Day 2 out of dirt seed shell still stuck

Day 2 from popping out of the dirt.
Bubble gum seed, in FF Happy Fox. Under compact fluorescent bulb.

The seed shell is still there. My last seedling the shell was stuck for 2 weeks, it never grew and eventually died.

Should I go ahead and pop the shell off or give it more time? How long should I wait? Give it a couple squirts from the water mister?

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That’s a tough decision it may come off if you wait or it may dry and harden making it tough and cause more damage. If it was me it would be delicate surgery time.

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Thanks
I really feel like the stuck shell was a contributing factor (among several other things) in my last seed failure. I’ve learned so much already and really hoping for a successful grow this time.

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Are you dooming the plant with a plastic cover? Is this seedling doing the exact same thing as the first?

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No plastic cover. I’ve seen soo many mixed reviews on covering the seedlings.

With the last seedling the shell hung onto one of the leaves. I misted it and popped the shell off after about 2 weeks, but with other mistakes it was too late.

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very very gently roll the seed between your thumb and forefinger…not crushingi but gently applying minute pressure to enable the shell to shed…very gently …like rolling a piece of Manali Hahish into a little tail (colita)…mmmmm

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I had helmet head sprouts several times til I started planting the seeds point up.
I lost some and saved some. A drop of water on the shell to soften it and a couple toothpicks to pry it off and I saved a few. Once I started planting the tip up I have had zero helmets.
Because it splits open like this V the sprout pulls out of the shell. This way /\ it just pushes it up out of the soil.
I soak 24 hrs then plant. Your process may vary but just passing along my process.

Root Direction Seed Direction

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I don’t Doom either, but @SKORPION does. I would suggest trying it, if this girls doesn’t survive.

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Yo Spiney Norman !

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As you can see I dome as long as possible.

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I have never had this happen. I try to plant the seeds about a 1/2” down in the soil. I do my best to put the taproot facing down. Of course the seeds would still grow downwards. Good thing they do or can you imagine trying to plant 150 acres of corn with the indent facing down. Screw that headache. :+1:

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I would love 150 acres of cannabis.

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Hell I wouldn’t mind 1/2 acre. I’m not greedy. Could you imagine cleaning up all those leaves by hand. Umm hell no…I will take a hard pass. I would probably do the one scene in Trailer Park Boys where Ricky, Julian and Bubbles goes to the one field and Ricky just uses a nice torch on the plant and falls down.

I first hated that show but it grew on me. :+1::+1::+1:

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I put a little water on it, let it soak in, and popped the shell off easily with 2 toothpicks.

Fingers crossed :crossed_fingers:t3:

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I find this happens with old seeds and some strains like Blueberry can be a pain. I gently remove the shell. You have to be precise and not tug on the plant or mess with baby leaves either! Tweezers are a good idea. I have done enough I do it by hand VERY carefully when necessary. More than a couple of days with husk on and you risk the plant.
If you notice this consistently on this strain/seed stock, you might scuff the seeds? Scuffing usually done to old seeds, or hybrids with a thick hull, and helps them absorb water. It might help seed husks break off when they should.
“The plan is to use sandpaper to create small scratches in the outer layer of the shell that will allow more water to seep through to the embryo. You don’t want to sand all the way through the seeds shell, only to create scratches in the outermost layers. The exact grit of the sand paper doesn’t matter all that much but something between 60 and 200 grit should work fine.”
Sure you can find this on YouTube.

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I haven’t had a stuck seed hull since I started adding an 1/8 of a teaspoon of Kelp when I soak my seeds for germination. It used to happen all the time, and I would remove them extremely carefully.
This is what I use now.

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Easy scuffing method. I made one and use it all the time.

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Several of my seeds emerged with the husks still attached. I misted it with water and used a sterilized push pin to gentle remove the husk. They all lived happy lives thus far afterwards.

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When this occurs I usually mist it with a little water and then take two toothpicks and just spread it apart and pop it off.

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I just put a drop of spit on it. Usually the plant will shake it off within a day. I do the same if the membrane is stuck on it.

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