Can you sprout split peas? - Yes!

Hopefully a straight forwards question.

Can you sprout split peas?

For some reason, I cannot find whole dried peas to sprout for my hens but I can get ahold of cheap split peas.

My assumption is the answer is no but crazier things have happened!

Huh. Like you, I assumed you couldn't. But poking around, I see several sources telling you how to sprout split peas. Now, there's a lot of nonsense on the internet, but this picture seems legit:



(sourced: https://stonepostgardens.com/can-split-peas-be-sprouted/)

even if they don’t technically sprout, there may be enough in the way of chemical changes just from the pre-sprouting ‘malting’ period to make them more readily digestible. worth some smaller-scale experimenting, anyway!

Wow, that is a surprise! I suspect that only one half will hold the embryo plant. Please let us know how you get on Timothy.

Thank you so much Chris!

I will be getting my hands on some split peas to conduct my own trials and will share what I come up with.

Christopher Weeks wrote:(sourced: https://stonepostgardens.com/can-split-peas-be-sprouted/)

And yet on that self same page it has these quotes

Do split peas sprout?

A split pea is only half of a seed, and therefore it will not contain all of the genetic information needed to produce a sprout. If you want to sprout peas, you will need to use whole peas. Split peas and whole peas are identical besides the fact that one has been split in half, so let’s find out how to get your peas sprouting.

You cannot sprout split peas because they do not contain the genetic information to produce a sprout. However, you can sprout dried peas, and these are the same food.

I have to suspect that the whole thing is written by AI. I can't imagine that a split seed would sprout reliably as the embryo would be damaged. And in any case only one half would grow and the rest would probably go bad.

Also, here is the video of sprouted split peas. This is part one!



And here is part two.  Look carefully...



I can't help suspecting that the first vide shows a collection of halves of whole peas that have sprouting, selecting only the halves that have the sprout growing.

This video explains a bit about bean-seed anatomy. Note it says ONE of the halves may have an embryo. Not both!



But having said all that, why not give it a go? If I had more energy, I'd try split peas, whole peas, and peas I'd split myself from the same pack as the whole peas.

Here's another video showing bean seed anatomy, in more detail.

Ok, I’m trying too. We're a year and a third past their best-by date, so I wouldn't expect great germination anyway, but I counted out 100 and put them in water. Later, I'll put them on a wet paper towel in a plastic bag and we'll see what happens.

ETA: picture of soaked peas in germination “chamber”.

Not an answer to the question, but I have found whole peas from an Indian grocery store to be pretty cheap and they grow well.

Three days in and I have one little sprout. Hopefully in a few days I'll have something like 30 and we can assume that half of split peas can germinate.

Christopher Weeks wrote:Three days in and I have one little sprout. Hopefully in a few days I'll have something like 30 and we can assume that half of split peas can germinate.

That is exciting results, my mind if buzzing now for how to use the potential for my own benefit!

I had started a whole pea sprout batch for my chickens, so I am calling it a 'control' out of convenience.

Day 1 (Soaked overnight in water)

Day 2 (Rinse 1-2x a day until sprout size I desire)



Day 4 (Sprouted!)




For our split peas, today is Day 1. I am soaking them like the whole peas and will report back my results in a few days time.

We have another confirmation for sprout development.



I didn't pick through all of them but the germination rate seemed rather acceptable at the 50-60%ish level.

Fascinating stuff. They are destined for my chickens to be a snack.

Awesome! Thanks for keeping us updated and I'm looking forward to your final results!

Nice finding Timothy.
I’ve tried sprouting seeds for my chickens before, and only whole, intact seeds or legumes worked for me...

Wow! Who would have thought that split peas could sprout?! Not me.
But you don't know until you have tried. I see here some who tried and succeeded. When these are 'permies' I trust them (more than google, youtube, etc.).

Now I want to try myself. Split peas are the easiest to get here, because they are the ingredient for the famous Dutch 'snert' (or 'erwtensoep', meaning 'pea soup').

So I told my wife about this thread and asked if we had a package of split peas.  Was told in no uncertain terms that if I wanted to try spouting them to go buy my own !!  lol

Read down the thread and found Timothy Norton did it!  They sprouted !

Glad to see it worked.

This explains a situation that we had in our chicken space this year - We had volunteer pea plants pop up and assumed they must have been dropped from the chicken feed we offer (organic split field peas being the first ingredient). The information about one half housing the embryo was really helpful.

So another confirmation for the split peas sprouting (albeit unintentional/uncontrolled) - Thank you all for sharing your experiences!

I've tried before and never got one to sprout. I guess age is a factor too.

I am located in Canada, and I 've had difficulty getting whole peas on occasion, and for the last three years, the price of food grade 10 kg bags of yellow whole peas has been on par with feed grade, and it's closer. These peas are old, and there are about 5% halves in there. The halves never sprout but the whole ones always do. I eat them too of course and so does my dog, plus many of them make their way to the garden and the compost.

Split peas sprouting seems to me to be a testament to the vitality of nature. :) It always amazes me how much abuse the roots of transplanted seedlings can take. Most survive even when they are torn from the soil they were growing in. Yay, nature!

This is interesting. Apparently it works with lentils, certain soy, and some beans (avoid kidneys). I'll be interested to try cooking with these since it is said to be much easier to digest.

I also want to create a winter dog food supplement to cut down on costs -- sprouted peas could be part of the dog stew.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:
I also want to create a winter dog food supplement to cut down on costs -- sprouted peas could be part of the dog stew.

I add plenty of ground fennel which I buy by the kilogram -- which contains an enzyme we, dogs, and perhaps other species lack to digest the ogliosaccharides in beans and it seems to help with peas too. I often don't get to the sprouting stage, but simply soak the peas overnight, rinse, add water and bake in a high quality covered roasting pan for about 2-3 hours at 350F along with some black pepper for taste and health.
That makes a great base for meals for myself and the dog. If I let it get a bit crusty, the dog gets the crusty parts. The proof is in the poop: if the dog poop is well formed and he is regular, I know his meal is of correct portions. Obviously that's a good guide for us also.
I freeze it in medium sized ziplock bags I lie flat while they freeze, and I can usually get a good dozen uses out of a ziplock bag before it gets relegated to bring patched with red housewrap tape and used for other things like storing seeds from the garden, before being placed in the freezer door where all the quick saved seeds go.

I terminated my germination experiment last night. I think I had eight sprouts and everything was starting to rot. I don't draw much in the way of conclusion since my seed was old, but we certainly know that split peas will grow now.