Last Christmas, after enduring years of those Chia Pet ads on TV, I finally broke down and bought one. I bought a Chia Cow and promptly set out to “watch it grow”.
First off, the Chia Pet is handcrafted out of terracotta, and has a glazed head. The body, where the Chia Seeds go, is grooved so the seeds have a place to adhere to the body.
To start off, you need to soak both the Chia Pet and the chia seeds in water overnight. This is to get the terracotta moist since this is how the water gets to the seeds. After soaking the seeds overnight in a little bit of water, they form a gelatinous coating which helps them adhere to the pet. You then spread the seeds on the pet, and keep the pet filled with water. Place it near sunlight, then “watch it grow”!
I have “grown” my Chia Pet several times since Christmas, and each time, it gets better.
The last time I planted the pet, I placed it in my living room on a table that does not get much sunlight. It grew, but did not get the full coat that they advertise on TV.
For this planting, I have decided to place the pet near a window. There is a possible problem with this plan, since the window and surrounding area can get a little cold. Since it is the middle of April, I hope that that is not too much of a problem, but we’ll see.
The following is my Chia Diary of my 4th planting, which started on April 16, 1999. (click on a picture to see a bigger version).
April 16, 1999
Soaked Chia Pet and Chia Seeds in water to be able to “plant” the Chia Pet the next day.
April 17, 1999
Spread seeds on pet. Placed pet near window.
April 19, 1999
Two days into the planting cycle. A few seeds have very small sprouts emerging.
April 20, 1999
Three days into the planting cycle. A few more seeds have very small sprouts emerging.
April 22, 1999
Five days into the planting cycle. A few seeds have small sprouts emerging; now about 0.5 inches.
April 23, 1999
Six days into the planting cycle. There seems to be more growth on the side away from the window.
April 24, 1999
Seven days into the planting cycle. I will be turning the Chia Pet 180 degrees after this picture is taken to facilitate even growth.
April 25, 1999
Eight days into the planting cycle.
April 26, 1999
Nine days into the planting cycle. Growth has increased. Small sprouts seen on almost all sides of pet.
April 28, 1999
Eleven days into the planting cycle.
April 29, 1999
Twelve days into the planting cycle.
May 1, 1999
Fourteen days into the planting cycle. Large sprouts all over pet.
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CAN YOU TRANSPLANT YOUR HERB GARDEN TO LARGER POTS?
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
Just had to tell you what a kick I got out of your website. Just what I wanted to know and pictures to boot! Thanks
Hilarious….
Looking for the Chia Dino myself…not having any luck.
Found the dino ….he’s on his way.
And I get the free chia clock yahoo !!!!
Super funny….but helpful. I am glad somebody is as passionate to her chia pet as you. My art class is doing an installation and your instructions have been very helpful.
what kind of pets can you get?
This is a trip! I am currently looking for (all sold out) some chias for my four year old who is addicted to those damn CHA-CHA-CHA-CHIA commercials! LOL Thanks for letting me know they really are grow-able!
Thank you for the information you provided. And the pictures were great. I brought myself a Chia Garfield for Christmas, and soaked it last night, along with the seeds. Thanks to you I am confident that soon I will have a growing chia pet.
I want to buy one of those cat grass chia pets but can’t find one. I did manage to buy a bag of Salba seeds which are sold as a (human) food supplement but are apparently the same thing as chia seeds, or at least closely related.
Does anyone have suggestions on sprouting this stuff for my cats WITHOUT a chia pet?
Simon,
Cats aren’t really interested in Salba or chia. They really prefer to eat grass. The cat grass chia pet planter comes with grass seed, not chia seed.
You can grow grass seed (or chia seed) in any old pot of soil. If you don’t have soil, you can use a sponge, as long as you keep it wet.
I found a chia cat at the local “antique” store for $6. My husband had ordered pounds of chia seeds since we heard they are good for you. They are very difficult to eat! Anyway, I really appreciate your instructions since I tried to put the seeds on my chia cat without soaking them and this did not work. Thanks!
I just purchased a chia pet cat grass planter but it did not come with planting instructions. Where can I find them?
Chia cat grass a big hit in my house cats love it. can’t keep ahaed of them
my herb garden did not have enough “plastic pots"any ideas how I can improvise?
This was very helpful. Even put quite a smile on my face. Thank you.
how can we prank a coworkers cubical and grow a chia desktop?
Your photos and dialog put a smile on my face! Thanks for the inspiration. All the local stores in my area are out of the Chia Pet I wanted to buy for my 5 year old granddaughter.
I finally found a web site that carries the ‘elephant’ Chia Pet. Can’t wait to give it to her!
where the heck do you guys find the chias?? I’ve been searching! I want one for my brother cuz every year he tries to get me to tell him what I got for him for christmas and every year I tell him I got him a chia pet and I would really like to get him one this year for real!
anyone know how long the sprouts last if you don’t eat them. 2 weeks or longer?
We have a client who wants us to make a ceramic head in the likeness of someone who is retiring—-no problem. BUT he want to make sure that the sprouts are curly, as opposed to straight. What sprouts should we use? Alfalfa? Chia or (Salba) seeds? I think that wheatgrass or oatgrass will grow out straight, and he does not want the Don King look…..
You can find Chia pets at any Rite Aid, Walgreens, Bi-Mart, K-Mart, Wal-mart and a thousand drug stores. I have seen these everywhere including garage sales. If you don’t see them on a shelf, ask a store clerk.
i named my chia pet fifi the fluffy frog
[...] my office, means that the Chia Garfield looses a lot more water compared to the Chia cow that was previously planted. The drip tray needed to be emptied at least once every other day, but should have be done once a [...]
Been nurturing my grandson's chia pet for 7 days now & no sprouts! I'm afraid it's not getting enough sun. Is there hope for it to grow if there's not enough sunlight? Went through this last year & it never grew. What am I doing wrong???????