Re: [CH] Habanero seedlings help
David Stanton (jstanton@southtech.net)
Thu, 12 Mar 1998 00:10:00 -0500
Brandon Nuttall wrote:
>
> Folks,
>
> I have sown my habs and have about 60 seedlings up. About 1/3 of them have a
> fuzzy white cloud of growth at the top of the seedling. The natal leaves
> haven't emerged from the split seed for those with this stuff. The questions
> is, is this white fuzzy growth a fungus or mold and should those seedlings
> be destroyed?
How long have they been up? I have never seen fungus on seedlings, but perhaps if they
failed to shed their seed coats, they could eventually host fungi. If it is fungus, you
should probable pull and destroy the infected seedlings. At least in Kentucky you have
plenty of time to replant.
I have had many seedlings fail to shed their seed coats. I have determined that this is
encouraged by a combination of two conditions: seeds planted too shallow, and failure to
keep the top layer of soil evenly moist. They sprout, but the seed coat dries out and
re-hardens before the seed leaves can cast it off. If you plant it a little deeper, say
1/2 inch or so, and keep the soil moist (not wet), then you won't have it happen nearly as
much. However, it will still happen some. What to do then?
If the seedlings fail to cast off the seed coat, you have a choice -- surgery or not. I
always have the urge to operate, but there is a substantial risk of losing the patient. I
take the least radical step first, which is to try to re-soften the seed coat and allow
the seed leaves to cast it off themselves. Dip your finger or another handy device into
some water and transfer a drop to the seed coat. A spray bottle might be good if there are
a lot of them. If you do it right, the drop will surround the seed coat and cling to it.
Often, the leaves are already exerting considerable pressure on the seed coat, and will,
amazingly enough, cast it off before your eyes.
What if they don't? Sometimes it looks like they are trying -- the seed coat is split and
looks like it might just come off if you pull it. This is tricky, because you can easily
snap the seed leaves right off. Try several repetitions of the water trick, to keep the
seed coat wet and soft for a while. If that doesn't work, what I'll try is to pull, not on
the seed coat and the seedling, but on the two sides of the split in the seed coat. The
trick is not to put any strain on the seedling, while trying to split the coat. What,
though, do you do if the seed coat is intact, with no split in it, just a stem poking out
of a hole in the seed?
If you do nothing, the seedling will die. Try the water trick first. If it is apparent
that won't work, you can sacrifice the poor thing or you can try surgery. Now that the
seed coat is soft from the water, use very small, very sharp scissors to trim tiny slices
from the perimeter of the seed coat. Begin where the stem enters the seed, and go slowly.
If you trim too little, you can always trim more, but too much and you will slice the seed
leaves. If you get it right, the seed coat will begin to open up where the stem enters it.
Continue around the perimeter until the seed coat can be removed.
It is easier to prevent this than to remedy it.
Good luck,
David Stanton