amelia23
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Posts: 16
Joined: Wed May 27, 2009 9:02 am
Location: Nova Scotia

Newbie question - Basil, sage, and thyme thinning

Hi there,

So, since approximately May 6, I have been growing basil, sage, and thyme in individual 2" pots. The soil I used was that dehydrated pellet soil that you add water to. Since I started, I've been using a spray bottle to water them daily, they've been sitting in sunlight indoors, and to success - so far. As you can see by the photo, most of them have 2 pairs of leaves apiece, and I know the time is approaching when I'd have to thin them and put them in a bigger pot.

[img]https://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v4396/173/18/132701914/n132701914_31991136_874094.jpg[/img]

I'm interested in putting all three in a very large pot and having my little herb garden in that, as opposed to separate pots.

But here is my big problem: how does one thin a plant? I know that whenever I look up information for care about my herbs, I'm always told to thin them, but nowhere can I find an explanation on this. Of course I know what it is, I just don't know how to do it properly. I don't want to hurt the roots or damage anything at all.

If anyone could help me, that would be so greatly appreciated!

~ Amelia

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Kisal
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Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:04 am
Location: Oregon

"Thinning" means to pull some of the plants out of the soil, so that the others have room to develop good root systems and don't have to compete too much for nutrients and water. Generally, you pull the weaker looking plants, allowing the sturdier, healthier ones to survive.

When I start seed in small pots, as you have done with your herbs, I want to keep as many of them as I can. To do that, I very gently lift the extras from the soil and transplant each one in it's own pot. If this is what you want to do, then you don't want to pull them. I find the handle end of an old teaspoon works well. Just use it like a tiny little trowel to "lift" each seedling by the roots. Have a pot prepared for it, filled with new soil that you have moistened. I use the handle of the teaspoon to open a hole in the soil, gently place the seedlings roots in the hole, then very gently firm the soil. Then water it to make sure there are no air pockets left around the roots.

Treat the little seedlings very gently. Hold them by a leaf, not the stem or roots, as the babies are easily damaged. You may lose a few, but most of them should survive. :)

amelia23
Full Member
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed May 27, 2009 9:02 am
Location: Nova Scotia

MoPlants & Kisal,

Both these replies were incredibly helpful, thank you so much - and the link certainly helps as well. As it indicates, I should start to acclimatize my plants to the outdoors. I do wish sometimes that I lived in a warmer climate; some nights it still goes down to near freezing here! :shock:

But again, thank you. After I've transplanted them to smaller, individual pots and they've grown up, do you think it's possible for all three to thrive in a large pot?

~ Amelia

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hendi_alex
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Posts: 3604
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:58 am
Location: Central Sand Hills South Carolina

When my plants are the size that they are in the photo, since they have been started in loose potting soil, I just tap the plants and soil out, gently shake the soil loose from the plants and put them in the next size container. I generally grow basil with several plants in a pot, so when my starter pot looks like yours, it just gets broken in half and each half moves to a four inch or six inch pot.

cynthia_h
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Posts: 7500
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 7:02 pm
Location: El Cerrito, CA

For thinning plants in a container when you've experienced MUCH higher success rates than expected (I.e., you now feel as if you're looking at a thicket of seedlings rather than some starts), scissors can't be beat.

If the plants are so crowded that you'll injure the favored ones by removing the less-successful ones, consider the use of scissors. Cut the sacrificial seedlings off at ground level.

Then you'll have room to maneuver around the larger seedlings and pot them up, transfer them to soil, etc.

(Indebted to Mel Bartholomew, Square Foot Gardening, for this tip which was very useful for my hands.)

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9



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