Sprouting garlic

Hello all, i was delighted to find this page!

I am sprouting garlic, or anything, for the first time, using Sproutmaster automatic sprouter (i know, i'm a wimp, with limited time). Here's my question: I filled the entire 12" disc with garlic/chive seeds. they've been in the sprouter a full two weeks. a good handful of them have grown a couple inches tall and have turned green. A good handful of them have grown half that much. the majority of them are still pale squiggly things lying on the bottom of the tray. And who knows how many of them haven't sprouted at all.

The sproutmaster directions are to remove the lid a few days before harvesting (when 90% of the sprouts have dropped their hulls (although i'm also told that garlic sprouts may not drop their hulls)) so that the sprouts can benefit from the sun (2 weeks for garlic, although longer in the winter).

1. It is winter, should I just keep the lid on and give them more time to grow?
2. Do the sprouts NEED that lid taken off at this point?

Thanks for any input.

Julie Tweet