I had the same problem. The shell came off easily but the membrane was glueing it shut. Other seedlings were well ahead of this stage. So I removed the dry membrane very gently. This following pic is the result. I ended up having to rip it out and try again. Another valuable seed wasted! Leave it alone and hope for the best also plant another just in case.
elcheapo Reviewed by elcheapo on . seed shell still on sprout i germinated 10 durban poison seeds (paper towel style) then planted in soil.. 2 and 1/2 days after planting about half popped out nice and healthy, 2 no-shows yet and there are 2 others that popped through the surface with the seed casing still attached. One of them looks like a normal sprout but with the entire seed intact on top of the sprout, just split a little. The other is a little less extreme, just like a strong membrane over the top of the sprout, looking like its not letting Rating: 5