Story of the Little Seed

Inside a tiny seed, sleeps a huge tree. That’s what they say about me. I lie dormant mostly. Until someone wakes me up. Sprinkling some water on my face is enough. As water enters through the skin I swell up. Water fills up my cells and tells me it is time to get up and go to work. I need a lot of water actually. So that I fully soak up, swell and send out a shoot. Since I have remained dry and dormant for too long. Sometimes there isn’t enough water, and I dry off midway. Fungus come to eat off my partially moist body.

Swelling up in water is only part of the job as my insides prepare for growing up. I am trained to be very careful and cautious. I have to gather information about the external environment. I have to be sure it is warm enough for me to live. I am too young to take the cold and frost or the harsh sun. My mom left a little code that tells me what is the right temperature. I check that out. I like to stay in the dark when I complete all these internal preparations before stepping out.

As I grow one limb to dig into the soil and another limb to reach out to the skies, I have to estimate how tall that limb has to be. Sometimes I am trapped inside very dark places, say a compost bin. And then a little ray of light I can sense somewhere far away. I just make a long limb to get to that light. I like bright light. I need a lot of it to grow. I will do what it takes to find it. If it is the window sill, I know it is bright outside and I will send a limb to get out there. I am just wired like that.

But I can’t spend all my energy on my limbs. Then I will have too little for leaves. My mom left some food and she also made two sacs called cotyledons that hold my food and nurture me until I grow some leaves and make my own food. But all this is limited supply. Just as much as a tiny seed can hold. So I have to conserve that energy. If I am a long seedling with tiny leaves on the top I won’t survive. I don’t have enough energy left to make it.

I grow a limb with two cotelydons first. Mostly. These are the stores of food for me. My first few days are spent growing some roots and getting a firm footing. But I am a little one. I don’t have energy for digging into the soil. I can’t make fat roots. I make delicate white roots that can easily spread out and seek moisture. If I find a fluffy, moist, soft space I quickly make many roots. But my enemy, the fungus lingers. If it is too wet, she will take over and kill my roots. The most common reason for my early death are humans that water too much that fungus rots my roots. That I am tender makes me a juicy meal for bugs and snails. Slugs, worms and pill bugs. I have no way to fight them. We are their food. Mom makes a lot of us seeds so at least a few of us will survive.

I am not even making any food. I am only exploring. So letting me be in shade so I don’t dry out is enough. And I don’t make elaborate roots. Just enough to survive. So placing me in a small cell is good enough. Some sprinkling of water or a gentle spray will do. Some wind and air also help. Some kind souls put on a fan or just run their fingers on my tops. I am so kicked that I make a few more roots.

Soon I grow true leaves. Or leaves that identify me. My roots are still delicate. But I am now drawing some energy from the sun. Once I have three leaves, I am big enough to sit in the morning sun. I will soon learn to make my own food. Then I outgrow that seed cell. I am ready for the big world. Give me some tonics; give me some water and take me to the big world. I am ready to become a big plant and grow flowers and fruits and make more seeds.