Greetings to all members.
I want to share with everyone my experience in removing a seed shell that has remained on the seedling commonly referred to as "helmet head". My experience comes from the fact that for a while I wasn't planting the seed deep enough so that the shell could naturally remove itself as it pushed up through the soil. I have since corrected that by using a plug to measure exactly 1/2" down to place the seed and that has mostly solved the problem except for a recent weak seed that did not have enough energy to shed the shell on it's own.
It's important to address "helmet head" quickly as the seed will not live very long with the shell still on once it's emerged. If you wait too long, the portion of the stem closest the shell will atrophy and then it's game over so time is of the essence. It's also important to remove any traces of the membrane that is under the shell, which I call "glue", if it doesn't come off after you've removed the shell.
My method of removing the shell involves the use of an Exacto Knife. It's a delicate procedure and I use a headlight to make sure I can see the area that I'm working on clearly and which also allows the use of both of my hands. You will also need a steady hand so if you're somewhat like Mary Anne with the shaking hand you might want to ask someone to help you that has a steady hand.
The first thing to do is examine the shell and find the largest opening as that is where you will be inserting the blade tip. Once you've identified exactly where that is, the next step is to gently place a finger on the opposite end of the shell to support it and keep it from moving. Then you carefully, and I mean CAREFULLY, insert just the tip of the knife into the opening and slowly guide it up along rest of the opening. You want to insert only enough of the blade to slice through the membrane (glue) that is still holding the shell in place to avoid cutting into the cotyledons which are right under the shell.
As you are guiding the blade along the shell opening, you will reach a point where the shell splits open. Stop there and take a breather to reassess the situation. Sometime it only takes a little bit of membrane slicing to get it open but sometimes it takes a little more. You decide if it needs more slicing or whether it is at the point where you can remove it carefully by hand. The rule of thumb is to use the Exacto Knife as little as possible since you always run the risk of permanent damage with the slightest slip-up. It also helps to have a new and hence very sharp blade to begin with so as to limit the amount of pressure you need to apply. As careful as I try to be when doing this, I inevitably wind up nicking one of the cotyledons which is not ideal but not fatal to the seedling. It's almost impossible not to do some damage to the cotyledon but as long as you don't cut it completely off, the seedling should survive. Remember though, if you don't remove the shell, the seedling will definitely die so a slightly damaged cotyledon is obviously preferable to losing the seedling.
Lastly, after removing the shell there can sometimes still be some of the membrane (glue) still left on and that needs to be removed too but ONLY if it is preventing the cotyledons from opening up. In that case, you need to again assess where you can insert the tip of the knife blade to at least get enough of the membrane off so that the cotyledons can open. Once you determine the best place to do that, you follow pretty much the same procedure that I described for the shell. It's a little easier to remove the membrane because you can now see exactly where the cotyledons are and be careful to avoid cutting into them. Once the cotyledons are able to open up, you can ignore any remaining traces of membrane as long as they don't interfere with the cotyledons opening up fully. The little bit that might remain is not worth the risk of using the knife and will eventually fall off and not pose a problem.
I've done this numerous times and it has worked for me. Work slowly and always keep your finger on the opposite side of the shell as a backstop to prevent movement.
I hope this helps to save some seeds and remember that this whole problem with the shell remaining on the seedling can usually be avoided by planting the seed a little bit deeper in the soil. I've found that 1/2" works best for me but your mileage may vary.
Disclaimer: Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. (Translation - Please don't blame me if you screw it up!)
I hope this helps some people save their seedlings. Good luck.
I want to share with everyone my experience in removing a seed shell that has remained on the seedling commonly referred to as "helmet head". My experience comes from the fact that for a while I wasn't planting the seed deep enough so that the shell could naturally remove itself as it pushed up through the soil. I have since corrected that by using a plug to measure exactly 1/2" down to place the seed and that has mostly solved the problem except for a recent weak seed that did not have enough energy to shed the shell on it's own.
It's important to address "helmet head" quickly as the seed will not live very long with the shell still on once it's emerged. If you wait too long, the portion of the stem closest the shell will atrophy and then it's game over so time is of the essence. It's also important to remove any traces of the membrane that is under the shell, which I call "glue", if it doesn't come off after you've removed the shell.
My method of removing the shell involves the use of an Exacto Knife. It's a delicate procedure and I use a headlight to make sure I can see the area that I'm working on clearly and which also allows the use of both of my hands. You will also need a steady hand so if you're somewhat like Mary Anne with the shaking hand you might want to ask someone to help you that has a steady hand.
The first thing to do is examine the shell and find the largest opening as that is where you will be inserting the blade tip. Once you've identified exactly where that is, the next step is to gently place a finger on the opposite end of the shell to support it and keep it from moving. Then you carefully, and I mean CAREFULLY, insert just the tip of the knife into the opening and slowly guide it up along rest of the opening. You want to insert only enough of the blade to slice through the membrane (glue) that is still holding the shell in place to avoid cutting into the cotyledons which are right under the shell.
As you are guiding the blade along the shell opening, you will reach a point where the shell splits open. Stop there and take a breather to reassess the situation. Sometime it only takes a little bit of membrane slicing to get it open but sometimes it takes a little more. You decide if it needs more slicing or whether it is at the point where you can remove it carefully by hand. The rule of thumb is to use the Exacto Knife as little as possible since you always run the risk of permanent damage with the slightest slip-up. It also helps to have a new and hence very sharp blade to begin with so as to limit the amount of pressure you need to apply. As careful as I try to be when doing this, I inevitably wind up nicking one of the cotyledons which is not ideal but not fatal to the seedling. It's almost impossible not to do some damage to the cotyledon but as long as you don't cut it completely off, the seedling should survive. Remember though, if you don't remove the shell, the seedling will definitely die so a slightly damaged cotyledon is obviously preferable to losing the seedling.
Lastly, after removing the shell there can sometimes still be some of the membrane (glue) still left on and that needs to be removed too but ONLY if it is preventing the cotyledons from opening up. In that case, you need to again assess where you can insert the tip of the knife blade to at least get enough of the membrane off so that the cotyledons can open. Once you determine the best place to do that, you follow pretty much the same procedure that I described for the shell. It's a little easier to remove the membrane because you can now see exactly where the cotyledons are and be careful to avoid cutting into them. Once the cotyledons are able to open up, you can ignore any remaining traces of membrane as long as they don't interfere with the cotyledons opening up fully. The little bit that might remain is not worth the risk of using the knife and will eventually fall off and not pose a problem.
I've done this numerous times and it has worked for me. Work slowly and always keep your finger on the opposite side of the shell as a backstop to prevent movement.
I hope this helps to save some seeds and remember that this whole problem with the shell remaining on the seedling can usually be avoided by planting the seed a little bit deeper in the soil. I've found that 1/2" works best for me but your mileage may vary.
Disclaimer: Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. (Translation - Please don't blame me if you screw it up!)
I hope this helps some people save their seedlings. Good luck.
thanks.
