Does anyone make the effort to plant each pepper seed with the scar facing downwards so when it germinates the root goes down instead of up then down and twist the stem up with the seed head on it? I have already seen enough "helmet heads" that I am wondering if this needs to be done? I went to the effort of placing each seed (hundreds and hundreds of them) with the scar down to try to avoid that from happening. Any thoughts or experience?
I don't plant nearly as many as you, Carolyn, so I don't worry about "up or down". I get "helmet heads" on tomato seedlings, but not so much on peppers. I have no idea why! If it were important to me to maximize the germination/growing of peppers, I'd probably take the trouble to plant scar down, but since it isn't, I don't.
Thanks. I was wondering if there was merit to doing it. I guess I will wait and see what happens with the ones I have started.
I have done that in the past Carolyn, but I have the impression that it didn't matter...so I do not do it anymore. I still plant runnerbeans that way though.
I have heard of planting beans that way, but quite frankly planting 5- 50' rows that way just doesn't do me any happy thoughts, so I will just drop them out of the little earthway seeder and expect them to grow. Too bad you didn't see any difference from planting the peppers that way either. bummer. Not that I wasted my time because I was only planting (mostly) 100 of each variety and that isn't too bad since I needed to space them anyway. What was a few extra moments for each seed? The large quantities I sprinkled all over the tray and covered with a thin layer of mix.
Well, you can say that you have not given the pepper seeds a fair chance. I have the luxury of having to plant very few runner beans, so I can afford the luxury of paying attention to the scar...I have the sneaking suspicion that even if I didn't do it, they would still come up. The reason that one pays attention to the scar is so that the roots and plants grow in the appropriate directions and that if one plants runner beans on their sides it is possible for them to rot on one side when the soil is too moist. It is even worse with broad beans with their little dried-up dimpling which act as reservoirs for water. You deal with such great numbers I can see that you don't have the time to pay attention to the scar. Ach meid as long as you don't have too many seeds that do not come up, then all is well in the Kingdom, right?
In the past I use to do that but now I just drop them where I want them to grow. I believed that the seedling will find its own way to stand up. If those that cannot find it's own way, I guess they are physically challenged.
