[Thephoenix572]

Just underneath and the lid is on

[marcofez]

Started chitting some "earlibird" sweetcorn seeds on weds 17th and found that lots had chitted today! These were in a tray on top the kitchen unit cupboards. Quite amazed how quickly they took. So took them down the poly and potted them up in compost filled toilet rolls. These and potatoes are the only seeds I chit.

[Gandan57]

Just underneath and the lid is on

   

Put another piece over the seeds, and the magic will happen.

I have mine fairly wet.

[DD.]

Gandan57 - the seed of mine that you said had roots too long were germinated on top of sheets of kitchen roll, not between. If the micro climate in the tub is moist and warm that will be sufficient.

[Thephoenix572]

I've put another sheet see what happens

[Gandan57]

Indeed DD, yours did sprout very fast.

I found, two years ago, the same as Thephoenix572, that the seed wasn`t chitting, just laying on the paper, and another piece on top changed all that.

It is important to achieve rapid chitting, before everything starts to go mouldy.

[Sweetpea C]

Ajhh yes the lid... Doh!!!

Do you have moist kitchen roll on top of, as well as underneath the seed? I found in the past when the seed was just on top of the paper, it wasn`t absorbing enough moisture. 

Also, are the lids on? To prevent moisture loss.
[/quote]

[DD.]

One sheet (they could use that in an advert) - seed - lid.

Creates a micro climate, job done.

[hightide]

I see your comments people, my best experience on pre-chitting sweetcorn was the year before last where twentyone out of my selected twentyfive sprouted and grew on, I was a bit miffed as I only had two spare. Those two and two of the original were very weak and only produced one decent cob between them, although I did not have a full block the remainder did produce. Incidentally I talked to my buddies in Denver and asked them to expand on the light thing, apparently on corn there is a primary root system and a secondary root system. From germination the primary root system helps seedling development by extracting water from the soil, keeping the kernel activated. The secondary root system starts developing from under the leaf shoot and takes over from the kernel in supplying the nutrients to the young plant. When any light hits the leaf shoot it triggers growth, which can only be fuelled from the kernel. The secondary root system is not developed enough to support the growth so the kernel is exhausted. That is why a lot of sweetcorn seedlings only reach a single leaf and then stop developing. What they all agree on is that a steady temperature is vital for the first three to five days, recommending 70^oF especially for the supersweets.
I just soak the seeds for twelve hours, rinse and pot 1" deep and am happy with the results.

[Salmo]

Incidentally I talked to my buddies in Denver and asked them to expand on the light thing, apparently on corn there is a primary root system and a secondary root system. From germination the primary root system helps seedling development by extracting water from the soil, keeping the kernel activated. The secondary root system starts developing from under the leaf shoot and takes over from the kernel in supplying the nutrients to the young plant. When any light hits the leaf shoot it triggers growth, which can only be fuelled from the kernel. The secondary root system is not developed enough to support the growth so the kernel is exhausted. That is why a lot of sweetcorn seedlings only reach a single leaf and then stop developing.

So what should we be doing? Keep them in the dark or plant them deep so that the root system develops before they reach the surface.

[Totty]

If you chit them, plant them out as soon as they start showing root.

Totty

[JayG]

Exactly Totty! 

Saves any concerns about drying out or damaging the roots (and which way up to plant them!)

[ally]

I chitted my Sweetcorn and them put them in paper pots ... should I have planted them out and not in pots?

Yesterday I let them sunbathe, it was a lovely day in Leicester! Should I harden them off and get them in the ground or wait til the risk of frost has passed?!??!?

[JayG]

It's much too early to plant them outside - frost will kill them outright but temperatures of below around 10C day or night will put them into a prolonged sulk which they may never fully recover from.

[Sweetpea C]

Slightly unrelated but the ones I sowed (far too early I now know) were happily growing in the greenhouse and have now been eaten? Inside the greenhouse too! :mad:so, what can it be that's eating them and how do I stop the next lot from being eaten? (BTW - the next lot are chitting, on wet kitchen roll, in a tub, with the lid on....!).