My tomatoes here in this climate are so late to set fruit due to really cold nights and blazing hot days, until the rains come around mid July. Then things even out and I start getting some fruit set. Don't really get any nice tomatoes until September.
So, this year I thought I would try some Early Girl along with my regular favorites and see what happens. I bought a package off the rack and didn't notice until I got it home that it was pelleted or pelletized seed. I have not had experience with that before. Do you think I should soak off the coating first? Will the coating delay the sprouting of the seed? I guess it's not a harmful chemical of some kind?
It seems a little odd that it would be tomato seed that is pelleted, Taiji. I suppose that commercial operations are using pelleted seed for their planting and that's influencing packaging for the general public. I wonder how many people are strongly influenced by the feel and weight of what they take off the sales racks at the garden center and if the extra weight of pellets may break down "customer resistance" to the sales ... oh, I'm being cynical 
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Most years, I use pelleted carrot seed. It really helps and I get very good germination. Carrot seed is slow to germinate and yet need to stay near the soil surface because of the size of the seedlings. Hitting that window of opportunity when spring outdoor conditions will be just right for 3 weeks is tough! Pellets seem to take a whole lot of risk out of starting that crop.
Pelleted lettuce seed doesn't make sense to me altho' it may to others in different climates. Lettuce sprouts quickly. Beyond these two common choices for pellets, I thought it would just be of a machine-sowing benefit. I see little reason to either have or not have that clay mixture on tomato seeds. No, I wouldn't take it off.
Steve
.Most years, I use pelleted carrot seed. It really helps and I get very good germination. Carrot seed is slow to germinate and yet need to stay near the soil surface because of the size of the seedlings. Hitting that window of opportunity when spring outdoor conditions will be just right for 3 weeks is tough! Pellets seem to take a whole lot of risk out of starting that crop.
Pelleted lettuce seed doesn't make sense to me altho' it may to others in different climates. Lettuce sprouts quickly. Beyond these two common choices for pellets, I thought it would just be of a machine-sowing benefit. I see little reason to either have or not have that clay mixture on tomato seeds. No, I wouldn't take it off.
Steve
Pelleted seed cost more. The pellet is actually fertilizer so I would not wash it off. It is usually designed for small seeds to make it easier to plant them. I occasionally have gotten them off the rack by accident since I did not pay attention to the wording. Usually, I get the unpelleted seeds because I plant them in community pots anyway and I get more for the money with regular seed.
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Taiji
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Thank you. Yeah, I was surprised when I looked more closely at the pack and saw that it said 12 or 15 seeds in there only! I figured I would have enough to last 3 or 4 yrs. Now I'm wondering if every pellet actually has a seed in there; no way to know. Maybe something went wrong in Denmark and I'm only planting a little white ball!
So, I guess if there's fertilizer in the pellet, it doesn't burn the small seedling?
So, I guess if there's fertilizer in the pellet, it doesn't burn the small seedling?
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applestar
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When they are pelleted, does the compound also contain fungicides and pesticides? I always wondered/am kind of suspicious.... I think the simplest of them are just fine clay (or other material) intended to turn the seeds into smooth, uniform pellets that roll through the seeding machines and gizmos easily for even sowing. ...or for tiny seeds to make them easier to handle like digitS mentioned. They are kind of like chocolate with candy coating like m&m's.
This will be a bit OT, but .... Larger, hand-made (or DIY bucket or hand or motor-turned concrete mixer coating machine) clay/compost/manure coated pellets are seed-balls and seed-bombs -- except those are sometimes made from a number of same or a combination seeds, depending on what method you are working with.
Due to the processing involved, pelleted seeds don't store well and should be used up quickly.
This will be a bit OT, but .... Larger, hand-made (or DIY bucket or hand or motor-turned concrete mixer coating machine) clay/compost/manure coated pellets are seed-balls and seed-bombs -- except those are sometimes made from a number of same or a combination seeds, depending on what method you are working with.
Due to the processing involved, pelleted seeds don't store well and should be used up quickly.
(I'm a cynic too digitS!)-
Taiji
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Bringing this thread up again to say I'm very unimpressed with my Early Girl pelleted seeds that I inadvertently bought. Planted 6 seeds in the usual grow cells on heat mat. Nothing happened until about 10 days later, one sickly looking little seedling appeared. Meanwhile all the other seeds of other varieties unpelleted sprouted fine in 3 or 4 days.
I then took 4 of the remaining pelleted seeds and soaked off the coating. Sure enough, there were tomato seeds in there. Planted those in the same kind of medium on heat mat; germination happened in the usual 3 or 4 days. All new seedlings look healthy.
I suppose pelleted seed must work or they wouldn't keep making them available, but for me, in this instance it was a total floppola!
I then took 4 of the remaining pelleted seeds and soaked off the coating. Sure enough, there were tomato seeds in there. Planted those in the same kind of medium on heat mat; germination happened in the usual 3 or 4 days. All new seedlings look healthy.
I suppose pelleted seed must work or they wouldn't keep making them available, but for me, in this instance it was a total floppola!
I have used pelleted seed before. It is actually good for things like carrots where they don't transplant well and I don't like to thin. The coating is just fertilizer. It might slow germination but it should not affect growth.
If the seeds are treated with captan,a fungicide, they usually are dyed red and there is a warning on the package that the seeds are treated. Usually only seeds that are prone to rot are treated, like spinach.
If the seeds are treated with captan,a fungicide, they usually are dyed red and there is a warning on the package that the seeds are treated. Usually only seeds that are prone to rot are treated, like spinach.