Over the last few weeks, the seeds I planted have germinated and started growing – I can literally see growth on a daily basis, and its one of my favorite things about starting my own seeds! Check out my seed starting post here if you missed it!
They are now to the point where they need some more room to grow. Again, some people prefer to start their seeds in individual vessels, whether that be plastic pots, packs, or peat pellets/pots. I, however, like to start a lot of seeds in a small tray, and then separate or “transplant” them from there to their own vessel. I just find the method to be a more efficient use of space, which is always crucial for me.
Here’s some of my seedlings that were started a few weeks ago!
Not only have they been busy growing leaves, they’ve been growing a strong root system as well.
I’m going to transplant most of my peppers to packs. They’ll be able to grow in these packs for about another month – I’ll move them one more time to a larger individual container since the majority will be up for grabs at my plant sale. I know it is an additional step, however root development is crucial and they will be happier starting in a smaller space.
Like I’ve said in other posts, I use Pro-Mix potting soil for basically everything I do. I’ve moistened the soil and filled the packs.
Once my packs are prepared, I’ll move each seedling into one of the spaces. To do that, I use a plastic plant label to tease each seedling out of the tray. The goal is to keep the majority of the roots in tact – but know there will be some breakage.
Once the roots have been teased apart, I lift the seedling out. Its important to handle them as gently as possible as to not damage the stem.
Once the seedling is free, I go to my soil-filled packs and make a hole in the soil with my plastic plant label.
I gently place the seedling into the hole in the soil, and then lightly pack the soil around the stem and roots.
I repeat the process until they are all in their new homes. Its important to remember to label your seedlings if you have different varieties or colors of the same species of plants. There’s lots of ways to label, but the key is to use something that isn’t going to fade or break down. Some things I’ve used are cutting plastic containers into label shapes (milk jugs, pop bottles, sour cream containers, etc.), no-longer-used mini blinds cut down to size, or wooden popsicle sticks/tongue depressors, which I’m using for these guys.
Once they’re all in, I use a spray bottle to water in the roots – I’ve found if I use a watering can for the first watering the soil tends to flow all over the place and make a mess – so the spray bottle settles the soil without that mess.
I’ll repeat the process with some of my other types of seedlings. Many will make their first move to styrofoam egg cartons, which I love because of their nice small size for root development.
Some other seedlings – like these Cathedral Bell vines – start out quite large, so I’ll move them to a larger container right at the start.
All of these little guys will go back under my fluorescent lights and hopefully continue to grow their little hearts out! This Minnesota winter has been brutal so its hard to say when my greenhouse will be up, but hopefully in the coming weeks the plants, and I, will get out for some fresh air and sunshine!
