Seedlings with stubborn helmets

[gardenscout]

How long do I wait before "helping" my seedlings take their helmets off? They only sprouted yesterday, and I really want to help them so the cotyledons can come out.

They seem so fragile though, and I am sure I am going to do more harm than good if I go pulling on them.

So how long do I wait?

[daylilydude]

Gardenscout , i wouldn't pull on them just use a mist bottle and just enough to keep the "helments" damp and most of the time they will take care of themselves. You say they just sprouted give them a day or 2 and then give them a mist. Now that's just how i do it so mabey someone else will chime in and tell us their secret .

[sirtanon]

I agree with Richard on this one - Just mist them regularly, keep them moist, and the leaves will generally work their way out. If, for some reason, you get one that's really stubborn, you can do what I do, and get a pair of tweezers, and after the seedling has been up for 3 days or so, squeeze the edges of the seed coat to get it to open up some, and GENTLY pull it off.

19 times out of 20, just keeping the coat moist with the mister will fix it.

[gardenscout]

Okay, three days. That's what I needed to know. Thanks very much.

I think I need to buy a mister. I only have a spray bottle type thing, and I wonder if an atomizer type thing is what you all mean by "misting".

[Tomatovator]

GS
A spray bottle is what I'm using and it is working fine. Just get some water on the seed coat. The water will cling to it. I don't feel the need to get an atomizer but that would probably work too.

[Tomstrees]

Sounds gross:But I usually put alittle "spit" on my finger and touch the top of the seed a couple times a day.
Has worked pretty well for me. When it does start to "open", you can work it ever so slightly with your fingers ~

Tom

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by Tomstrees

Sounds gross:But I usually put a little "spit" on my finger and touch the top of the seed a couple times a day.--------------------------------Tom

Ah so!
The making of Tom's Yellow Wonder!

dcarch

[shelleybean]

The spit method has always worked within a day or two for me.

[giardiniere]

Originally Posted by dcarch

Ah so!
The making of Tom's Yellow Wonder!

dcarch

I won't even comment on what he put on them to make them yellow.

[gardenscout]

Okay, then spit it is. I read that somewhere else too, but wondered how long it might take to work.

Actually, some of the helmets are working themselves loose, and those first little round leaves are making their grand entrance.

I guess nature knows what she is doing, and I'll just leave it alone. I have more seeds and plenty of time to start more if I screw it up.

[melody]

I'm in the spit camp too.

Depending on the age of the seeds, it can take more than 2 or 3 days for the cotyledons to work themselves free.

Carolyn sent me some 1994 seeds last year for me to refresh her stock. Of the 18 I planted, over half had the seed coat stuck tight.

Of course, I was already obsessing over these seeds way more than I should to begin with, and these little 'pinheads' were driving me nuts. I used the spit and sat on my hands for about a week..(best I remember...didn't keep notes on that)...they gradually worked themselves free enough that I could help them along to finish.

It seems to me that the older the seeds, the longer it takes for the coats to shed. One dose of spit usually helps fresh seeds along, but don't be surprised if older seeds take a few more days.

[gardenmama]

Add me to the spit camp! The digestive enzymes in saliva are more effective in softening the seed coat than plain water.

[dcarch]

This is giving me a moneymaking idea. With millions of tomato growers and so many of you believing in the power of spit:

Spit in an aerosol can!

Tom, want to be my business partner? All the money! I am drooling!

dcarch

[WildLife]

Originally Posted by gardenmama

Add me to the spit camp! The digestive enzymes in saliva are more effective in softening the seed coat than plain water.

I agree

I have tested both water and spittle and the human
liquid works better.

[melody]

Plus, you can put it right where you need it...it stays there, and you don't have to un-necessarily have to wet the seed mix or anything else...(I obsess about too much moisture too)