How to remove shell off of seedling?

[BoB91]

I have tried to pull the shell off of the seedling with tweezers but they were really stuck on. It has only been like a day and a half above the surface. Any other suggestions? How long till they die if I dont take the shell off? Should I wait another day to see if the shells loosen so that I can pull them off with tweezers? this is only my second real grow. The first one I harvested waaaayyyyy too early.

 

[DrugleyDoRite]

No need to take the shell off. Any I have grown have shed the shell when the leaves grow bigger.

 

[BoB91]

thank you Drugley

 

[dre86]

Wait 1-2 days and if it isn't off then, try a needle. I've seen seeds rot before because the seed shell didn't come off

 

[FunkBomb]

Ive always flicked the parted shell with a finger to get it off. If that didnt work I just left it there until it eventually fell off.


-Funk

 

[BoB91]

I shall wait then. Thank you.

 

[hybridtek]

 

[BoB91]

no to what? Please explain.

 

[hybridtek]

Do not remove the shell at all, the plant will do that on it's own. underneath that shell is brand new growth that it not even green yet, it is whitish, removing the shell will stunt it's growth and with a seedling will result in death

 

[BoB91]

 

[hybridtek]

umm....don't touch...just look

 

[sproutco]

Wait 1-2 days and if it isn't off then, try a needle.

You may also want to mist the seedling to keep the shell moist.

 

[dre86]

Do not remove the shell at all, the plant will do that on it's own. underneath that shell is brand new growth that it not even green yet, it is whitish, removing the shell will stunt it's growth and with a seedling will result in death

uhm you know that the white grow turns green in a day after it's exposed to the light right?

Anyway you can wait 1 day more and if it still doesn't come off, I would take out the needle

 

[GMT]

I take the seedling out of the soil, and holding one side of the shell, gently lever the other side off. Then starting at the back of the shell, gently holding the stem of the seedling, slowly prise the first side off. You somethimes then have like a clear sack covering the first 2 leaves. This can be removed by gently rubbing your finger nail from the back of the seedling, up and over the top of the seedling. Then the first 2 leaves spring open. replant, pop under the cfls and your good to go. If you plant the seeds a little deeper, it tends not to be a problem though.

 

[JollyGreenGiant]

I would let nature take it's course. I've seen people kill seedlings or at least stress/stunt them badly fiddling with them.

 

[the cult]

iv had both actually, 1 died, 1 survived. both were WW seedlings and first one i removed shell quite easily, it looked rather battered for a while but came back and looks fresh now 2nd week in bloom. other seedling i also ripped the shell off as nothing seemed to happen with the plant for 1 week, it stopped growing and passed away rather quickly.

id say be EXTREMELY careful, luckily i had some more of them WWs so i just germinated a new one with which there was no problem. one solution i found working well if you use paper method is to wait for the tail to grow some inch before you plant, i did that properly with all seeds basically except for those 2 that i had to remove shells manually.

 

[Gert Lush]

While it's true that you might damage / stunt a seedling if you're too rough, there are many cases where the seedling WILL die, if you don't remove the shell. So you've got little to lose. Obviously, don't rush, three days after sprouting it's pretty obvious whether the shell will come off or not.

I let the outer shell dry, and then, ever so gingerly, I press it at the tip, to crack it (the way you'd open a pumpkin seed). After that it usually falls away. In very didfficult cases I've used a modelling knife, but thumb pressure is most often enough. I reckon I've killed maybe 1/10 seedlings like this, the rest survive and thrive.

I've even heard the rumour that plants from tougher shells are sometimes better quality, but this may be an old wives' tale. Personally, I think that the shell hardness depends on the strain - some are more difficult, that's all there is to it.

 

[Suby]

You may also want to mist the seedling to keep the shell moist.

misting is a good idea, it will soften the shell then just tweeze i off.

 

[Guest]

no need to mess with the seedlings. The ones that make it are the ones you plant

 

[Guest]

Next time plant your seed taproot up,it does an immediate U-turn lifting the seedleaves and shell up through the soil usually shedding the husk,when you plant taproot down it's going to happen probably 20% of the timeEDIT When I say taproot up,I mean the end of the seed the taproot extends from should be pointed up,in reality the taproot would come out and immeditely take a right turn so the taproot is actually pointing downward,its just done a 180 down