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Courgette seedlings - Different tones (?) of green

EscapetothegardenEscapetothegarden Posts: 188
in Plants
Good morning!

My courgette seedlings all germinated over a couple of weeks.  The earliest were light green and the most recent, a darker green.

What would be the difference? Did the later ones have more light so they are greener?

Are the darker ones healthier?

Would love an insight!
Thank you 🙂



The one on the bottom right was the first, bottom left and top middle were the second lot..top right came most recently.

Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    The oval leaves are the seed leaves.
    Once the seed germinates they provide nutrition for the plant until the true leaves appear.
    Once the true leaves have grown the seed leaves are dropped as they are of no more use - so it's quite natural.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • EscapetothegardenEscapetothegarden Posts: 188
    Thank you @Pete.8 sorry I wasn’t clear, I meant the seed leaves being different colours.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    They're fine.
    The most recent seed leaves have probably had more light as there's been no shortage of sun recently, so are a bit darker.
    They will soon start to fade as they are temporary leaves.
    They will start to turn yellow like the older plants, then the seed leaves will drop off as the bigger true leaves will be providing energy for your plant.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • EscapetothegardenEscapetothegarden Posts: 188
    Thank you!

    I had already planted up two of the earlier ones (have given away the rest) and was wondering if I should have potted up one the newer ones if they were healthier.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited June 2023
    As a painter, you were right to query "tone".  "Hue" would be the artist's word. but amongst gardeners there is no need for that sort of precision.

    Tone is colour plus white. Shade is colour plus black.  Hue is colour.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    All of your seedlings are fine.

    I have 2 in the ground now.
    One is looking really well, the other is plainly not happy as all the leaves are yellow and it is barely growing.
    On investigation I can see that a slug has munched the surface of the base of the stem  of the plant, so it is now unable to transport nutrients to the leaves. I'll have to remove it as it will slowly die. C'est la vie!
    So just keep an eye out for slug damage at the base of the plant.
    I'll sow another today, but 1 plant will probably produce more than enough.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • EscapetothegardenEscapetothegarden Posts: 188
    Thank you @Pete.8 👍
  • EscapetothegardenEscapetothegarden Posts: 188
    bédé said:
    As a painter, you were right to query "tone".  "Hue" would be the artist's word. but amongst gardeners there is no need for that sort of precision.

    Tone is colour plus white. Shade is colour plus black.  Hue is colour.

    Thank you @bédé

    As a beginner/hobby artist and a beginner/hobby gardener I am grateful for the clarification 🙂
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