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Raising plants from seeds part 2 - Pricking out seedlings
As the seeds grow, they will start to overcrowd each other and will need to be potted on into small pots. This used to be a stage that caused me a few problems. The young seedlings seem so delicate and I was a bit wary when it came to handling them. However, with a bit of practice and some experience with larger seedlings, I soon mastered the technique. This part of the process is known as pricking out, another one of these technical terms that gardeners use. If you are like me, you will be looking at all those seedlings and wondering what you are going to do with all these young plants you have. Don't worry, there is always someone nearby who will welcome some free plants and will usually respond in kind. Swapping plants with other gardeners is a great way to increase the variety of plants you will have available to plant in your garden.
Why you need to do this
The next step to great plants
Pricking out is really necessary part of growing plants from seed. Once your seedlings have germinated, they will need more space to grow a strong root system (strong roots=strong plants). Prick out seedlings as soon as the plant is ready which is usually when the first true leaves emerge. The very first set of leaves is known as the seed leaves, after these a second set of leaves will emerge known as the true leaves. These second leaves will look just like the leaves of the mature plant, so you will easily recognise them. All that you will need
1. A dibber to lift the seedlings with. You can buy these from garden centres, but a pencil, lollipop stick or even the end of a teaspoon will do.
2. The pots I mentioned in my previous lens. Three inch pots are ideal and you will need one for each plant.
3. Compost. Use the same seed and cutting compost you used for sowing the seeds.
4. Some water.
Step 1: get ready
Prepare in advance
1. Fill each pot with the compost up to about a half inch from the top.
2. Tap the pot down on a hard surface to settle the compost, top up if necessary.
3. Use the dibber to make a hole in the centre of the compost large enough to take all the root of the seedling.
Step 2: Lifting the seedlings
from tray to pot
Note: it's important that, once the seedling has been transplanted, its seed leaves should be just above the surface of the compost
1. Select a good strong seedling
2. Hold it by the seed leaf and use your dibber to gently tease it out from the compost. You will probably find that the roots have tangled with its neighbouring plants, so go gently.
3. Rest the roots on the dibber and transfer the seedling to the pot.
4. Drop it into the hole made previously, and then insert the dibber into the compost a bit to the side of the seedling.
5. Keep a hold of the seed leaf throughout and gently ease the dibber across to the seedling with just enough pressure to firm it into the compost.
Step 3: settle them in
the final hurdle
1. Water your seedlings in gently. If you use a watering can, make sure it has a fine rose. Alternatively, pour water onto the surface of the compost using a glass or a cup.
2. Now place the plants somewhere warm and sunny. Keep an eye on them to make sure that they don't dry out or get scorched if the sun gets too hot.
Advice from Monty Don
Pricking out seedlings
PS you don't have to log in or join, just scroll down once the page opens.
- Seeds - pricking out seedlings video project | How to | Projects | BBC Gardeners' World
- Learn how to prick out seedlings with BBC Gardeners' World expert, Monty Don's comprehensive video guide.
Organic Gardening E Books
more useful information can be found here
Some seedlings that others have grown
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They are getting big!!
Great offers on pots at E Bay
Buy in bulk and save in the long run
Buying single pots can be expensive. These are ideal for potting on your seedlings.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Further reading available from Amazon
These may help you as well
Alan Titchmarsh's Avant-Gardening: A Guide to One-Upmanship in the Garden
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The Kitchen Gardener: Grow Your Own Fruit and Veg
Nothing beats the taste of home grown veg. It's also organic as well, something that you pay extra for in the shops.
Release Date: 05/13/2008
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Amazon Price: $26.37 (as of 07/06/2009)
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The Best of Ground Force - Garden Rescues
The T.V. programmes were great with lots of good ideas on how to add features to your garden.
Release Date: 03/02/2004
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Amazon Price: $8.49 (as of 07/06/2009)
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Alan Titchmarsh How to Be a Gardener Book Two
Get this and benefit from Alan's knowledge of all things gardening.
Release Date: 08/28/2007
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List Price: $41.30
Used Price: $9.39
Tell everyone about your success with raising plants
Time to show the world that you did it
Tracey_M wrote...
Argur, I'm going to give this a try but I've had as much success with plants as I've had with goldfish :) I love to have fresh basil at home but everytime I buy one from Tesco it dies, no matter what I do. I've gone through five and have now given up :(
Posted November 24, 2008
Augur wrote...
Thanks for the compliment and for the great idea. I think i feel another lens coming on.
Posted October 27, 2008
ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...
With the cold weather moving in, I moved my herbs inside. I'll be starting some new ones soon. As you're good with plants and seeds, have you considered showing people how to set up minature herb gardens for Christmas gifts?
Great lens
Lizzy
Posted October 27, 2008
Blog Posts from Google
- The Garden of Eaden: HOW TO GROW EUCOMIS PLANTS FROM SEED
- If you are collecting Eucomis seed yourself then allow the seed pods to fully dry out on plants first before collecting. Then, choosing a dry sunny day; remove the pods, but these will need to be broken into before you can retrieve the ...
- Upside Down World - Quinoa Plants a Seed for Food Revolution in ...
- Upside Down World, a website uncovering activism and politics in Latin America.
- Your Golfing Paradise: PLANTING SEEDS.
- In seed selection size is another point to hold in mind. Now we know no way of telling anything about the plants from which this special collection of seeds came. So we must give our entire thought to the seeds themselves. ...
- Indian Hydroponics Pioneers Association: Germinating Seeds the ...
- Other seeds are very small and have almost no stored materials. In the production of hydroponic seed starting, the plants should start out with a nutrient drenched media and add nutrient water every day. This water is a nutrient that is ...
by Augur
Hi, I'm Augur and I have been successfully gardening organically for the last ten years. Not only can you learn a lot about organic gardening from... (more)
