheatgrass, avocado (all in my apartment balcony) and thought of giving this a try. I read a couple of things about Chia Pet and I decided to grow it on my fishbowl, and this is how it went.

Day 1: I had to make a reel for Instagram, so I set up the whole thing. Organized everything in bowls and placed it on the table. Set my tripod and started.

Mix 4 tablespoons of Chia seeds with equal amount of water. Mix it, leave it for 15 minutes and it forms a jelly-like substance. You want it to be a little sticky so make sure you don’t add extra water. Place the bowl upside down and start applying the jelly all over. This will take some time because you want to make sure it is evenly spread in a single layer. Once the applying is done, spray some water and cover it to keep it moist.

Day 2: Mist Mist Mist.

Day 3: Mist Mist Mist.

Day 4: Going really well so far. I could see the greens growing.

Day 5: This is when everything started falling apart. I had to go on a date, and I forgot to put the cover on. My room is pretty sunny and by the time I came home and saw it, it had lost all its moisture and most of it was drying dead. I thought I can still revive it, so I put the lid on and kept misting it.

Day 6: I saw some funky mold growing on it. But I took some tweezers and cleaned it. Misted it again.

Day 7: This is when I gave up. It not only had mold, but it was also growing fungus! I had to scrape the whole thing down and toss it in the garbage.

But let me tell you where I went wrong.

1. I did not use fresh water every time I misted it. I will use distilled water next time.

2. I left the moisture cover open and exposed it to direct sunlight.

3. I took the risk of not trying it on a smaller patch first.

4. I kept the bowl on my dresser and after misting it, I used Microban to clean the dresser and put the lid back on not realizing it could cause more bacteria to grow.

So, I finally learned what went wrong and where, I will be trying this again but this time on a terracotta tray with fresh water.

I would recommend you try growing your own superfood microgreens. It will not give you nutrients but also a sense of happiness to grow your own food, learn from your mistakes and rectify them. These kinds of experiments will encourage you to keep trying new things from home! I had 8 failed attempts to grow an avocado, but I finally did it.

Update will follow once my second attempt of growing Chia, failed or successful, is done!