Can I cut off cotyledons? Do they fall off?

Question

My cilantro seedlings have grown a lot of true leaves and the cotyledons have grown big. Can I cut off cotyledons? Do they fall off?

Answer 1

In most plants the cotyledons fall off at some point, in others, they shrink, shrivel and dry out.

There’s no need to cut them off and I would discourage you to do so while they are still green - green means photosynthesis and feeds the plant. Plus you‘d be creating a small wound, which will probably just heal fine but a small risk of infection remains. If your cilantro seedlings are larger and a bit intertwined (as happens so often), you’d probably be crushing the cluster of plants a bit. But without a photo the individual situation is hard to judge. (I do remember your earlier post, so based on that, I’d rather say leave them, they are are still needed.)

In short, I wouldn’t bother.