You can also try feeding them with a little liquid kelp to also help prevent transplant shock. Also plant in the evening or early morning to avoid transplant shock. You should go through the hardening off process before putting them out though. SueC April 20, 2022ĭeb, you should be able to transplant into the garden from those trays. This is a big deal since I have realized that good, hardy seedlings don’t always take the transplant well, but this could be a way to get more plants to survive using this technique. This is definitely an important step in taking your seedlings from their small starter environments and then replanting them either into the ground or a bigger pot. Thank you for this article on hardening off the seedlings before transplanting. Whether indoors or outdoors, incrementally decrease the amount of water on the plants, but don't let them wilt.Įnjoy the rewards of growing your own healthy seedlings and starts, and their bounty in your organic garden! If you're hardening off outdoors, put the plants in a shady area and gradually increase the amount of sunlight they get each day. The plants can harden off outdoors if you prefer, but you will have to be sure to bring them in if the outside temperature goes below 45☏, or on windy days. Move the plants to a cool room (45☏ to 50☏) if you want to harden them off indoors. Harden off your plants two weeks before you expect to plant them in the garden. You can see Tricia harden off seedlings in our Seedling Care video. The plants respond by producing firmer growth. Hardening offīefore the seedlings can be planted outside ( after the last frost) they need to be "hardened off" - a process by which they are literally toughened up via lower temperatures and reduced water. TIP: One less thing to worry about - instead of keeping a calendar of when to fertilize your seedlings, just use 1/4 of the recommended amount of fertilizer each time you water. If you're growing organically we recommend Peaceful Valley Liquid Fish Fertilizer, Liquid Kelp, Soluble Kelp Extract, or Maxicrop. Fertilizing seedlingsĪfter transplanting, the seedlings should begin a regimen of fertilizer. If you're using Soil Blockers, put the small soil blocks into 4-inch soil blocks. Choose from our wide range of plastic or biodegradable pots for transplanting. Gently firm soilless mix around them in their new pots and water them carefully. Ease the seedlings out of their cells with a Widger or similar tool, being sure to handle only the leaves and not the stems. If you've been growing in seed trays then move them into 3 or 4-inch pots. Move the seedlings to larger containers after the first set of true leaves appears. Once you have "true leaves" you can do all sorts of fun things like transplanting and fertilizing. Proper seedling care should keep damping off at bay. Review our tips on damping off to keep that from killing your seedlings. The second pair of leaves are the all-important "true leaves". The first pair of leaves you see are known as "seed leaves" or cotyledons. Seedlings that don’t get enough light will be “leggy” and flop over. Seedlings with adequate light are upright with straight stems. If possible, raise the lights gradually as the seedlings grow. Artificial light sources should be turned on 16 hours a day. Depending on what seeds you're growing you can use a south-facing window, a fluorescent lamp, or a grow light as your light supply. Some seeds like to germinate in the dark (pot marigolds, verbenas), some are indifferent to light (hollyhocks, zinnias), and most need substantial amounts of light (lettuces, petunias). Light for seedlings How much light will your seedlings need? Seeds have varying needs for light during their initial germination. Here are more tips to help you grow strong seedlings and starts. Then she transplants her seedlings from trays to pots, and hardens them off before planting them outdoors. Our video on Seedling Care shows how Tricia grows her seedlings with proper light and fertilizer.
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