Re: [gardeners] Seed Starting in Coffee Filters

Marianne Lepa (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Wed, 21 Jan 1998 06:30:46 -0500

I thought the list was down, it's been so quiet here lately. :-)

At 06:07 PM 1/20/98 -0500, Skid wrote:
>As requested, we will describe our 'methode coffee filtre' ;- )

Thanks for this guys.

>They appear to have the advantage of being harder and more durable than the
>paper towels.  So far we have found that seeds that sprout do not tend to
>penetrate them, and it's therefore easier to move the seeds on to soil.
>
>We (so far) have found the cone type coffee filters to maintain their form
>better, which is to say; that when we peel the 2 pieces apart to get to the
>seeds (after a month or 2), the filter paper holds it's structural
>intergrity, and we don't have a hard time getting to the seeds.  Paper
>towels seem to become 'one' with the seeds.
>
>We hope this explains it....if not, ask away.  :- )

I do have a question. :-) I thought the advantage of the seeds sticking to
the paper towels meant that then you could transfer the seed from the paper
towel to the potting medium by taking a bit of the paper with you. Then you
didn't have to handle the seed and run the risk of damaging the cotyledon.
How do you handle the seeds with the coffee filter method? Are they not as
vunerable to damage as they look?

Marianne
Southeastern Ontario AgCan zone 5b