Seed #13 - Transplant

This was my last of five sequoia seedlings that has made it this far. I transplanted it into the same soil mixture previously mentioned.

Seed #6 - Still on Top

This little guy towers over the other sprouts by at least an inch and now shows a healthy set of secondary leaves.

Seed 4 - Fun with a Tripod

I just dusted off my old tripod, so I thought I'd try some extreme close-ups. This little guy is still my favorite.

Seed #15 - Cotyledons Opening Upwards

Seed #14 - Secondary Leaves

Seed #9 - Secondary Leaves

Seed #6 - Secondary Leaves

Not the best close-up, but you can see the little secondary leaves poking out.

Seed #5 - Secondary Leaves

This is the first I've been able to see secondary leaves on this little guy.

Seed #4 - My Pride and Joy!

This guy was my first to show secondary leaves, and since then, they haven't stopped showing off. In another couple weeks, I can start giving this one tiny amounts of direct sunlight, and shortly thereafter, diluted fertilizer.

Seed #3 - Pushing Cotyledons From Seed Coat

I gave up on my toothpick method for this seedling. The seed coat was slipping out from the toothpicks, and the stem didn't look like it was responding well to the force. It's not looking too bad, however. If the cotyledons keep pushing, they might break free from the seed coat.

Seed #1 - Secondary Leaves

Looks like this one's going to make it after all, despite the shriveled cotyledon. You can see the secondary leaves pushing out from the center.

Seed #15 - Sprout Turning Upwards

Not the best close-up, but good enough to show what's going on.

Seed #14 - The Toothpick Method Worked!

Yesterday, this little sprout was still stuck in his seed coat. So far, those that come up with the seed have had a hard time breaking out of it, so I tried holding the seed coat down with toothpicks. Well, it actually worked! When I got home today, the seed coat was still pinned down, and the cotyledons were pointing upwards.

Seed #13 - Standing Tall, Cotyledons Opening

Just yesterday, this sprout was bent into the soil in an upside-down U. It's amazing what can happen in a day. This photo is a bit out of focus, but you can see how the cotyledons are paired up on either side. I expect them to open up in the next few days.

Seed #9 - More Progress With Seed Coat

I wish I could just pop off the seed coat to help out, but I think it'll fall off in the next few days on its own.

Seed #6 - Tallest of the Bunch

This seed was planted a couple weeks after my first few, but it's outgrown all of them in no time. It's a good half of an inch taller than of my other sprouts.

Seed #5 - Opened Up

Seed #4 - Secondary Leaves!

This was a very exciting find - my first sprout with well-defined secondary leaves. When these open up over the next couple weeks, this little sprout will be ready for half-strength fertilizer to help accelerate its growth. By the end of this year, there should be around six small branches with secondary leaves.

In the zoomed-out photo, you can see how the stem leans to find sunlight. This is known as phototaxis. Every morning, I rotate the seedlings so they point away from the nearest window, and when I get home from work, they're pointed back at the window.

Seed #3 - Cotyledons Emerging

A little more progress - you can see the green cotyledons poking out of the bottom of the seed coat. In a few days, they should begin to open up and push the seed coat off.

Seed #6 - Quick to Sprout

This has been my quickest sprout to date - popping out of the soil and opening up overnight.

Originally planted 5/9/07, nine days ago.