So I've had 3 seeds germinating, 2 of them are doing fine with normal growth and the shells are in the process of falling off, one of them I noticed though had the tap root grown up to the surface instead of down, so I very gently dug around the seed and placed it with the tap root facing the soil. In doing so do you think I may have killed the seed? It hasn't grown much since, and if it's just stressed and does eventually pop up do you think it's going to have stunted growth?
Don't EVER touch your seedlings with your hands. Even using a tool can be harmful. You do not need to turn the seeds since the root will find it's way to the surface... Has it emerged from the soil tho? Takes about 3-4 days to show up. And don't worry about stunted growth. When a plant is stunted, it only lasts a few days (up to weeks, depending on the cause).
The top of the seed is sticking out, since the tap root is in the soil I'm hoping it's just having some root growth before sprouting :/
Yeahvalways keep your seeds under about half an inch of soil if direct sowing. Keep soil moist never let it dry out. But don't keep it soaked, just a small amount every other day.
Yeah I've been by my the seedlings most of the day whenever I see the peat starter pellet get dry I give it a nice mist and then dampen the outside soil a bit, the last seed has started to push up the soil a bit so that's good news! By the time I wake up it may be a full sprout