Reduce the humidity, excess water and misting and in a few days you will be able to remove the seed coats. Whether they stay on is no big deal since these embryonic seeds will be replaced by true leaves and will die.

I'll give you the advice someone gave me when I first came to GW and had the same problem. If both cotyledons are still held within the seed coat, at least one of them needs to be freed so the seedling can grow and the true leaves can emerge. A drop or two of human saliva usually softens the seed coat in a few minutes so you can very gently remove it. Worked fine for me!

Here's some information from the tomato FAQs:

Sometimes the cotyledons (the first leaves formed from the seed) have trouble getting loose from the seed coating. Be patient, as the leaves will usually escape. You could wet the seed coating, or you could try to carefully pinch off the seed coat, but if you pinch off the cotyledons, the seedling will likely die. A simple way to wet the seedlings is with a spray bottle of water set to mist. A small drop of saliva is also very effective at loosening seedcoats.

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/tomato/2005015135020413.html

Let me add this, since I forgot before. Some people on GW have said there's an enzyme in human saliva that softens the seed coat, and that's why it's so effective. I don't know if that's true or not!

There are digestive enzymes in saliva.

In Nature, rain takes care of that, so I mist the seedlings that are "stuck". If that doesn't work in a day, I use a small surgical scissor to barely snip off the cotyledon tips. I can't say I've ever noticed that they die when snipped. It is always just the tip of the "leafs" that are removed.

I might try the saliva idea, though. That one is new to me.

Thanks for the ideas! Never heard of the saliva trick - that's a good one!

My problem is that the leaves are not able to break through at all. Misting and high humidity don't seem to help. I have a bad idea that's why I'm having some germination problems. The seed coats are too hard. Should I soak them before planting?

Thanks,
Bellatrix

Bellatrix

Well, it won't hurt if you soak them first, but I've found it happens only occasionally. Which isn't to say you aren't having this problem more often!

I think in the normal progression of things, most of the time the seed coat is softened and stays behind in the moist soil as the cotyledons erupt from it. Now, most people water their germinating seedlings too much, but could yours be too dry on top? Do you keep them adequately covered (to give them a humid environment) until they break through the soil? And would you have fewer problems if you planted the seeds a smidgen deeper?

Those are the things I might look at, but in the end, spit may save them!

Perhaps it is the direction the seeds are placed in the ground that makes a difference. Course with round seeds, you cannot know which way they lie. Still with seedless watermelons it is reccomended to plant them with the pointed end up 45° or at least flat.. I am guessing that way the seed coat stays underground longer and stays wet longer while the plant is gaining strength.