2009 Oddities found at Germination

[ContainerTed]

I started the first potting up task on my main tray today and started finding a few "non-standard" or "unexpected" seedlings. Thought it would be fun to start a thread where we could all share some of those "wierd biology" things that Mother Nature throws at us each year. Who knows, maybe someone will have a "goodie" find and not know it. So here goes:

Picture #1 = Both of those seedlings came out of a Ponderosa Red seed sack. Now which is the correct leaf type????

Picture #2 = Found this one in the Italian Market Wonder cell. Is this the much anticipated "topless wonder"??

Ted

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

I started the first potting up task on my main tray today and started finding a few "non-standard" or "unexpected" seedlings. Thought it would be fun to start a thread where we could all share some of those "wierd biology" things that Mother Nature throws at us each year. Who knows, maybe someone will have a "goodie" find and not know it. So here goes:

Picture #1 = Both of those seedlings came out of a Ponderosa Red seed sack. Now which is the correct leaf type????

Picture #2 = Found this one in the Italian Market Wonder cell. Is this the much anticipated "topless wonder"??

Ted

The correct leaf form for Ponderosa Red is RL and it looks to me that that's what you've got. Sometimes I can't tell true leaf form until the 2-3rd set of true leaves.

Well, I don't call the second one a topless wonder but it does look, so far, like what I call a mule or blind seedling. Sometimes a little nub forms in the center, sometimes not, and if a nub forms sometimes an actual shoot will come out.

[dice]

I have a Marizol Gold seedling that looked like the "topless
wonder" for a couple of weeks. It has now started to grow
what looks like a regular leaf from where those cotyledons
meet. I expect it to produce a more-or-less normal plant once
it gets going.

[ContainerTed]

Thanks, Carolyn and Dice. Of all my reading of thousands of posts on the tomato forums, this time period may be the least discussed. I thought it would be an interesting area to explore and learn from.

Maybe others will share, as well.

Transferred over 150 seedlings yesterday with no casualties.

Ted

[Worth1]

Every year I get one of the so called mule plants and the embryonic leaves just get bigger and bigger and eventually the plant dies. (No way to put on new growth.)
In a way I feel sorry for the little things.

Worth

[ContainerTed]

Well, now I have a West Virginia 63 "Potato Leaf". I love this hobby/affliction/...........

Ted

[ContainerTed]

Well, as you guys said, the mule died!

Ted

[dice]

I have a couple of your "True Stump" seedlings (although they
are not from Stump of the World; they were 2 out 4 of a short
determinate, with the other two normal).

[ContainerTed]

Originally Posted by dice

I have a couple of your "True Stump" seedlings (although they
are not from Stump of the World; they were 2 out 4 of a short
determinate, with the other two normal).

Morning, Dice. Of those two "stumps" in my picture, the one on the right has added cotyledons and its first true leaf set (below). The other one "volunteered" for the compost bin.

This is a good example of why we should exercise patience.

Ted