


#Cantaloupe seedlings how to
How to separate older seedlings when potting up When transplanting, it’s okay to coil the root and push it down with your pencil or tool.Choose the strongest seedlings and transplant them individually in modules – discard the rest.When separating seedlings and leaving them out on a plate, don’t leave them for too long before transplanting or they’ll quickly wilt.Don’t mess with the roots, avoid cleaning the soil off or teasing them.When moving and transplanting the separated seedlings, don’t touch their stems as they’re very fragile and you can bruise them.They should separate quite easily, exposing hair-like roots. Grab the seedlings by the roots and gently pull them apart.Do this in segments, until you get all the seedlings out. Use a pencil, a pricking tool, or even your finger to get underneath the roots and gently lift seedlings up.Spray the soil so that it’s nice and moist.Here’s how to easily and safely separate young seedlings: Leaving seedlings crowded in a tray for too long will make them compete with each other and stunt their growth, so don’t postpone this task. You can prick out seedlings at a later date, but they recover best when transplanted very young. You can prick out young seedlings at the cotyledon stage – when they have just two leaves and are about 1 week old, or you can wait until the first true leaves emerge, at about 2 weeks old. You’ll be doing this with seeds like lettuce, celery and celeriac, and many gardeners start their tomatoes with this method as well. Pricking out is the act of separating very young seedlings that are growing together and individually moving them to their own plug. Broadcasting a bunch of seeds on a tray is very economical because you’ll be getting enough seedlings to fill your entire garden, all confined in a small container. In this particular situation, you’ll have a tray of very crowded seedlings waiting for their final location. How to separate young seedlings when pricking out Throughout the gardening season, you’ll be:Įach situation is a bit different when it comes to separating seedlings, and we’ll be covering all three of them here so you’re fully prepared to grow your own little plants. If you’re starting your own seeds, you’ll need to master separating and transplanting seedlings, as you’ll be doing this over and over again. With bigger seedlings, turn the container upside down, squeeze it to get the roots out, and loosen the soil until they break apart. For small seedlings, lift from underneath the roots with your finger or a tool and gently pull apart. To safely separate young seedlings, make sure the soil is moist.

What if you break the stem? What if you break the roots? What if the plant doesn’t recover? These are all relevant questions, although, fortunately, separating seedlings is a lot easier than it looks. Separating seedlings for the first time is anxiety-inducing for many inexperienced gardeners. As an Amazon Associate earns from qualifying purchases.
