Removing cotyledons

[Tomatovator]

I tried to remove a stuck seed coat a from an emerging seedling (4 days after planting) and ended up pulling about 90% of the cotyledons off. Only about 1mm remained but it still grew. It grew very slowly for the first 3 weeks or so. Now the plant is about 5" tall and is very stocky. The remains of the cotyledons are still there but even now are only about 20mm long. So...., what I'm wondering is if I remove the cotyledons from a normal healthy seedling when I transplant it (after it has developed 2 sets of true leaves) will I slow down its vertical growth and maybe end up with a stockier plant?

[carolyn137]

So...., what I'm wondering is if I remove the cotyledons from a normal healthy seedling when I transplant it (after it has developed 2 sets of true leaves) will I slow down its vertical growth and maybe end up with a stockier plant?

*****

Well, there's only one way to find out and that's to have several seedlings of the same variety and remove the cotyledons from half of them and leave them on as a control for the other half.

But what I think is happening is the following.

The cotyledons are not true leaves and don't photosynthesize that much or if at all. The new seedling gets most of it's nutrients from the endosperm of the seed.

Only after the first few sets of true leaves are formed can photosynthesis take over and allow for the formation of energy that allows for plant growth.

So the reason your plant grew so slowly after you removed most of the cotyledons I think was b'c that might have interferred/delayed the formation of the true leaves. Once they were there the plant could grow.

As for it being so stocky, what were you comparing it with?

[Suze]

Originally Posted by Tomatovator

The remains of the cotyledons are still there but even now are only about 20mm long. So...., what I'm wondering is if I remove the cotyledons from a normal healthy seedling when I transplant it (after it has developed 2 sets of true leaves) will I slow down its vertical growth and maybe end up with a stockier plant?

Since the plants are already to the stage of having two sets of true leaves, I think whatever you decide to do with the remaining/partial cotyledons at this point is immaterial.

I've usually already pinched mine off anyway by that point, sometimes I don't. Or they've fallen off of their own accord. Haven't found it makes a difference.

[Tomatovator]

Carolyn
You are right. I really don't have a true control to compair the plant to. I have been having trouble getting this particular variety to germinate and the ones that have are coming up several days apart. I am only compairing the plant to 2 others I've got growing of the same variety but they are about 10 and 13 days younger. they "seem" to be getting taller faster than the first one did and the stems so far are not as thick. The reason for asking is that a friend of mine convinced my to start some seeds for them last week and now I regret it. It is pretty clear to me that they are growing too fast and will be ready to go way too early. I'm not starting my own seeds till the end of next week. I'm trying to figure out how to slow theirs down a bit. Thanks to Carolyn and Suze for the responses.

[feldon30]

Last year, mine pretty much all fell off on their own accord.