![]() Knowing the best time to start seeds indoors is an important step for promoting healthy plant growth. ![]() Start tomato seeds, for example, indoors 6 to 7 weeks before the last frost date. ![]() It’s good practice to follow the instructions listed on the seed packet or in a vegetable gardening book to encourage stocky seedlings. Seedlings started indoors too early also become root bound. If the roots are circling around the root ball, it’s time to repot the seedlings. ![]() You can also check root systems by carefully slipping seedlings from their containers. One sign that it’s time to repot seedlings is when roots begin to grow out of the drainage holes on the bottoms of the containers. Seedlings grown in cell packs, plug trays, or other small containers quickly become root bound. The third option for when to transplant seedlings is based on seedling size and whether they’ve outgrown their containers. Option 3: Transplanting seedlings based on plant size When seedlings are repotted into larger containers they have the space they need to develop a healthy root system. Instead gently handle the young plants by the leaves. Never hold seedlings by the stems, as this can damage their delicate tissues. Carefully separate seedlings and repot them into larger containers filled with a high quality potting mix. Prick out seedlings using a small dibbler, wooden skewer, or pencil. Repotting densely planted seedlings can reduce the risk of damping off. Damping off is a fungus or mold that causes seedlings to fall over and die. Overcrowding seedlings can also impede air flow which may prompt issues like damping off. You don’t want seedlings competing for light, water, and nutrients. Either technique works, but if you’re planting densely, you’ll need to prick out seedlings and move them to larger pots when they start to crowd out their neighbors. Some gardeners plant just one or two seeds per cell pack or pot, while others prefer to sow their seeds thickly in seeding trays. There are several ways to start seeds indoors. Option 2: Transplanting seedlings based on plant density Seedlings that are growing thickly need to be thinned so they don’t compete with their neighbors for light, water, and nutrients. I typically repot my seedlings when they’ve developed one to two sets of true leaves. It’s when the true leaves develop that photosynthesis really begins. So the first true leaves of a tomato plant look like mature tomato leaves. These leaves look the same as those of the mature plant. When a seed, like a tomato or zinnia seed germinates the cotyledons are the first leaves that open.Īfter the cotyledons open, the true leaves are next to emerge. To use this technique you need to understand the difference between cotyledons, also called seed leaves, and true leaves. Many gardeners use the number of sets of true leaves as a signal of when to transplant seedlings. Option 1: The number of sets of true leaves Knowing when to transplant seedlings is an easy way to promote healthy, vigorous plants. When certain seedlings, like tomatoes, have grown leggy repotting can help encourage sturdier stems. The third indication that it’s time to transplant seedlings is when the young plants outgrow their original containers.Many gardeners like to sow seeds thickly, but when they start to crowd out their neighbors its time to prick them out and move them to larger pots. The second option for timing transplanting is based on plant density.The majority of vegetable, flower, and herb seedlings can be potted up once one or more sets of true leaves have developed. The first option is based on the stage of growth.There are four options for when to transplant seedlings: When to transplant seedlings: 4 easy options This, in turn, reduces the risk of transplant shock when the seedlings are eventually moved to the garden. Transplanting offers increased space for the root system to develop. This gives your vegetable and flower seedlings the chance to grow bigger and more vigorous. Transplanting seedlings, also called ‘potting up’, at the right time ensures consistent, uninterrupted growth. Why is it important to know when to transplant seedlings? Transplanting, or ‘potting up’, seedlings is an important step when growing from seed. Below you’ll learn how to tell when the time is right to repot seedlings. Knowing when to transplant seedlings is a skill that is easy for gardeners to learn, even those just starting out. Transplanting the small plants into larger containers allows seedlings to develop robust root systems. Seeds for vegetables, herbs, and flowers are sown in cell packs, plug trays, or peat pellets with most outgrowing their containers after 4 to 5 weeks. Knowing when to transplant seedlings can mean the difference between healthy, vigorous plants and those that are stunted and root bound.
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