Transplanting
Begin transplanting when the first true leaves unfold, which is usually 2 to 3 weeks after sowing. As the seedlings grow, the cotyledons (the first leaf or one of the first pair or whorl of leaves developed by the embryo of a seed plant) will wither and what are called the first true leaves will form. This is when your seedlings begins actively photo-synthesizing.
Because the seedling is growing in a soilless mix, you will need to give it some supplemental feeding. I use a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen and potassium. This is to encourage good roots and healthy growth.
Before transplanting, water the seedlings well. This will aid the seedlings to easily separate when taken out of the container. Hold the seedlings carefully by the stem when transplanting, fill container with soil and set the seedling at the same level it was in the seedling flat. When firming the soil avoid injuring the tender stems.
Immediately, after transplanting, water each seedling container thoroughly. Wilting at this point can damage young plants severely.
Spacing is important. Plant quality suffers from crowding too many plants into a small area, crowded seedlings become weak and spindly and are more susceptible to disease. In this photo the tomato seedlings should be transplanted to a larger container. Wider spacing or larger containers permit stronger growth. As a rule of thumb, to produce high quality plants, space them so that the leaves of one plant do not touch those of another.
2 Responses to “Transplanting”
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Lori you are just full of helpful information. Thanks again.
We are going to our local nursery in the next week and will be picking up a lot of stuff we will need for our first backyard garden.
Your site has already been helping my wife and myself learn some thing we need to succeed at our first garden. Well worth having in my RSS feed reader.
Just about a foot of snow left in our backyard but that will be gone in just a week or so and we can start measuring and digging. Yeeee Haaaaaw
Hi Lori
Thanks for the detailed instructions on how to transplant. I’ve decided to give container gardening a try since I don’t have any room here for a proper outdoor garden. I’ve got you bookmarked now, and have a feeling I’ll be back for more help very shortly.
Ruthie