Helmet head factors

ErolDude

ErolDude

This year in particular I've been getting a LOT of helmet heads, is there something that affects the amount of them? What is the best way to remove the seed caps?
 
Could be the kind of soil. If is light, probably the plant rises with the helmet on. Could be also connected with humidity, a dry (or not so moist) soil could result in increased number of helmets. No so sure.
I have used to spray them repeatedly and do a surgery when the helmet is soft. This year I have used another way: put a piece of wet paper (paper towel, soft toilet paper) over the helmet, let it like this over night, and do the surgery - press the helmet on the edges, to make it open.
 
I had a lot of them as well. Very frustrating. I figured it was the set up I had and the fact that the seeds were fairly shallow to begin with.. maybe less effort popping through means less effort breaking out of the helmet. All guesses, and all probably wrong.
 
Yeh, there needs to be enough resistance in the soil make-up to "scrape" the hull off as it slowly emerges.  So make sure you plant deep enough and water in to get good seed seating.   
 
Best way to remove helmet I have found is with a spray bottle of water and a napkin.  Support the head with the napkin and douse/spray the helmet head and napkin  til saturated.  Hold all in place as it gets a good soaking.  Then remove the helmet with tweezers.  Slips right off.  
 
I damaged a few before I started wetting them.  The cotyledons were deformed and ugly, but the new leaves came out just fine. Cotyledons fall off anyways, so all will be good.
 
I agree with planting the seeds deep enough to remove the hull.  Also, do not be too hasty to operate.  Sorry for blurry picture but you will get the idea.  In the first picture I have two Cumari Pollux seedlings.  Seedling on left looks like it will be a helmet head but I will wait to let the plant do its own thing and try to shed the hull by itself.  The second seedling on the right shows that seedling was successful and the leaves broke free of the hull and the hull remains on the one half of the leaf.  The second photo shows my galapagoense seedling after I performed surgery and I think way too soon. The brown knob is what is left after I removed the hull, too quickly.  I think the plant is still living and I am waiting to see if it grows any leaves from the nub.  The stem hasn't died and wilted away! I cross my fingers!
 
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Yeah I'm starting them in coir pellets, and indeed I did sow them too shallow. had to cull 2 plants already cause the cotys rotted off. I will try the surgery now :D
 
ajdrew said:
In potting soil, have found that pushing the soil down on top of the seed helps.
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^^ this, setting the seed by lightly packing the soil ontop helps give the resistance needed to shed the hull. I don't have tons of experience with peppers, but I've been gardening a good long time, and that's always been the key for me.
 
Those coir pellets appear to be quite a bit shorter than the ones I use.
 
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Perhaps the pellets are not allowing the seeds to be planted deep enough to pull the seedcoat off?
 
I had 40 pop with helmets this year. All died within a day but I think there are other issues. This may be a bad year since I have nothing growing yet
 
Justaguy said:
I had 40 pop with helmets this year. All died within a day but I think there are other issues. This may be a bad year since I have nothing growing yet
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Yikes!!! That's not a way to start out a season! Try again though as you have plenty of time. I'm still searching for some seeds that I want to plant this year...
 
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