Why do the seed cases always stick to my seedlings?

[rendor11]

I always have to pick them off with tweezers or toothpicks etc.

I germinate my seeds in distilled water until I see a tap root. Then I use tweezers to drop the seed in a small rock wool cube 1" I think? I make sure the tap root is pointed downward otherwise it always gets hung up and won't sprout.

So my problem seems obvious. There's no friction to cause the seed casing to fall off as it rises. I see other people groiwing in rockwook and they just drop the seed any way they feel like it and it manages to sprout every time! I've been growing Cannabis for about 2 years now and I just keep having the exact same issue and obviously I'm doing something wrong.

Aside from growing in soil, how do I fix this issue??

PS. This is a photo of a seedling that I just now picked the seed casing off with tweezers. Believe me when I tell you the "husk" or whatever would never have fallen off on it's own. Perhaps it's just this "Critical" strain I'm growing because I rarely had this issue with Northern Lights but it still happened. .

What I really want to know is when do you place the seedling under lights? Is there a point where you take it from total darkness and give it just a little light?

 

[Aqua Man]

I always have to pick them off with tweezers or toothpicks etc.

I germinate my seeds in distilled water until I see a tap root. Then I use tweezers to drop the seed in a small rock wool cube 1" I think? I make sure the tap root is pointed downward otherwise it always gets hung up and won't sprout.

So my problem seems obvious. There's no friction to cause the seed casing to fall off as it rises. I see other people groiwing in rockwook and they just drop the seed any way they feel like it and it manages to sprout every time! I've been growing Cannabis for about 2 years now and I just keep having the exact same issue and obviously I'm doing something wrong.

Aside from growing in soil, how do I fix this issue??

PS. This is a photo of a seedling that I just now picked the seed casing off with tweezers. Believe me when I tell you the "husk" or whatever would never have fallen off on it's own. Perhaps it's just this "Critical" strain I'm growing because I rarely had this issue with Northern Lights but it still happened. .

What I really want to know is when do you place the seedling under lights? Is there a point where you take it from total darkness and give it just a little light?

After you put the seed in use a toothpick or some to push the hole closed tight that will give the friction to pull the shell off as it push up through.

When the seed is in the rockwool it gets no light as soon as it emerges phototropism starts to kick in and you need light.

Just put em in the rockwool and put them under 18/6 or 24/0 light from the get go. Don't over think it.

 

[stoneyluv]

i've seen people use sandpaper to sand a little thickness from the edges of the seed before they dropped it in rockwool. i've personally never tried it to say if it works or not.

 

[Kanzeon]

Raising the RH around the seedlings helped me a lot. If the RH is high enough, they'll never fail to take their helmets off. Too high and you run the risk of mold.

 

[Unhinged]

You can try dropping water on the helmet to loosen it up or bury the seed upside down. It will right itself and the extra friction helps remove the lid.

 

[chemistry]

Try another type of grow cube, I've found Root Riot type cubes better for seeds, the rockwool strands seem to tangle up the seedling. Also try growing seeds in small pots and not in paper towels, that way the seedling has a chance to leave the husk under ground as it pops.