Having a problem with seeds not continuing to sprout after soaking in water and tail coming out and if they do manage to sprout, they won’t shed their seed hulls, any suggestions on cause and/or solution would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
How long do you soak them? Is your soil at least a little moist? And a big WELCOME TO DE PLACE.
Soak the seed only 18 to 24 hours and then plant no less than 3/8 inch deep and make sure the soil is pressed down on top of the seed gently. You need a little friction to remove the hull.
Plant the seed with the pointed end of the seed up. In the pic it shows the natural way the root grows. It will always turn back down from the point. As you can see the plant will leave the husk behind as it grows up out of the soil. Planted point down it wants to push the hull up on top of its head.
Welcome, sometimes they just dont cooperate dont give up! Your in the right place to get much help throughout the entire process
Water soak should be 12-24 hours then plant to soil, adequate depth will mean the soil pulls the shell off before it breaks the surface, don’t plant too deep were talking half a centimetre to centimetre.
Once the seed cracks and you see a tail you should plant or set in hydro media, some prefer a longer tail and leave longer but the paper should be wet just moist to allow air and water into the root.
There is no preference to which way you plant a seed it will always orientate itself based on gravity. In hydro the optimum position is the pointed top top and bottom are out to the sides and the seam facing straight down, this was based on least energy used quickest to grow as well as to negate some small issues with rockwool cube holes which have a habit of trapping a seed and not releasing. With this method you just pressed into the top of the hole with seed flush to top of cube.
The best way just plant to soil wait seven or so days, if you soak and plant wait five days or so.
Should be the easiest part of the grow germinating.
Welcome to community.
Helmet Head requires slight moist spray and tweezer assisting.
Previous post/poster(s) mentioned, soil should trap hull, especially when planted pointy end up.
Good advice from good growers.
A couple of days or at least until the tail sticks out a bit. Yes, I keep soil moist.
This is true, the root will find its way down. That was not my point. If you want the best possibility to avoid helmets on the sprouts, then you have to avoid the plant pushing the seed husk upwards as in the photo below. The husk splits open on the pointed end like a clamshell. The root begins to emerge and will naturally turn 180 degrees toward the dimpled end of the seed as I said in my original post. No matter which way the seed sits the root will find down and grow that way. This pic shows what it does if planted point down. The root which naturally turned towards the dimple will now curl a second time and is growing down. But the closed end of the husk is on top and once the sprout begins to push upwards the husk has no way to strip from the cotyledons and simply pushes up and out of the soil along with the plant. So I do agree with your statement that the plant will orient its growth and find down based on gravity. But if you want to avoid helmets then your best choice is to plant it point up so that the plant can exit the shell and leave it behind. Once I started this I no longer have to mess with removing helmets.
This is what the root does when planted seed point down.
This is what I get every time when I plant pointed end up.
Couple of points, if it were that simple seed packets would have those instructions printed on them.
The apical hook means most come up the wrong way to what you expect.
Please think this trough first and appreciate the shell pulls off at any angle it’s planted and depth was more a factor.
The tip about which way to plant in rockwool was a study done by many growers frustrated with not always achieving 100% placing them in that small dibber hole.
Your showing a seed with an apical S, a little strange but noticed it’s bare root and assume someone caused the extra bend. Technically the root will go straight down unless impeded or turned with gravity orientating a new bend.
Some have tried this and found no difference with depth being the major factor not how it’s positioning.
Again if difference noted all major seed companies would advise correct way.
And I have tried it and found what I do works perfectly.
I appreciate you know a lot of “Book” terminology.
I will stick with my advice thanks,
Read your posting two days late, for my seeds finding dirt.
Of the four, one has broken soil, properly. One came upside down and root tip does not look happy. I rolled it and covered with dirt. Gave couple drops of water.
Dropped more seeds in water for more practice, today.
You’re doing it right. And to whom it may concern, I have seen at least one breeder and at least one article publish such.
You talking to me, days after you pop on and invite me to reply?
I’d actually left for trying not to cause argument but seems idk, feels like you want to discuss more.
It is not the root which bends it is the hypocotyl, it is not the shell that breaks the surface first it is the hypocotyl as all soil growers will tell you.
Regardless of the direction pointed the hypocotyl will always pull the shell out the same way.
You forget these facts but I can see why if your showing pics like this
A non soil grown probably paper towel where the end kink is pointing towards upls or it’s down after finding no way down as the root tip emerged.
Also that picture apart from not being right or soil grown I e. Up down, rather paper towel flat no down it also shows the inner food membrane the seedling draws startch from gas detached and awkwardly stuck on the root tip further causing a weird kink.
Please let me know if you wish to discuss further, maybe plant a soil seed see what comes up first the shell or hypocotyl.
Now I stand by the answer that depth solves helmet heads, can you plant them one way ten the other and get ten helmet heads and ten not? Didn’t think so.
So let’s discuss more if that’s your intention!?
You must have me confused with someone else as I’ve never invited you anywhere,and I was clearly responding to Spiney_norman as shown by having his avatar in the top right hand corner of my response.
Good day.
Sydney had replied to me so technically you were getting in the middle again, Ill wait for you to check.
Seems you’ve made a lot of effort here so let’s actually discuss your studies and published literature then look at an actual hypocotyl under the soil?
Should clear up your and others confusion.
The only confusion I see here is on your end. I would have to be in the middle of something to be in the middke of something again. Part of the reason I didn’t address you is because I’m not interested in what you have to say. I let another member know that it would be okay to disregard your input and I’m perfectly fine with allowing you to go on believing whatever you’d like. It’s quite gratifying, you should try it sometime.
So unless you plant the right way you get a helmet head?!
Ok yer your obvious right this is well documented, plant upsidown and it fails, right way and it works.
Thanks I just learnt how to plant seeds, obviously I wasn’t doing it right.
But wait it still worked planting the wrong way, none came up with helmets…
I wonder why that is, kind a guess a lot you say is so wrong and informative, what next domes on seedlings, measure runoff lol hilarious you are!
I’ll make you deal. If you can show where in this topic Spiney_norman or myself said that, I will respond to rest of your post. If you can’t, you will stay in your own topics or where you’re assistance is requested.
I don’t have to the answer was depth solves helmet head more than anything and is in fact the only difference you’ll notice not position.
In Coco I would advise a slightly deeper depth than soil. It’s a looser lighter material shows the helmet head/depth issue a lot more. Positioning won’t solve that depth issue I’m afraid.
More to the point are there not basic threads on how this stuff grows best we can cite for others? People making a mountain out of a mole hill, this stuff is real easy to grow really I’m not sweating humidity or runoff or pH and it all works just fine but I’m led to believe my way dosent work very well, some need to read runoff or baby a soil or dome a week old seedling and I have absolutely no reason to do any of this real silly stuff.
Someone asks a question I give an answer but then the inevitable unbelief comes knocking and I’m left quoting science and stuff as an absolute reply which then gets taken as argumentative and no real answer ever gets through. Like here the answer is really plant a little deeper, how does that turn into some long winded discussion, if I asked a farmer he just tell me to plant a little deeper end of story. These sites be crazy, best I stick to non grow issue discussion…