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Bluesteel514
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 6:30 am
- Location: Monroe, NC
changing containers
I have started some seeds in plastic trays and was wondering at what point should I transfer them to another container or outside, or keep them inside? I have carrots,radishes,peas,onions,lettuce. Currently most everything has sprouted and at least 2". I haven't stared fertilizer yet and from what I am reading I should of already started doing that once they sprout.. is that the route I should go?
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applestar
- Mod
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- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
Actually carrots, radishes and peas would have been better directly sown in the ground where they are to grow. They are difficult to transplant because carrots and radishes grow their root crops on a single taproot which need to grow straight down, and peas have a thick easy to break seed root that grows down pretty fast. Some people do it and have no problems, but it is generally not recommended.
It's probably best to transplant the ones you have as soon as possible, even though chances of their being eaten by pests are rather high when so small. I guess another factor is the outside temperature. What are daytime highs and nighttime lows right now?
You could continue to grow them indoors, but you may also want to sow more outside as backup if you have extra seeds. Radish, especially, sprouts so quickly that it simply makes sense to sow more directly on the ground.
Be sure to provide plenty of light to your seedlings. Most of the time, supplemental fluorescent light on a timer for 14-16 hrs a day is needed. Tall spindly seedlings reaching for light is not what you want. You want short stocky ones.
Two schools of thought on onion seedlings. One says to plant out when they are thickness of a pencil lead. People buy transplants that are as thick as pencils-fingers. In my experience, onions seedlings are pretty sturdy and can be transplanted at any time but they grow better about 1/2-1" apart in containers 4-6" deep. I had great success repurposing ice cream tubs after poking a lot of holes in the bottom. It takes a couple of months to grow them to the bigger size.
In most cases, tiny seedlings are prone to predation by slugs and snails or other pests. Lettuce does better when they are bigger with at least two pairs of true leaves and should be uppotted to individual containers or thinned so the leaves are not touching each other when they have grown out their first pair of true leaves. Lettuce usualy grows a new set of leaves each week.
1/4 strength fertilizer after true leaves is the usual recommendation but this will depend on what kind of soil you used to start the seeds in. I use soil mixed with compost and usualy don't fertilize since they are uppotted with a fresh mix before they start needing fertilizer.
It's probably best to transplant the ones you have as soon as possible, even though chances of their being eaten by pests are rather high when so small. I guess another factor is the outside temperature. What are daytime highs and nighttime lows right now?
You could continue to grow them indoors, but you may also want to sow more outside as backup if you have extra seeds. Radish, especially, sprouts so quickly that it simply makes sense to sow more directly on the ground.
Be sure to provide plenty of light to your seedlings. Most of the time, supplemental fluorescent light on a timer for 14-16 hrs a day is needed. Tall spindly seedlings reaching for light is not what you want. You want short stocky ones.
Two schools of thought on onion seedlings. One says to plant out when they are thickness of a pencil lead. People buy transplants that are as thick as pencils-fingers. In my experience, onions seedlings are pretty sturdy and can be transplanted at any time but they grow better about 1/2-1" apart in containers 4-6" deep. I had great success repurposing ice cream tubs after poking a lot of holes in the bottom. It takes a couple of months to grow them to the bigger size.
In most cases, tiny seedlings are prone to predation by slugs and snails or other pests. Lettuce does better when they are bigger with at least two pairs of true leaves and should be uppotted to individual containers or thinned so the leaves are not touching each other when they have grown out their first pair of true leaves. Lettuce usualy grows a new set of leaves each week.
1/4 strength fertilizer after true leaves is the usual recommendation but this will depend on what kind of soil you used to start the seeds in. I use soil mixed with compost and usualy don't fertilize since they are uppotted with a fresh mix before they start needing fertilizer.
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CharlieBear
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 588
- Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2011 5:19 pm
- Location: Pacific NW
peas can be prestarted. I often do, but the trick is to make individual small newspaper pots, one for each seed. The ones I make are only about 1" or so in diameter and 2 1/2" deep. I then plant them out as soon as the peas are about 3/4" high. I only lose about 1 in 40 or so. When I planted directly far less germinated than inside.
Lettuce is hard to transplant until it is quite large and in my experience it is best to leave them in their individual containers until they are about 3-4" tall, harden off and then plant out.
Unfortunately, some experimentation is often required to see what works best for you. Carrots can be started in very narrow, deep transplant pots, one per container, if you are talking the half longs, but I don't think it is worth the bother. I have taken to direct sowing after seeing that it is possible to do it by transplanting, once as and experiment. Most root vegs with the exception of chard and beets don't transplant well and they only do when they are quite small.
Best of luck with your garden.
Lettuce is hard to transplant until it is quite large and in my experience it is best to leave them in their individual containers until they are about 3-4" tall, harden off and then plant out.
Unfortunately, some experimentation is often required to see what works best for you. Carrots can be started in very narrow, deep transplant pots, one per container, if you are talking the half longs, but I don't think it is worth the bother. I have taken to direct sowing after seeing that it is possible to do it by transplanting, once as and experiment. Most root vegs with the exception of chard and beets don't transplant well and they only do when they are quite small.
Best of luck with your garden.
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CharlieBear
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 588
- Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2011 5:19 pm
- Location: Pacific NW
peas can be prestarted. I often do, but the trick is to make individual small newspaper pots, one for each seed. The ones I make are only about 1" or so in diameter and 2 1/2" deep. I then plant them out as soon as the peas are about 3/4" high. I only lose about 1 in 40 or so. When I planted directly far less germinated than inside.
Lettuce is hard to transplant until it is quite large and in my experience it is best to leave them in their individual containers until they are about 3-4" tall, harden off and then plant out.
Unfortunately, some experimentation is often required to see what works best for you. Carrots can be started in very narrow, deep transplant pots, one per container, if you are talking the half longs, but I don't think it is worth the bother. I have taken to direct sowing after seeing that it is possible to do it by transplanting, once as and experiment. Most root vegs with the exception of chard and beets don't transplant well and they only do when they are quite small.
Best of luck with your garden.
Lettuce is hard to transplant until it is quite large and in my experience it is best to leave them in their individual containers until they are about 3-4" tall, harden off and then plant out.
Unfortunately, some experimentation is often required to see what works best for you. Carrots can be started in very narrow, deep transplant pots, one per container, if you are talking the half longs, but I don't think it is worth the bother. I have taken to direct sowing after seeing that it is possible to do it by transplanting, once as and experiment. Most root vegs with the exception of chard and beets don't transplant well and they only do when they are quite small.
Best of luck with your garden.