One-sided seedling

[Tomatovator]

I noticed a seedling today that only has leaves growing on one side. First the seed leaves and then instead of 2 leaflets there is only one. Will this grow out or should I not bother with this one?

[gardenmama]

My experience with a one sided single large cotelydon seedling is that it isn't worth growing out. The plant is severly stunted and doesn't flower.

[Tomatovator]

Martha
The seedling has 2 cotelydons but the next growth is one-sided. One leaflet instead of 2.

[gardenmama]

-vator

Sorry, it took a few days to get back to the board.

Hmm, how is your single leaflet seedling doing now? Has it put on a second leaf? I've also found that they usually don't do as well as they ones that have 2 leaves from the start. Since I typically have way more plants than I need (that is unless it is a variety that I HAVE to HAVE and then I get only one to germinate, and of course it will turn out to be severely seed capped and then have puny leaves for the first set so I will plant it anyway and fret as it just sits there and sits there and takes so much longer to get going and when it finally appears to take off and set ONE, yes just ONE fruit that will be the fruit that the squirrels will decide is on the menu just as it has started to break color, and.... oops, sorry, I digress, still fuming over my luck with Mama Leone last season) they generally get tossed during the initial transplanting process.

[celestina]

I have the same thing--several of my seedlings have just one very healthy looking leaf--not limited to one variety. Although, they are slowly developing a second true leaf--Is this something that could be caused by the way they were grown or the way they were started? Or genetics? I guess I am surprised that it is throughout different varieties because if it were genetic, I would think it might be present in one variety but not all three I am growing in this round.

[Tomatovator]

Celestina
I think that as long as they do develop a pair of true leaves at first they are fine. Seems to me that one leaf is often a lot larger than the other. Eventually the leaves sort of even out. The problem I saw with a couple of mine was that one side was not there at all. What you describe sounds OK to me. They should be fine.

[carolyn137]

My view is that that having a central leader stem is what's important. If a seedling has one then it's going to be OK, if it has just a nubbin in the center, toss it.

I've raised seedlings that had, initially, just one cotyledon, or two cotyledons and then initially just one true leaf and they turned out OK.

Retarded maybe, , but they made it.

I don't know if such delayed development, I mean WITH a central leader stem, is due to environmental issues or just delayed genetic expression. No central stem I do think may be a genetic issue b/c such seedlings are not going to ever develop properly. Occasionally they may throw out a leaf but in my experience, unless it's a very rare variety, I toss them.

[celestina]

Hmmm--I was curious because two (Speckled Siberian, Gigantesque) are from one seed source and the Eva Purple Ball is from another. The first two mentioned above seem to have the one leafed syndrome throughout (although there is a tiny stumpy leaf coming along, visible with a magnifying glass ) where as just one in the EPB batch has this going on. I'll be interested to see which ones develop leaders and which not. They're young yet, so I hope there is time for them to out grow their youthful indiscretions.