Topic: Pricking out

[aquilegia]

Would it adversely affect the seedlings if I leave pricking out a little longer than I should? I wouldn't leave it to the extent that they are overcrowded or growing out of the pot.

It's just that I have a few 3in pots with about four or five seedlings in that look ready to prick out, but i just don't have room for all the extra pots (even with all my windowsill extensions!)

[tim]

There's no one there with a stopwatch!! Don't worry. = Tim

[aquilegia]

Thanks for the reassurance Tim. You'll notice I'm rather prone to worry and panic about my babies!  ::)

[rdak]

I have been pricking out a few things into 3 x 5 cell inserts- each cell is a little smaller than a 3 inch pot -so 15 plants in a space the size of a seedtray. Is there anything that I really shouldn't be pricking out into these- I was thinking some plants may like a bit of elbow room away from their neighbour?
Currently, have used them for tomatoes,chillis and aubergines, which are all pretty small at the moment, but was going to start putting Brussell Sprouts and cabbage in next.

[Garden Manager]

I pr*ck out into cell trays. Not sure the exact size but I'd say about 1" square  for large seedlings and smaller cells for smaller seedlings. I find this saves space and is better for the plants, since they dont become swamped in compost (as in a 3" pot) nor do they suffer root damage like they would if transplanted into trays then potted up later.  Potting on is also easier as it is like growing your own plug plants (like you can get mail order bedinng plants).  Simply pop them out of the cell and into a pot of compost. Easy!  ;D

[john_miller]

Reading this board recently I have been surprised how much pricking out still seems to be the norm for gardeners. Around here everything, except tomatoes, peppers and aubergine are single sown directly into the cells that they will be transplanted from (into the ground). Most use cells that count as 128's in a 25x50 cm. tray. This will include lettuce, brassicas, celery, chicories etc.. Tomatoes are pricked out into 72's. To save space the trays can be stacked while germination takes place but have to be single layered when that happens. It can save time later though when other tasks are pressing.
While I don't expect anyone who has been gardening for a long time to change their system, 'newbies' might like to know that there are some alternatives to traditional practices.  

[garyp]

This is my first season as an allotment user. I decided to go down the route of using modules for sowing. For the larger plants like Broad Beans/ Cabbage I have used either roottrainers or the deep celled version of the modules.
From finding out the pros and cons it seemed to make a lot of sense to not have to do the pricking out stage. As this seems to be one of the most critical times and a seedling can be easily damaged. You can always sow 2/3 seeds to a module and then thin to the strongest. Even with tomatoes that I am starting I have sown 2 seeds to a 3" pot then thinned to the strongest. They seem to be growing ok.

[ina]

Every year I intend to thin the pepper and tomato seedlings out after I have sown 2 or 3 to a cell and every year I just can't stand the thinning process. I always end up transplanting all the ones I took out and I've never lost one doing it. The result is a glut of seedlings that I find happy homes for.

[Mrs Ava]

I have been very butch this year and sowed very thinly as I always end up with far to many seedlings and nobody wants the extra plants!  Yesterday I binned half a tray of primrose seedlings - white drumstick ones at that!  I ask, but nobody wants  :'(.  But I still find it hard if I sow 2 or 3 seeds to a cell, to thin out the weaklings....I still end up pricking them all out.... there must be a cure for what I have  :-\

[gillianbc]

I have the same problem - I just cannot throw anything out and I can't bear to thin annuals but they seem to do well.  I can never decide whenever it says 'thin out the weaker seedling'.  I don't know what I'm going to do with all the perennials I've sown this year - 100 or so each of oriental poppies, helenium, verbascum, delphinium etc.  It always seems such a shame when I've spent so long tending them and they're so pricey in the garden centre.  I shall probably have a plant sale this year and donate some to fetes etc.  I have got myself into the habit now of just sowing part of the packet - but I still need to be more ruthless.

[garyp]

I think that you need to come at this from a slightly different angle. What do you do if you see weeds growing on your plot? You remove them to let the plants you want, to become healthy and strong. Just think of the unwanted seedling as a weed that is stopping the other one growing healthy and strong!

Cheers for now

[ina]

Ha! Bad weed you, bad weed you, bad weed you!!!!
No I'm not! I'm a teeny weeny baby tomato plant, if you give me a another chance I will grow up to be a great big strong plant with lots of lovely fruits! Please, find me a little space or make somebody happy with me, find me a new home pleeeeeeeeeeeese!!!! Sniffle sniffle.

[The gardener]

I know what you mean EJ !

We dedicate a night at our garden club for 'pricking out'

What we do is take our surplus seedlings, and a few containers (compost supplied by the club) and pick and mix what ever is available.

If there is still some left (which is rare) then these are binned.

[Mrs Ava]

hahaha Ina, that is me all over!  I should thin my self sown nigella and aquiliegia, but never do, but they do look great, like a meadow of flowers!  Just thinned my celeriac seedlings.  My current policy is once the cell tray is full, bin the rest, but I nearly cry!!  

I think if (and it still is a big if) I were to open my garden to the public this year then I will defo have a plant stall, but then, will I be able to part with any of my babies!?!?!?!?

[garyp]

oh dear, oh dear........
my tomato plants must be speaking a different language to me cause they say 'get that nasty seedling outta my space so I can grow big and strong and give you lots of yummy, yummy fruit!'

cheers for now

[ina]

and logic wins again.

[garyp]

Its working in IT for so long. I have become a professional bore!!

[ina]

How could you be a bore when you hear tomato seedlings talking to you? No way Jose, you no bore!

[aquilegia]

Well there really isn'y any room left for any more pots, so my seedlings are just going to have to wait to be pricked out. They are not quite yet swamping each other. My kitchen now looks like a potting shed - there is about one square foot of work surface that isn't covered with pots. My Aqui laughed when he saw it - I think out of despair! I may have to try to harden off a few leeks to make some more room.

I really must learn to sow thinner (although this year i was better than last year) and not be scared of thinning out. I'm another who can't bear to throw out perfectly good plants.

I was hoping my salad pot wouldn't need thinning until some of the plants were big enough to eat, but even that I've sown too thickly!

[john_miller]

I don't know if I missed this in the past but why are you using pots and not modules?