True Leaves Not Developing

kwselke · March 10, 2010

I started six Celebrity plants for a friend on 2/15/10. Five of the plants are doing well with two sets of true leaves at this point. One little guy seems to have strange cotyledons and has not developed true leaves. Is this guy worth wasting any more time and effort on?

jackdaniel · March 12, 2010

Give it time. See what happens! Does look a little flimsy, though.

Wi-sunflower · March 12, 2010

It looks to me to be what is called a "blind plant". For some reason the growing tip has been damaged and isn't there.

In the past I have been able to get blind plants to develope by keeping them hotter than normal and in a moist but not drippy enviroment.

The big problem is the fact that that plant will be weeks behind the others planted at the same time. Depends on whether you want to invest that much time on a plant.

Carol

dice · March 13, 2010

Roly-polys (sow bugs or pill bugs) will sometimes chew the growing tip
off and cause that. There are probably genetic issues that
can produce that condition, too.

Jayc · March 13, 2010

Thanks Dice, I was interested to know what these bugs are as I didn’t recognise the names, so I looked them up. Easily recognisable, but I’ve only know them before as woodlice.
Before I’ve noticed occasional blind seedlings and I had wondered if it had anything to do with the age of the seed as they were about 8 years and over.
But this season I’ve had a few blind seedlings, 1 out of 4 seedlings from Striped Cherry (seeds bought this year) and 4 out of 16 from Sungold x Suncherry F2 (seed saved 2009)

dice · March 13, 2010

[pill bugs]
They really prefer dead, rotting vegetation, but if they cannot
find any handy (indoors where your sprouted seedlings are
growing under lights, for example), a tender tomato seedling
can be the next best thing. Keeping a little dish of wilted
lettuce beside the seedlings might provide a "trap crop" for
pill bugs (I have not tried this, just a guess).

kwselke · March 13, 2010

Thanks folks. I never had heard of a blind plant. I do not think it was bug damage. The lights are inside and I see very few bugs inside my house. I decided there was no way that plant would ever catch up, so it went to the compost heap. My friend that wanted six Celebrity plants will get five and a Big Beef.

March 12, 2010	#2
jackdaniel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: USA Posts: 94	Give it time. See what happens! Does look a little flimsy, though. __________________ Slow learner through trial and error. Indoor organic (soon to be hydroponic) grower. Small SFG outside. Two acre CSA. Any recommendation for OP dwarf varieties and trades are welcome!

March 13, 2010	#4
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Roly-polys (sow bugs or pill bugs) will sometimes chew the growing tip off and cause that. There are probably genetic issues that can produce that condition, too. __________________ -- alias Last edited by dice; March 13, 2010 at 04:49 AM. Reason: "pill bugs

March 13, 2010	#6
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	[pill bugs] They really prefer dead, rotting vegetation, but if they cannot find any handy (indoors where your sprouted seedlings are growing under lights, for example), a tender tomato seedling can be the next best thing. Keeping a little dish of wilted lettuce beside the seedlings might provide a "trap crop" for pill bugs (I have not tried this, just a guess). __________________ -- alias

March 12, 2010	#3
Wi-sunflower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,591	It looks to me to be what is called a "blind plant". For some reason the growing tip has been damaged and isn't there. In the past I have been able to get blind plants to develope by keeping them hotter than normal and in a moist but not drippy enviroment. The big problem is the fact that that plant will be weeks behind the others planted at the same time. Depends on whether you want to invest that much time on a plant. Carol

March 13, 2010	#5
Jayc Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: UK Posts: 319	Thanks Dice, I was interested to know what these bugs are as I didn’t recognise the names, so I looked them up. Easily recognisable, but I’ve only know them before as woodlice. Before I’ve noticed occasional blind seedlings and I had wondered if it had anything to do with the age of the seed as they were about 8 years and over. But this season I’ve had a few blind seedlings, 1 out of 4 seedlings from Striped Cherry (seeds bought this year) and 4 out of 16 from Sungold x Suncherry F2 (seed saved 2009)

March 13, 2010	#7
kwselke Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 172	Thanks folks. I never had heard of a blind plant. I do not think it was bug damage. The lights are inside and I see very few bugs inside my house. I decided there was no way that plant would ever catch up, so it went to the compost heap. My friend that wanted six Celebrity plants will get five and a Big Beef.