Pinching out seedlings
Rob Nichols
from nurseries have decided it is about time I made a concerted effort to
raise some plants from seed.
I've sown some snap dragons (forgive my lack of scientific name) and they
are coming on very well. However, they need pinching out as a couple of
sections of the seed tray are a little crowded.
Is it possible to pinch seedlings out in such a way that the removed small
seedlings (cm or so tall) can be replanted or is it not worth the effort and
better just to discard them?
Rob
Clarke Brunt
> I've sown some snap dragons (forgive my lack of scientific name)
Antirrhinum
> and they
> are coming on very well. However, they need pinching out as a couple of
> sections of the seed tray are a little crowded.
I think the phrase you mean is 'pricking out' - usually implying moving
the crowded seedlings into new trays. 'pinching out' means removing the
growing point of plants to make them bush. And 'thinning out' is
removing
(and throwing away, or trying to replant) crowded ones leaving the
others
to grow on.
> Is it possible to pinch seedlings out in such a way that the removed small
> seedlings (cm or so tall) can be replanted or is it not worth the effort and
> better just to discard them?
All depends on just how crowded they are, and how many plants you
actually
want to end up with.
These days, I'd normally sow bedding plant seeds in a fairly small
pot, then transplant (prick out) all of them into trays, spacing 2
inches
or so apart. Or perhaps into trays with 'cells' so as to avoid
disturbing
them later. If they are so crowded that you couldn't dig some out
without
disturbing the others, then you either have to prick out all of them,
or else just sacrifice some (snip them off) leaving enough properly
spaced ones. If they aren't so crowded, then you could try to do
as you suggest - carefully dig up and replant some, while leaving
others. Most types of bedding plant won't mind being transplanted.
Just keep the roots as intact as possible, and give them a bit
of shade and humidity for a few days after doing it.
--
Clarke Brunt (CCB), Principal Software Engineer, Laser-Scan Ltd, Science
Park,
Milton Rd, CAMBRIDGE, CB4 4FY, England. Tel: (+44) (0)1223 420414; Fax:
420044
Email: cla...@lsl.co.uk
Rob Nichols
Clarke Brunt <cla...@lsl.co.uk> wrote in message
news:38BA7DB2...@lsl.co.uk...
Kay Easton
writes
>I'm a bit new to gardening and after a couple of years planting small plants
>from nurseries have decided it is about time I made a concerted effort to
>raise some plants from seed.
>
>are coming on very well. However, they need pinching out as a couple of
>sections of the seed tray are a little crowded.
>
>seedlings (cm or so tall) can be replanted or is it not worth the effort and
>better just to discard them?
It depends on your stamina! Once they're big enough to handle - I'd have
thought 2cm rather than 1cm, you can take them out, teasle them apart
and replant them all separately. But I usually get bored! Even the
tiniest clump turns out to have about 20 separate seedlings .
There's no point in separating many more seedlings than you're going to
eventually plant out. Though it may be worth compromising and separating
the last ones in clumps, to grow on in reserve in case something
dreadful happens to you main stock.
--
Kay Easton
Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/