Iboga Seedling Seed coat Question and Advice (Slightly Image Heavy)

[newageshaman]

I've been lucky enough to have one of my Iboga's seeds able to reach the seedling stage the other day i just have a few questions concerning the seed coat on the end of the seedling. Im planning on leaving it for the rest of the week to see if it will just fall off on its own accord but i have read on previous iboga threads that it may need a little help in getting off? so far im pretty confident that it should fall off by the end of the week as prior to planting my 11 seeds i got from SAB i took a sharp knife and went around the little crevice of each of the seeds a couple of times to help water to get past the hard seedcoat.

here's a couple of pictures of it at the moment

The soil mix used is 2 parts cacti and succulent mix (from Bunnings) 1 part fine silica sand and about 1/2 to 3/4 of a part of slighlty coarser silica sand.

Thanks for reading hopefully will have a few more seedlings up when i get home

[newageshaman]

and also the seeds were planted the 15th of last month so it took about 33 days for the first seed to germinate

[Weirdo]

Hi mate, I was lucky enough for my Iboga to produce it's first fruit this year. I sowed the seeds when the capsule was ripe but no luck so far in the seedling department.

Oh well, I'll just keep checking them every day. I wouldn't be in a big hurry in relieving the seedling of it's seed coat. It is at a very delicate stage and surprisingly fragile. Just leave it go and see if it sheds it by itself as they do in the wild. If you feel it must come off, don't try to pull it off but try to open the seed coat further without touching the seed leaves if you can. I would leave it for as long as I can because I'd be afraid of damaging that special thing. Good luck.

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

It should grow out of it within a week. If not gently take a sharp new razor blade and simply make a small nick so it can grow through. This is what I do for every seed that germs with its coat intact. I used to try and remove them but that jobs best left for surgeons.

[poisonshroom]

Mine never fall off (out of about 5-10 i got to germinate) some of them rotted because i left it on. Now i usually just gently hold either side of the split with my forefinger and thumb and gently pull the two sides apart and off the cotyledons. Sometimes it takes a bit of wiggling to get it loose, but they usually come of fine. even if you rip the cotyledons a but they tend to continue to grow fine. Also spraying them with water frequently before removing the seed coat softens it a bit making it easier to get off

Edited September 18, 2013 by poisonshroom

[newageshaman]

I'm pretty confident it should drop its seed coat as I nicked all the seeds before sowing, thanks for the advice I really hope i can get it past this stage and to a beautiful mature plant

[planthelper]

I go with all that has been suggested!

but I found a new method, I wrote once about already here at sab.

1, react right away with my method, once the seedling pulled there head out of the soil.

2, mist the seed coat with water.

3, jam the seed coat between two small blocks of wood, in a fashion, so that the "head" is still or again pointing downwards. those cube like blocks of wood, ought to be cut, so that the endgrain, is cut with a very slight angle.

4, method, the end grain will stop the seed coat from slipping, the slight angle will hold the seed coat tight.

the 2 blocks of wood act like a vice, holding the head down till, the cotyledons slip out of the case.

the blocks of wood, basicly act like, the soil does under better circumstances.

I go now and make a drawing and will upload it in a while to come.

[planthelper]

newageshaman, would you mind if I add following tag:

pericarp removal, stubborn seedcoat removal

here is the drawing, it's easy the wedge/vice like grip of the wood blocks acts like the seed head is still under ground.

eventualy the embryonic leaves will pull themselves out of the coat!

but, I am sure one can use many other materials as well, I am a wood man that's why.

comes to think of it now, blue tag would to a good job as well, if not even better!!

shape the blue tag to hold the head down, finished!

late edit: I am not sure, if what I called pericarp, is in fact called testa....

maybe it's still correct, partly, I guess the testa is made out of pericarp and endocarp (spell?)?

Edited September 20, 2013 by planthelper

[newageshaman]

No problem planthelper go ahead and thanks for the advice and the diagram. I had a good look at it the other day and it looks as though the seedcoat should come off by itself in a little while as i can see the seedcoat splitting slightly already so all going good i won't have to get out my surgeon gloves lol

[planthelper]

I have killed seedlings by attempting, to pull the seed coat off by hand, but I have been successful many times as well.

I would try to pull the coat off, if I were you, but with tiny force only, as you could be lucky and it comes off easy.

but maybe the easy, to pull ones, would have come of themselves a little bit later, so it's a hard call at times.

it as well depends how steady your hands are, but sometimes the "skin" (I think it's called endosperm), can be cut, with a scalpel or small razor blade.

doing so helps often, and it's this skin (visibly, just where the hypocotyl / stem, comes out of the seed coat) which will strangle the seed.

the safest method, which helps, without any risks are, to mist the seed coat with a mister or by other means, as often as possible.

you can as well, place a tiny pot filled with soil next to the seedling, in a fashion that the new pot, will act like the seed head is still under ground.

to achive this, a slot is cut with sissors, which will facilitate this feat.

Edited September 21, 2013 by planthelper
dyslexia

[newageshaman]

unfortunately the seed coat didn't come off so i tried as gently as possible to remove the coat itself but the leaves came off with the coat, the leaves also looked partly rotted so i think i acted to slow in removing the seedcoat although i've left the stem of the plant in it's pot in hopes it may regenerate and continue to grow. also another seedling sprouted and this one looks much more healthier than the last one and it's leaves are all ready about half way out of the seed coat. all going well this one should be a nice healthy plant .

here's a pic of the new baby

[Weirdo]

If the apical bud is intact the seedling still has a chance of survival. But if there is no growing point and just the stem left, forget it because there is nowhere for new growth to initiate from.

Edited September 24, 2013 by Weirdo

[newageshaman]

i thought as much , atleast the second seedling is looking alot more happy then the first one was and should definitely drop it's seed coat by itself

[planthelper]

you should have gone to specsavers instead!

obviously, you did not employ my trick.

not happy Jane...

[newageshaman]

Sorry PH I do find it hard to follow instructions