How to Take Care of Cat Grass

How to Take Care of Cat Grass

The warm summer months pose special challenges when shipping live plants, but here at PetGreens we've been doing it successfully for 25 years and we know that by following a few simple tips your pets can still enjoy fresh, healthy cat grass year-round. In fact, many of our loyal customers depend on it, and that's the most important thing.

Opening your Cat Grass Kit:

If you receive grass that's less than beautiful when you open the box, know that there are quick and easy fixes to bring the plants back to their former glory. Of course, some things are out of our control, like the temperature in a given area, or the box sat too long inside of a hot delivery truck, or if it was just handled too roughly. If you receive a shipment that's completely trashed, just contact us and we'll take care of it - your happiness is our main concern! That's why we have a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee - just get in touch at the email address listed on the care tips card you received in your shipment, and we'll send out a replacement right away.

That being said, most often the cat grass is just showing the effects of being closed up in a hot box with no light for two days, and it will bounce back just fine. Cat grass, as you may know, is not really grass in the traditional sense - it's actually the sprout of a cereal grass seed, usually wheat, oat, rye or barley. If you want to maximize freshness and benefits treat it like you would treat living produce-like lettuce or sprouts. As with most produce its typical lifespan is about two to three weeks, but it can often last longer with proper care.

Should the grass look pale yellow or wilted when you open the box, the first thing to do is to provide light and water. A couple of hours under good strong light will help the plants green right up! However, direct sunlight-especially through a window - can burn the grass, so place the pots in a bright, well-ventilated spot while avoiding areas that might be a little too hot.

Watering the cat grass properly

This is always important but even more so in the summer months when temperatures rise. We have a tendency to over-water sometimes to compensate for the heat, but really cat grass only needs to be watered about twice a week and should never be allowed to sit in water for more than about an hour. It'll soak up all the water it needs in that time and should always be drained after watering in order to prevent mold growth, especially in areas with high humidity.

More tips for maintaining fresh cat grass

We've designed the Cat Grass 3-pack for home delivery so you can have several pots at a time. Using the Stay-Fresh bag provided, just rotate them in and out of the fridge and there can always be a pot of grass available for your pets to enjoy. Refrigeration slows down the growth of the grass and it also helps to alleviate gnats if they're a problem in your area.

Gnats are drawn to the water, so if you do start seeing the little buggers you'll want to make sure you're not keeping the grass too wet. A good way to get rid of gnats is to take the plant outside, shake the pot a few times to get the gnats off, and then just pop it in the fridge for a little while.

If you do see fuzzy white or grayish mold developing down around the roots it's perfectly fine just to rinse the grass under the tap and then just let it air out for a while. Usually the mold is easily rinsed off and it's not harmful, it just doesn't smell or taste very nice. If you start seeing black mold spots it's gone beyond that easily rinseable stage and it's time to replace the pot of grass.

Trimming the grass blades when they get too long can keep your cat grass looking nice and fresh. We recommend trimming the cat grass when the blades are more than four or five inches long. And as an added benefit to your pets you can even sprinkle those trimmings on their food.

Cat grass really is so easy to take care of and by following these few tips your pet will be able to enjoy the benefits of this delicious and nutritious green superfood for two to three weeks or even longer! Remember, we're here for you: if you have any questions at all about the cat grass or about your order, please don't hesitate to get in touch - we absolutely love hearing from you!