I have 3 trays (with the smallest cells = maybe 72 cells per tray?) of mixed annual flowers, perennial flowers, and vegetable seeds growing under a 4' flourescent light. Some of the seedlings have roots coming out the bottom holes, some not yet. Some of the seedlings have their first true leaves and some don't. Some of the seedlings are getting tangled with a neighbor cell's seedlings, some are too short to reach a neighboring cell.
Is there a definitive sign that it is time to up-pot to a bigger pot?
Also, Wouldn't it make more sense to just start seeds in the largest pot that you foresee it needing to be in right from the start so you don't have to do any repotting? The only reason I can think to start seedlings in tiny cells is so you can get more plants under grow lights....and hope the weather warms up enough to put them outside about the time they are taking up too much space to keep them indoors under the grow lights.[/img]
fyi... I tried copying a photo of my trays that resides on my desktop and pasting it into my post, but I don't see it in the Preview screen. Not sure why, but that's another discussion[/img]
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Journeyman
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truelivingorganics
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Any seedling with the roots hanging out of the tray transplant. If they don't have roots showing through yet you still may want to transplant also. If the plant is much smaller then the rest leave it in the tray if it's the same size as the rest transplant it.
The reason you would transplant your seedling is because those little cells will only allow the plant to grow so large but the plant would most likely become root bound before anything else. Root bound is when the plants roots basically have no more room to grow in side the container they are in. Because of this plant growth slows, problems begin to occur in the root zone of the plants which could cause death. Also transplanting before the plant actually becomes root bound is a good way to lower the stress levels of the plant it self. The more stress the plant receives the more problems you don't want to have are likely to occur, such as disease, slow growth, stunted growth and more...
More reasons to transplant is that you actually want fruit, flowers or vegetables you will never get your plants to grow them in those little pods. Unless you used the tray to float on top of a hydroponic reservoir which is another discussion entirely.
The reason you would transplant your seedling is because those little cells will only allow the plant to grow so large but the plant would most likely become root bound before anything else. Root bound is when the plants roots basically have no more room to grow in side the container they are in. Because of this plant growth slows, problems begin to occur in the root zone of the plants which could cause death. Also transplanting before the plant actually becomes root bound is a good way to lower the stress levels of the plant it self. The more stress the plant receives the more problems you don't want to have are likely to occur, such as disease, slow growth, stunted growth and more...
More reasons to transplant is that you actually want fruit, flowers or vegetables you will never get your plants to grow them in those little pods. Unless you used the tray to float on top of a hydroponic reservoir which is another discussion entirely.
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rainbowgardener
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Instructions for posting photos here are in New to Helpful Gardener? under Helpful Tips and Suggestions for New Members. Bottom line is you can't upload them directly from your computer, they have to be already on-line at a photo hosting site.
There are a lot of reasons why not to just start your seedlings in bigger pots in the first place. As you suggested that takes up a ton of room under the lights. I run two heat mats, because many types of seeds germinate much better in warmer soil. I don't want to run any more, because my seed starting operation already sucks more power than I want to think about (16 fluorescent tubes). So I crowd everything on the heat mats as much as possible.
But more soil holds more water, so it can make it harder to water a baby seedling appropriately and the babies are very sensitive to water issues. Transplanting gives you an opportunity to inspect, make better culling choices because you are seeing the root system. For tomatoes, it gives you an opportunity to plant them deeper than they were, which they benefit from, because they will put out roots all along the buried stem. It gives you a chance to put them in fresh potting soil, in case the soil they were in is getting a bit depleted.
There are a lot of reasons why not to just start your seedlings in bigger pots in the first place. As you suggested that takes up a ton of room under the lights. I run two heat mats, because many types of seeds germinate much better in warmer soil. I don't want to run any more, because my seed starting operation already sucks more power than I want to think about (16 fluorescent tubes). So I crowd everything on the heat mats as much as possible.
But more soil holds more water, so it can make it harder to water a baby seedling appropriately and the babies are very sensitive to water issues. Transplanting gives you an opportunity to inspect, make better culling choices because you are seeing the root system. For tomatoes, it gives you an opportunity to plant them deeper than they were, which they benefit from, because they will put out roots all along the buried stem. It gives you a chance to put them in fresh potting soil, in case the soil they were in is getting a bit depleted.
Today was the first day that all my seedlings were out of the house and into the greenhouse. Nearly all of them are staying out there, tonight.
Seed germinates in "community containers" in a warm place in the kitchen. The temperature stays at about 70°F overnight in that location.
As soon as the seedlings show up, I move them to a south window. It has good light but there is only so much room there. I cannot go too deep into the room. When that table is full, they really have to go into my greenhouse.
I have been starting the greenhouse furnace each morning and moving the plants back in my house at the end of the day, turning off the furnace. That continued until I have just run out of room in the utility room, which was about the only place that all that potting soil and activity was welcome . . . should say tolerated.
I began moving the seedlings out of the community containers and into cells and trays this week. It will only be a few more days and a bench 3' wide by 18' long in the greenhouse will be full of plants. I will need ever more space as we move thru April and early May.
All that need for space began with just a few square feet in the kitchen and under a 5' south window here in the house.
Seeds sometimes fail and that keeps me from starting individual seeds in individual cells or containers. Some plants are said to benefit from transplanting. Rainbow' mentioned tomatoes growing more roots. I think that one reason cabbage & its relatives develop as they do is because of transplanting. For me, the amount of room the plants take up indoors and a reluctance to turn on the greenhouse furnace until I really have no other choice are primary reasons to start plants the way I do.
Steve
Seed germinates in "community containers" in a warm place in the kitchen. The temperature stays at about 70°F overnight in that location.
As soon as the seedlings show up, I move them to a south window. It has good light but there is only so much room there. I cannot go too deep into the room. When that table is full, they really have to go into my greenhouse.
I have been starting the greenhouse furnace each morning and moving the plants back in my house at the end of the day, turning off the furnace. That continued until I have just run out of room in the utility room, which was about the only place that all that potting soil and activity was welcome . . . should say tolerated.
I began moving the seedlings out of the community containers and into cells and trays this week. It will only be a few more days and a bench 3' wide by 18' long in the greenhouse will be full of plants. I will need ever more space as we move thru April and early May.
All that need for space began with just a few square feet in the kitchen and under a 5' south window here in the house.
Seeds sometimes fail and that keeps me from starting individual seeds in individual cells or containers. Some plants are said to benefit from transplanting. Rainbow' mentioned tomatoes growing more roots. I think that one reason cabbage & its relatives develop as they do is because of transplanting. For me, the amount of room the plants take up indoors and a reluctance to turn on the greenhouse furnace until I really have no other choice are primary reasons to start plants the way I do.
Steve
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Journeyman
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Thank you for all the feedback
RE: uploading a picture...I did read up on that in the "How-To" section of the website and it seemed crazy that anyone would have to go to the extra steps of using a photo storage site, but you cleared up any confusion/doubt for me. It would be nice if you could just drag-n-drop a photo, but "oh well". Thanks.
RE: transplanting to deepen the roots....Do you simply elongate the roots/gently stretch them vertically in the bigger pot as you fill in around the roots with potting soil? sounds like a good idea.
RE: uploading a picture...I did read up on that in the "How-To" section of the website and it seemed crazy that anyone would have to go to the extra steps of using a photo storage site, but you cleared up any confusion/doubt for me. It would be nice if you could just drag-n-drop a photo, but "oh well". Thanks.
RE: transplanting to deepen the roots....Do you simply elongate the roots/gently stretch them vertically in the bigger pot as you fill in around the roots with potting soil? sounds like a good idea.
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rainbowgardener
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You can't really "stretch" roots. If any are going around the outside of their little root ball, you do want to gently loosen them, so they hang down vertically.
This:
For tomatoes, it gives you an opportunity to plant them deeper than they were, which they benefit from, because they will put out roots all along the buried stem.
was specifically about tomatoes, which have the interesting property of being able to put out roots from anywhere on the stem that is buried. Sometimes people write in saying what are the little white bumps on my tomato stem? They are buds of roots, even though the stem isn't buried. If it is buried, it will put out roots from the stem. So anytime you transplant tomato plants, you want to bury them deeper than they were, even taking off the bottom pair of leaves to do that.
This:
For tomatoes, it gives you an opportunity to plant them deeper than they were, which they benefit from, because they will put out roots all along the buried stem.
was specifically about tomatoes, which have the interesting property of being able to put out roots from anywhere on the stem that is buried. Sometimes people write in saying what are the little white bumps on my tomato stem? They are buds of roots, even though the stem isn't buried. If it is buried, it will put out roots from the stem. So anytime you transplant tomato plants, you want to bury them deeper than they were, even taking off the bottom pair of leaves to do that.