Potting up seedlings.

The Cat's Other Mother 3/23/2011, 11:07 pm

Starting from seeds is quite an adventure. I've thrilled to their sprouting and stretching up to the grow light, delighted in getting warm days to put them out in the sunshine, agonized over thinning, and my babies are now starting to look like small plants instead of seedlings. According to some of the advice I've been reading online, this means it is time to pot up. I'm aiming to set them into 4" pots of MM. I've read conflicting advice on whether to water them immediately after. I've always gone for a good soak after putting plants in the garden, and repotting houseplants, but I read somewhere that tomatoes especially needed to 'breathe' around the part of the stem that gets buried.

Should I pot up or wait? If yes, what's the best way to do it?

**Furbalsmom** 3/24/2011, 2:32 am

TheCatsOtherMother wrote:I read somewhere that tomatoes especially needed to 'breathe' around the part of the stem that gets buried.

Say it ain't so, Joe Shocked

I hope that is not accurate, because I have just up-potted 24 seedlings today and gave them a good watering (then dumped the excess water out of their tray) The 18 seedlings I had up-potted last week, covering almost all of the stem, and watered in well, seem to be doing well.

Any one else have a different experience with this?

acara 3/24/2011, 4:47 am

New one on me ..... I always learned air-gap was bad.

I know your never supposed to pack the soil when transplanting (gentle pressure only), but I've never heard of leaving a space???

LaFee 3/24/2011, 5:02 am

me too, neither.

**camprn** 3/24/2011, 6:45 am

yeah, this is a new one on me.

dizzygardener 3/24/2011, 8:51 am

Hmm...

My tomatoes seem perfectly content after potting up, burying stem, and watering them in.

Potting up seedlings. 601593

Lavender Debs 3/24/2011, 9:37 am

I cannot answer the "breathe" part but I give mine a good soaking an hour or so BEFORE repotting into normal moist mix. (does that make sense?) Than I leave them alone, not too much direct light, no extra water for 24+ hours while they adjust.

BackyardBirdGardner 3/24/2011, 1:10 pm

I would also think we are watering to moisten our MM and get a headstart on the moistness. If not, the MM may not saturate when the seedling needs it....which won't be long. If bone dry, that MM can be a real pain to moisten.

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