Chilling with the Cotyledons

Cucumber Seedlings
I was very worried about my little seedlings as none of them have developed any "true leaves," which I have read should have arrived shortly after the cotyledons. My mind began running away from me ... Did I overwater?  Is the fertilizer wrong? Not enough light? heat? Then, I looked through past pictures in my blog and realized that it was only four days ago that the cotyledons began to appear. Phew, thank goodness for blogging. My cucumber seedlings look okay besides the lack of true leaves. They are turning a nice dark green color (see picture at left) and are getting larger every day. So for now, I will keep my fingers crossed and hope that I will see true leaves in the next 7-10 day.
Posted by Victoria at 8:36 PM

3 comments:

Kathe Kline
April 4, 2011 at 10:24 PM

I was wondering what seed leaves are called. Is that what "cotyledons" are?

Great looking cucumber seedlings!


Victoria
April 8, 2011 at 7:25 AM

Hi Katherine, cotyledons are baby leaves that the plant grows and are usually followed by "true leaves." I've read that cotyledons store food for the plant but are not capable of photosynthesis, which is why I am so eager for the true leaves to develop.


Kathe Kline
April 9, 2011 at 10:08 AM

Victoria,
I've always called those first leaves, "seed leaves", and thanks so much for the actual name!!!!
Now if I can only remember it....
Happy Gardening!


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