FWIW, in the past I've helped my parents plant cucumbers and zucchini seedlings they purchased from the nursery with no problems. My mom would crunch up and mangle the rootball to loosen it a bit, and there were no issues that I could recall. So maybe my oversensitivity here is that I don't have any seeds left
I do not want to derail this topic from germinating seeds in DE to discussing cucurbits, et all, so let's leave it at that for now
Quote:
Originally Posted by DK2021
@paradajky I was thinking perhaps there was something you could pour into the cell to make the DE "sticky" or even somewhat solidify, but materials like gelatin or agar need temperatures that your seedlings would not like. (Agar is used in plant culture and roots grow in it quite happily, but it is solidified before the roots ever touch it.) Maybe pectin would work? It's soluble in cold water and makes things sticky.
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This is an interesting idea..! Other thoughts would be flax/chia seeds, which gel up in contact with water after a bit (I'd grind them first, so they would not germinate). I have a few empty cell to test this.. and if it works, I can try with one or two cucumbers since I have plenty of those. The more precious sprouts, I'm just going to soak it so the DE clumps together, then push from the bottom. I may also try cutting out the plastic cell, and then carry that to the final destination, and either poke holes in it for roots to grow out of, or, try to cut away the plastic.
Let's consider this idea "solved" for now, and I'll report back if anything interesting happens. Mostly for entertainment, but also in case someone else happens to do what I've done in the future and they come back to read this.
Thanks for the help
