Seed casing not falling off seedling

[totaln00b]

As my name implies I am a total novice. So far all of the seeds I have started kept the case on for a while after they sprouted. How long does this usually last? Is it unusual? Is there something that is causing it? One of my seedlings died and so I wanted to rip the seed off to see what the deal was and the leaf that was trapped inside was tiny and underdeveloped. This makes me worried about the seeds still stuck on my others. Help please.

edit: They have been under a two 26w 6500 cfl's at a very close distance. I just moved them away and added two 23w 2700 cfl's. They are in 16oz cups with Shultz Potting Soil. The pic shows the new set up.

 

[Smoke68]

Hey TN, I am not going to sit here and lie to you and say that I know why this happens and how to fix it, but I recently experienced the same with several of my sprouts... The seed casing seems to be glued to the leaf and when I did pull them off (I had to on 4/10 sprouts) 2 died immediatly after and the other two had extremely stunted and slow growth. I suggest you let them try to grow out of it.
BTW, until the first leafs are showing, the lights, in any spectrum/ wattage will do absolutely nothing as there is no leaf tissue to photosynthesise (spelling) the light into energy.

 

[totaln00b]

Thanks for the info.

I'll turn off the Y for now to save some electricity and heat.

 

[eugenegreen]

Hey bro, this is a common occurrence as the seed husk will sometimes dry out and get stuck to the cotyledons... Yours look fine and I wouldn't worry about it... If in the future you have this same problem, and the husk won't let the cotyledons open up; you can GENTLY (I stress this in the utmost) help it off the seedlings... Also when this is the case, you will have a lil sheath covering the cotyledons after you remove the seed husk... You can simply slide that off by GENTLY (again important because you don't want to damage the seedling) pulling it off...

As my name implies I am a total novice. So far all of the seeds I have started kept the case on for a while after they sprouted. How long does this usually last? Is it unusual? Is there something that is causing it? One of my seedlings died and so I wanted to rip the seed off to see what the deal was and the leaf that was trapped inside was tiny and underdeveloped. This makes me worried about the seeds still stuck on my others. Help please.

edit: They have been under a two 26w 6500 cfl's at a very close distance. I just moved them away and added two 23w 2700 cfl's. They are in 16oz cups with Shultz Potting Soil. The pic shows the new set up.

 

[totaln00b]

Thanks so much eugenegreen. Right after I read your post I decided now was the time for me to learn! Went and gave it a go and they are still alive and looking way better to these eyes.

 

[Smoke68]

Congrats TotalN. So will you be conducting a grow show or journal for these plants? Oh and BTW, I am not really sure what kind of setup you are using, but seedlings like alot of humidity, which just requires a closed, cleartopped container, even a clear beer cup About how far away are your lights?

 

[sackoweed]

usually fingers are to big to mess with them.. I bought 2 pair of flat tip tweezers works every time.. peace..

sack

 

[mig]

i got a solution to solve the problem...after you soak the seed, and it splits and you can determine which was the root is gonna grow, plant the seed upside down, so the root tip is pointing up...then as the plant grows, the root will grow down away from the light while the seed gets pushed up through the soil and the soil gives the resistance needed to naturally removed the seed coat. or you can take em off with your fingers, one or the other. hope the tip helped...peace

 

[mystic_tabby]

This worked for me

This worked for me

I had this problem with one of my Hasberry seeds. The seed husk had unfortunately become quite dry and it was evident that trying to pull it off even with tweezers might damage it. I gently misted the shell with a mister, let it absorb the water, then gently removed it with tweezers and the tip of a sharp exacto knife. The water causes the husk to expand making it softer and easier to remove without damaging the tender shoot. A steady hand and good lighting are essential.



This was the plant and as you can see, it shows no ill-effects from "the procedure".

 

[Guest]

Usually with some patiance the husks will fall off on there own, the more you dick with a tiny plant the more chance of killing her. On occasion you do have to give mother nature a helping hand though. As far as lights go, as soon as the seed pops the soil keep those lights on. As far as putting domes over seedlings, it's really not neccessary, it only leads to a greater chance of damping off. Same with misting, much safer to skip that entirely.

 

[Roughrider]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but this was this first one that popped up for me with "icmag + seed case stuck" typed into google.

I grow in dirt. With the price of seeds these days, I thought I would reply to this post.

My experience has been that if I let a membrane stay stuck to a cotyledon and let nature take its course, that the coty's will stunt nearly every time, effecting the growth of the plant. I ALWAYS moisten the membrane with a drop of water, wait a few minutes and perform microsurgery with some fine tweezers and a needle to work that membrane off. Just like many of you, I find that the seed membrane is typically "glued" to the end of the coty's and just needs a little help.

Seed caps are a different story. If the seedling has bursted the soil and shows stem growth, I do my best to get the cap off immediately. Its doing nothing but harming whats inside at this point.

I'll put a drop of water on it, let it soak in for a few minutes, and then carefully remove the cap by carefully inserting my SANITIZED fine tipped tweezer ends into the seed husk split and gently opening the tweezers over and over to break the cap loose.

You have to have a steady hand and good light. Always remember that while your doing this, that a nuclear bomb will go off if you are too rough. (that's what I imagine anyhow)

I've been lucky to have never lost a freshly bursted seedling by doing this. typically this problem comes up for me in 1 or 2 out of 10 or so sowed seeds.

Remember, the seed husk is above the surface now - its going to get dry, chances are the coty's are no longer going to push that seed cap off or burst the membrane. Unless you have a plethora of seed laying around and can afford some losses, this is the way to go.