Hello everyone. This is my first year starting large quantity of seeds and have some questions about transplanting. I have a tray that is very full and crowded with seedlings. Should I wait to till the stock harden off a bit before I transplant into individual pots/ground beds; or is it better to do it now before roots get too tangled up. What is the best way to go about trying to do this. I was really excited to see so many seeds pop up. I would say I got 80-90% germination rate from this tray. They were doing well, then I put a heating mat under them and they took off within just a few days. Besides tips on transplanting, does anyone have any other tips on general care for seedlings at this point . I have Vertrees book on Japanese Maple (2nd &3rd ed.) and his pocket photo book. So I have done some homework and I am not blinding asking for help, but just wondering if I could get some input on my methods. **Note: after reading certain threads on this sub-forum, there seems to a concern about sharing information with members who intentions are not known and the fear that they will use that info to there monetary benefit and not return information to others on the forum. I would like to let it be known that I propagate my maples for hobby and for my small backyard nursery. I do not intend to take information without returning my own knowledge to benefit to others in the community. I try to include pics and details of my own methods as much as I can and to be open about spreading information I have acquired in an attempt to help others.
hi your pot is more full!!! remove the plant that see haven't good health and re- pot when the plant have two mounths,...
Good work! I would let them grow until you see the first set of "true leaves" has formed. A that point they can be picked out and planted into separate pots or into the ground. The roots will be a bit tangled as the roots will be longer than the top growth. Not all of the seedlings will have true leaves at the same time, but that is just tough luck for the slow-pokes. If you wait too long to transplant then the seedlings seem to resent it a lot more. You can try to pull out the seedling one at a time, trying not to disturb the surrounding seedlings. Use a small spoon or stick. You might not be able to do this because your planting is so dense. No big deal, but you really only want to keep the strong ones. Only handle them by the leaves and not the stem.
thanks for the replies, I will keep your tips in mind and keep you updated on the progress. They look they need a few more weeks till the majority of them have some realy leaf growth. The weather in Cali should start warming up over the next month or so, I am hoping they will have some nice growth and be ready to transplant soon.
