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 #3 - The "Toothpick Method"

After so much success with seed #14, I'm trying again, this time with seed #3. This one didn't lend to my new method as well as the other - it was already pointing upwards, so I had to carefully bend the sprout in half so I could pin down the seed coat. I'm hoping to see the sprout opened in the next day or so, leaving the seed coat behind.

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 #3 - Seed Coat Sprout

Originally planted 5/7/07, fourteen days ago.

Seed #3 - Germination

Here's seed #3, from the same, original batch as seed #1. This seed was in its baggie from 4/19 to 05/07 (18 days) before germinating. Into the greenhouse it goes, 1/16th of an inch into wet seed-starting soil, radicle downward.

I had kept the yet-unused cel-packs in the greenhouse filled with seed-starting soil in all along, and found it difficult to re-moisten now that it had dried out. I just emptied the rest of the soil back into its bag, along with a few sprays of water to make it more usable in the future.