Giant Belgium - Seed coats won't go away?

[tweetybaby2005]

Hello all. This year, I have decided to go with seed starting instead of just buying the plants. I purchased my seeds from TGS (except for Cherokee Purple, I got them from Johnny's) and started them in jiffy seed starting mix. Just about all of them germinated fine except for my Giant Belgium. Out of the 5 pots I had seeds in, only 1 made it. The rest of them the seed coats just would not shed. I tried the spit method as well as misting the seedlings, hoping that it will help soften the seed coats and the cotyledons will emerge without much problem. Well, none of the methods worked. Is Giant Belgium notorious of having the seed coat stucked on the seedlings or is it just my bad luck with the seeds? My other tomatoes are doing fine under light. I have Cherokee Purple, Brandywine Sudduth's, Hawaiian Pineappe, Early Wonder, Sungold F1, Sugar Snack, Kellogg's Breakfast, and Morgage Lifter.

If I soak the seeds first before starting them in the seed starting mix, will it help?

Thanks.

Kuan

[TZ-OH6]

Sounds like old/weak seeds. Not the variety. Seeds with enough energy/nutrients left in them can usually expand the cotyledon leaves and push the seed coat most of the way off so you can work with it.


To avoid this problem I usually plant about 3/4" deep (pencil point to the paint line) and tamp down the surface a little. That way the soil grabs onto the seed coat and if there is a serious problem the top will often break off in the soil leaving just a stem sticking up, and I don't have to worry about trying to save the plant.



If the soil is wet enough to germinate the seeds the seedcoat will be wet for a couple of days before germination so presoaking won't add much. I (and probably most people) fully saturate the soil at the time of sowing so it is still damp when the seeds emerge.

[dustdevil]

I've seen the leaves grow out of the seed coat two to three weeks later. Impatience can work against you. However, waiting for them to grow out or not puts you behind in the growth department. I'd presoak all old seeds before trying them.

[tweetybaby2005]

Originally Posted by TZ-OH6

Sounds like old/weak seeds. Not the variety. Seeds with enough energy/nutrients left in them can usually expand the cotyledon leaves and push the seed coat most of the way off so you can work with it.


To avoid this problem I usually plant about 3/4" deep (pencil point to the paint line) and tamp down the surface a little. That way the soil grabs onto the seed coat and if there is a serious problem the top will often break off in the soil leaving just a stem sticking up, and I don't have to worry about trying to save the plant.



If the soil is wet enough to germinate the seeds the seedcoat will be wet for a couple of days before germination so presoaking won't add much. I (and probably most people) fully saturate the soil at the time of sowing so it is still damp when the seeds emerge.

Thanks TZ. My seed starting mix was quite damp when the seeds were germinating. May be this is just not my year with Giant Belgium. I was really looking forward to it though. I will give it a try next year.

Kuan

[dustdevil]

3/4 inch is too deep!

[TZ-OH6]

It can't be too deep if I get good germination and healthy sprouts popping up in 4-5 days. The pencil point hole starts out 3/4 deep but pressing down on the soil reduces that a bit.

[dustdevil]

1/4"-1/2" is the planting depth most people use. Seed packets should bear instructions about planting depth. In the absence of this information, a general rule of thumb is to plant a seed about four times its shortest dimension, or twice its longest dimension.

[geeboss]

Try the zip lock bag method. Start germination by placing the seed(s) on a moist 2" square section of a paper towel fold in half and place that into the sip lock bag. Check back in 4 days to see if it has sprouted and once it has grown for a day transfer it to your potting mix.

George