Why Take off the Cotyledon?

Transplanting Farming ProTip: Cotyledon [ kŏt″l-ēd′n ]: A leaf of the embryo of a seed plant, which upon germination either remains in the seed or emerges, enlarges, and becomes green.

If the cotyledon is left on your transplants and buried underneath the soil it could cause disease in the newly transplanted plant. Some farmers may pinch the cotyledon where the leaf branches off the stem while others may pinch the cotyledon at the base of the leaf. There are many ways to farm. The reason we chose to pinch at the leaf's base is to prevent bacteria from the soil from entering the base of our cabbage transplant's stem and be proactive on disease prevention giving our transplants the best fighting chance to grow as healthy as they can!

This video was made for the Mile High Farmers Union's Education and Wellness Committee.