Thursday, February 09, 2012

Come On Little Datil Pepper, You Can Do It!

Do you fret over your babies when they first emerge from the soil?
I confess, I do.

Sometimes a tiny, fledgling datil pup wears their old protective seed coat like a pair of handcuffs ... (leafcuffs?) long after they sprout.

Some break free of the vice-like grip of the seedcoat with no problem, but others wear if for days as if afraid to move on.

This little pepper finally tossed it aside, but when they don't do it according to MY time scale, I have been known to give the old coat a finger flick or aim a jet of water from the misting bottle at it.

It's a parent thing. 

6 comments:

Pablo said...

You answered the question I was going to ask.

Thunder said...

Sweet! Or I guess more appropriately, Spicy! ;-)

Dani said...

Gonna plant some of your seeds this week. :)

debbie said...

I hope that your little baby seedlings are protected. Cold weather is on its way.

R.Powers said...

Pablo,
I try.

Dave,
Yes, none of that sweet stuff here.

Dani,
GREAT! Let me know how they do!

Debbie,
Thanks for that info! Yes, they go in and out every day if the weather looks uncomfortable for them. This morning they are enjoying the sunny porch.

tai haku said...

If one is really desparate to get these off (say you only have 1 or 2 seeds of a variety of pepper) and they're not budging, I spray with mist and then hold the seed cap around the thin edge (ie the circumference of it if you think of it like a coin)and very gently squeeze. The slight compression should make the sides bulge just enough to pop the first leaves free.