Pumpkin seed/ sun flower seed germination?

Hi, a silly question for you. I started my indoor plants like 4 days ago. I live in the north, so we need to start them pretty early. I might even be late for starting some of them. I also started a few sunflower/pumpkin plants. Last night I was bored, and thought I would try removing the outer shell from one of the pumpkin seeds and see if it would germinate faster. Sure enough, it has germinated overnight and already started to grow out a little root structure. The ones I left the outer shell on, still Have not started, but it does say 10-14 days for germination.





So, my question, does removing the outer shell have any ill effects to things like pumpkin, squash, sunflowers? it seems like it could save a lot of time for starting plants, but is there any nutrition in the outer shell they will be missing or anything?





Thanks for the help.

Pumpkin seed/ sun flower seed germination?
Yes, removing the shell may cause damage...


The shell contains nutrients that the seedlings need in order to grow up to be healthy.


Also the shell protects, the sprouts from being cut, squashed, and water rot.
Reply:Great experiment!


You'll know in a few days if the shell has extra nutrients. Youcould add the shell to the soil around the seedling, and you could use Miracle-Grow to give them a boost.
Reply:Better simply to file a little of the edge at the top, not too much. This should speed things up and not cause any problems.





As said earlier, the seed covering contains the nutrients that get things going before the tap root is big enough to draw in nutrients from the soil.
Reply:I live in the north also. Sounds like an interesting experiment. I usually use heat mats which germinates seed at half or less the normal time. As for sunflowers %26gt;they do not transplant well. They grow very quickly in most soil types. Best to start from seed right where you want them. I plant them everywhere as they attract beneficial insects and make great food for birds, chippys and deer who love the leaves.
Reply:It will stunt the growth of the plant and it will not flower properly and or not produce, "produce".





If it would have worked im pretty sure it would have been figured out already.





Good luck with them though