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Seed casings won't let go!

Discussion in 'Sick Plants and Problems' started by Che Lives, Nov 9, 2012.

  1. #1 Che Lives, Nov 9, 2012
    Hey there. I planted two germinated seeds (about a 1/2" deep) about five days ago. three days after one sprouted from the soil with the casing on it and i figured i'd let nature do her thang and it would come off after a day or so... well it didnt and i ended up meticulously tweezing that mofo off and now she looks like this (pic 1/2) which i can only imagine isnt good but idk. on the fourth day the other girl sprouted (pic 3/4) with the same hat and has been fighting it off but it still has a grip on her. these are old bagseeds and thats the only reason i can think of for this occurrence.

    So what should i do about the latter sprout? Pull the casing off or let it ride a little longer? Danke :smoking:
     

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  2. #2 vjaj, Nov 9, 2012
    I like to intervene with tweezers in your situation.

    Beginning 3rd grow(Apprentice) - BC Big Bud
     
  3. #3 Che Lives, Nov 9, 2012
    Yeah i figured i would have to resort to playing God with this one, and so i did. we'll see how she likes it. Thanks for the advice!
     
  4. #4 nimbus456, Nov 10, 2012
    I just pull them off with my fingers.
    As long as you're gentle and don't touch the seedling its fine.
     
  5. #5 Plex1, Nov 10, 2012
    i had a seed do this and it was a runt forever. To avoid plant deeper next time
     
  6. #6 Che Lives, Nov 10, 2012
    Yeah that's what I'm afraid of....most sources say 1/4" so I didn't think I was coming close to risking this scenario by doubling the depth, but apparently I was wrong haha. Next time I'll bury it into the earths core...
     
  7. #7 Plex1, Nov 10, 2012
    Guess yo just had a clinger lol....who knows hopefully it doesnt runt. I wouldnt let it on there long though cause it could kill your cotlydons
     
  8. #8 TinTizzy, Nov 10, 2012
    I drip water on them to soften it then pull it off with a tooth pick
     
  9. #9 Che Lives, Nov 10, 2012

    yeah i may have killed one of my plants cotyledons from letting nature run its 'course', which apparently was injury haha.
     
  10. #10 Che Lives, Nov 10, 2012

    yeah i took a little spray bottle to that clinging bastard and then tweezed him off.
     
  11. #11 drdank50, Nov 12, 2012
    Funny, but I've had this issue with the last 7 beans I've popped. Are we doing something wrong that causes this? I'd really like to know!

    I start mine off in a shot glass of water till I see the taproot. I'll then drop it in a jiffy peat puck. Once it pops through, I take the shell off, but then the leaves won't open up and I have to pry it open softly, and then trim them so the leaves pop out.
     
  12. #12 baumeister, Nov 12, 2012
    ^that
    theres a layer of stuff that gets slippery when wet inside that membrane that covers the seed inside the shell. drip or spray water on the sprout, let it soak for an hour or something like that, then very carefully pull off the seed shell and membrane. if you dont use water for this, youre much more likely to damage the seedling than to help it.
     
  13. #13 zette3, Nov 13, 2012
    just mist them and they pop right off with your fingers.
     
  14. #14 pointswest, Nov 13, 2012

    Wrong, stick with 1/4 in. deep. The planting depth has nothing to do with the seed coat sticking.


    PW
     
  15. #15 Che Lives, Nov 14, 2012
    Hmm. interesting PW. And do you have a hypothesis as to why it does stick? I was thinking it could be because of older seeds. Or possibly just a malfunction with the mucus that lines the seed. Nonetheless, I pulled the casings off and the seedlings have made a decent rebound and commence growing first leaves, though slowly. Thanks for the advice and comments!
     
  16. #16 pointswest, Nov 14, 2012
    CL, your thoughts about the older seeds sticking are probably correct. I don't know about the membrane drying up, but when the seed gets old the embryo in the seed slowly shrinks in time and it has to take longer for the cotyledons to swell enough to break the seed coat apart.

    Removing the seed coat carefully is ok, but care should be taken not to touch the delicate cotyledons with your hands, use toothpicks or similar tools. All seeds should be planted as deep as 2-3 times the diameter of the seed. In our case that would be1/4-1/2" deep after watering. Seeds planted too deep may use up all the stored energy trying to break the surface then fail before setting leaves.

    PW
     

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