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Sprouting with their "hemets" on

cheezydemon said:
I experimented with some congos I just put in dirt. I clipped a tiny bit around the edges of the seeds. We will see if it makes a difference in germination times and helmet problems.
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i read a paper on this in my previous life as an enviromental science major, it wasn't with pepper seeds but i bet it still holds. i can't seem to find a copy that doesn't require me to give you my login ID and password so here's the abstract:

"The effects of seed coat removal on the imbibition and germination of seeds of ash gourd [Benincasa hispida] (cv. CO2), ribbed gourd [Luffa acutangula] (cv. Co1), snake gourd [Trichosanthes cucumerina] (cv. CO2) and pumpkin [Cucurbita sp.] (Co2) were studied. In ash gourd and pumpkin, the intact or whole seeds imbibed water faster than the decoated seeds. In ribbed gourd and snake gourd, seed coat removal did not inhibit water absorption by seeds. Water uptake was evident at the first hour of imbibition, but was greatest at 17 h of imbibition in pumpkin and ash gourd seeds. The absorption of water by intact seeds of snake gourd increased up to 17 h of imbibition, then remained constant thereafter. In ribbed gourd, water uptake by intact seeds was very slow during the first hour of imbibition, rapidly increased up to 6 h of imbibition, decreased up to 17 h of imbibition, increased until 19 h of imbibition when the peak value was recorded, then stopped thereafter. In all species, soaking of intact seeds resulted in a higher rate of imbibition than placing the seeds on moistened filter paper, soaking of decoated seeds, and placing of decoated seeds on moist filter paper. The percentage of germination was higher in decoated seeds (90.5%) than in intact seeds (84.9%) irrespective of the species. However, ribbed gourd seeds recorded the highest germination percentage (96%). The decoated seeds germinated faster than the intact seeds, and ash gourd seeds germinated faster than the seeds of the other species. Pumpkin seeds registered the highest values of electrical conductivity (0.512) and seed coat to seed kernel ratio (1.253). Seed oil content (20.32%) and protein content (19.11%) were highest in snake gourd and ash gourd seeds, respectively."

...although i've tried to de-coat a seed in the past and found it kinda difficult not to destroy the thing... gourd seeds are bigger...very interested to see how it turns out for you tho.
 
overgardening is a term used for people that spend too much time looking after there plants and end up doing more harm than good.
I see this as a greenhouse owner all the time , we get people in with all kinds of flowers and vegtables that have distorted leaves from too much fertilizer or damping off problems from overwatering and so on.
seeds with helmets as you say is from planting too shallow and when you seed hundreds of trays you learn all this stuff .
now fixing problems like leggy plants and helmets damping off ect is best done by not doing it next year .
we are all here to learn and this forum is does that well and when I post I mean no disrespect so if I offend anyone I am sorry .
 
No offense taken here Shayneyasinski...I am a relatively new pepper gardener as you know. But I try things my own way and try to share what works for me. I agree leave them alone (for a while) but when the leaves are trying to come out of the husk and just need a little nudge, I will try and help them. The "tweezer" method has worked well for me with about a 95% success ratio. The other 5% was when I was not very, very careful.
 
shayneyasinski said:
overgardening is a term used for people that spend too much time looking after there plants and end up doing more harm than good.
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Yabut, they're not harming the plants by removing their hats for the most part, they're saving them.


I see this as a greenhouse owner all the time , we get people in with all kinds of flowers and vegtables that have distorted leaves from too much fertilizer or damping off problems from overwatering and so on.
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I see it, too. People bring me plants all the time that are dying, or sometimes I pull them out of trash by the road. Usually the first thing I do it stick 'em in a bucket of water and let them soak to get the mineral salts out. Then I stick 'em under a tree and ignore 'em for awhile. Most come back strong and gorgeous.




seeds with helmets as you say is from planting too shallow and when you seed hundreds of trays you learn all this stuff .
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There's more than one reason that seeds don't dehusk sometimes, being planted too shallow is just one. And some seeds that are planted too shallow manage to doff their hats politely, so it's not quite that simple.


now fixing problems like leggy plants and helmets damping off ect is best done by not doing it next year .
we are all here to learn and this forum is does that well and when I post I mean no disrespect so if I offend anyone I am sorry .
Click to expand...

When you're planting seeds by the thousands, that's probably true. For us duffers growing a few precious seeds in our basements and garages and back bedrooms, though, treating for disease or just dehusking a few seedlings can make a big difference. Most of us aren't in it for the money, we're in it for the fun, so why give up after a minor set back or two? Part of the fun, at least for me, is puzzling these things out, and learning how to compensate and correct for my mistakes.
 
Pam, you have explained it perfectly.

shayne, I do understand your point though because for you it would not be cost effective for you to pay someone to spend time on them.

Dale
 
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