Cress can be cultivated indoors or outdoors, soil or no soil.
It does not need to grow into soil in order to germinate, and it can germinate on cotton wool.
In cotton wool, it will grow just as well as growing in soil; it only requires something to grab onto in order to flourish.
Growing cress using cotton wool is an easy way to grow cress inside of your home. Sowing cress is easy, it needs little care, and it can be harvested in less than 14 days! The process starts with laying down a moist layer of cotton wool in a tray or container.
Next, you distribute the seeds around the base of the container, about 1-2 inches apart, and lightly press them into the cotton wool.
Then, the tray is covered with cling film, and the tray is placed on a warm windowsill so that light can warm it up while the cress matures into a cycle of growth. The process ends with the harvest.
Finally, the mature cress is ready to be harvested, which is done with a pair of scissors.
Steps in Growing Cress in Cotton Wool
Preparing Tray/Punnet
Cress can thrive in any container but a shallow tray or punnet would be more advantageous than a deep one.
Once you have chosen the appropriate medium, line it with clean cotton wool to a three-quarters depth.
Then, gently break down the fibers of cotton wool. Wet the wool well, but do not immerse it in water.
Remember: Allow for a 3 cm gap between the cotton wool and the rim of the tray or pot.
Sowing Cress Seed
Disperse the seeds evenly on top of the cotton wool, about one to two inches apart; be generous but not too generous (teaspoon full of grain).
After you have evenly dispersed the seeds, lightly press each down.
Again, check that the cotton wool is moist and add a little water if needed, this is per seed as well, and ensure it is even throughout the wool.
Covering the Tray/Pot
Cover the tray or container (which is an inch or two deep) with cling film. This works best because it will prevent your seedlings from hitting a glass ceiling during their growth.
Additionally, it will help keep the cotton wool damp, preventing it from drying out by limiting evaporation.
You can germinate cress without cling film, but you’ll have to keep an especially close eye on it because the wool dries out quickly.
Positioning in Light
Leave the tray in a warm, light area, such as a window sill, and be sure to check the tray regularly for signs of growth.
Check the seeds after a day; at this stage, they will typically have started to sprout a little already!
Check the seeds again after another day, and you should see some vigorous sprouts, and remove the cover film, if it is there!
What You Can Expect: About 2 weeks until they are fully matured – harvest time!
Indoor Cress Growing Conditions and Basic Care
Location and Lighting
This plant has gained a solid reputation for its little need for light or attention, plus fast, fast growth.
It’s a shade-loving plant and does require little light to flourish.
This means it can thrive in your home just sitting on your windowsill.
Optimal Temperature
Seeds can germinate when it is warmer than 5 °C but cress plants prefer to grow between 10 to 18 °C.
The plant was cooled off with cold water, the room was ventilated so that the plant could maintain the temperature.
Water
Prior to sowing, it is a good idea to soak the seeds to promote fast germination.
You should mist the cress seedlings with water daily while growing the seedlings indoors in cotton wool.
Taking care of this salad is quite simple:
- just remember to water it regularly and occasionally,
- spray the crops once or twice a day.
Using a sprayer is ideal to soak the cress with water while considering the leaves too including the stems for tasty flavor and tenderness.
Increase humidity, by always maintaining wet cotton wool but not soggy cotton. Most importantly is not allowing the cotton to over-dry.
Whenever you forget to water the cress seedlings they will droop quickly.
Make sure to re-moisturize the cress seedlings within a day period and they will perk back up. You can stretch the stems also from lack of moisture but flavor is lost.
The leaves may turn yellow and take on a bitter taste too much any more. The worst could happen is that they drop leaves.
When Is Cress Ready to Harvest?
Fourteen days after sowing, the cress growing on the windowsill will be ready to be harvested.
Cress would be cut after the cotyledons are present or at the first flush of true leaves. Depending on the variety of cress grown, it will be ripened when it is between 1 1/2 to 2 inches tall.
Cress is most delicate at the seed-leaf stage.
For this reason, cut cress as soon as possible when decided to harvest cress. Simply use scissors to clip the shoots of cress.
So if you decide to cut cress, be sure to cut it before a flower bud appears, and the scent of the plants atmosphere diminishes and becomes less potent as the flower blooms.
Ideal time to cut cress is in the early morning as the leaf blade will have higher levels of essential oils at that time of the day.
Cress is best consumed within a short time period after it has been cut.
Cress has a flavor that is best consumed fresh when it is harvested.
Cress sustainability is low so it does not last long during the refrigerator keeping process, because its flavor will lessen within even a few hours of time.
So again, cut cress as much as you would like to consume if fresh in a short time frame. Cress is not a great herb to dry or freeze.
What Are The Benefits Of Indoor Planting Cress?
It Can Serve as Inspiration
Cress is fantastic, especially if you want to involve your children in a project.
Because it is simple to plant, you can use it as a great demonstration with the children to show them the many things that plants need to grow.
Reduces the Chance of Illness
Cress plants purify the surrounding air, giving you cleaner and more breathable air.
Purification lowers the risk of respiratory ailments (one of the most common reasons we all get sick, especially with colds).
Having plants indoors will ensure you are breathing clean and fresh air.
Positive Effects on our health: Having plants around can also be a form of therapy, ensuring our mental well-being is healthy. It calms those are stressed and makes meditating more significant.
They Help Purify the Air
Having plants indoors does not only filter out toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde and benzene from the air around you.
It also increases humidity by releasing water in vapor form into the atmosphere.
With this fresh air, breathing is a little easier. You can relax knowing that pollution is being filtered out in your home.
Final Thoughts
Cress can be grown on cotton wool, paper towel, or tissue paper.
It is usually grown indoors in shallow trays, punnets, containers, or even eggshells, because the plant just needs to anchor its roots and absorb water to grow. Cress has multiple benefits, but is also very low maintenance and easy to grow.
Growing cress is a fast and easy way to grow something indoors in little effort. It is even a hobby for your children that you can do year round, since it can be sown at any time of the year.
It is a great way to show the seed to food cycle in a short time period overall and your kids can see the whole growing process from beginning to end.