Hey ..... just talking to my SIL and “whining” about my cucuzzas not germinating. I related your experience with them & how hard the brown coverings are, etc. She has a horticulture degree and a major green thumb and told me that for seeds that are hard to germinate, take nail clippers and nick the edge of the seed to help the leaves break through. I am definitely going to try that as soon as my two ‘new’ cucuzza seeds come off their long soak.
I need to talk to her more often! :-)
The first six I planted, I took a nail file, and filed the edges of the seeds to scarify them. Those are the ones I soaked for just over 24 hours. Three of those are now up..
The second batch I just soaked for 72 hours. I have seen pics of a v shaped nick to help with germination of cucuzzas, but it warned if you went past the outer seed, it would kill them.
If after all this, if we don't get at least three "gagootz", I am going to be thoroughly grumpy about it. I have three cattle panel hoops up, and the tromboncinos on the middle panel are cooperating. I am just waiting on these cucuzzi to spring into action. BTW, when they break out of the dirt, they look creepy to me..like a tiny morel only with some kind of dirt dome on top..no green just this little rising dirt dome.