When do you prick out/pot on seedlings?

[DLittlewood]

Hi,
I was just reading some other threads (early tomato) and wondered when should you pot on your seedlings? Ive got some cabbage sprouts and leeks seedlings in the unheated greenhouse. They are still at the 2 seed leaf stage and are in modular seed trays so each has its own space apart from the leeks which are in a general seed tray.

When should I move these on and should I put them into small individual pots and move them outside? With the leeks should I transfer the lot into a deeper plantpot to let the roots develop?

I also have tagetes and sweetpea seedlings up but didn't know when to pot them on either.

All advice will be very welcome, thankyou
Dena

[Kristen]

I usually prick-out at the seed-leaf stage, but text books say to wait for first true leaf.

I prick out to individual pots - 3" if I am going to pot-on (like Tomatoes) or 9cm if I am going to plant out (they are a smidgen bigger, and it gives me a bit more leeway if I'm not ready to plant out / weather is inclement, than a 3" pot.

Of course many people use Modules or Root trainers, that have a lot less compost than a 3" / 9cm pot, and many plants will tolerate considerable root disturbance when planting out. So my method may be overkill

Leeks I grow in a pot until I plant them out - usually around June. I try to sow the seeds so they are not too crowded in the pot (but it would be fine to prick them out if the seedlings are too thick, but that's extra "Faff" !!)

But other things are going to be too fragile to plant out direct as little seedlings at first-true-leaf stage.

If yours are in modules then I would leave them be until they have made plants a couple of inches tall, or more, and then plant them out. (Thin the weaker seedlings if you have several seedlings per module - although you will probably be hard-pressed to choose any/either of the seedlings as begin "weaker", in which case just murder! whichever you choose)

[Sylvan]

I don't prick out my tagetes at all. The seeds are so big it's easy to space them evenly in the seed trays and I just let them grow in there till it's time to plant them out. (I'm so disorganised I've even had them flowering in the trays - it doesn't seem to worry them)

[sewer rat]

I start all my toms and chillies in modules and then pot these into 3" pots when they reach the first or second true leaf stage.
I start my leeks of in one litre pots - about twenty to twenty five seeds per pot, and they stay in there til planting out time. I do know that some people start their leeks off in seed trays and prick out but at what stage I'm not 100% certain, though I know some of the show / exhibition boys swear that pricking them out at crook stage is best (the crook stage is where the seedling is still bent double but the seed case, which is usually attached to the leaf tip is clear of any compost.
I grow sweet peas for some of the gardens I work in and have about 275 at one garden. These are planted in a variety of ways - in 3" polypots, in grow tubes and in Root Trainers. These will not be pricked out at all but will have the growing tips pinched out to help make bushier plants. There are 2 - 5 seeds per module / pot and they will be planted out staright into the ground from these.
Your cabbages can stay in their modules until they reach planting out time - mine do and suffer no growth check - just watch out that the actual stems do not get too long and bent.

[wellie]

Whatever your preferred method and pot size, do be mindful of putting a weeny little seedling into too big a potful of compost when 'pricking out', because it's tantamount to drowning or suffocating it. Remember that it is only still a baby, and treat it with tenderness if you care for it.
You can kill it, or it can crop for you.
Simples....

[Two_Sheds]

I tend to pot on when the plant looks too big for the pot it's in (when the roots show at the bottom)

[Flummery]

I wait for true leaves. From reading this thread it's obvious that most things work!

[Chef_uk]

was going to start a thread about this for my Brussels They're about 5cm tall so was thinking of potting them on as they are just in a seed tray right now and i don't want their roots getting tangled together. Good idea?

[sewer rat]

was going to start a thread about this for my Brussels They're about 5cm tall so was thinking of potting them on as they are just in a seed tray right now and i don't want their roots getting tangled together. Good idea?

If they are in a seed tray, I'd prick therm out into 3" pots and they should be okay in that til planting out time.

As an aside, you guys are way ahead of me - we still have frost most mornings - will start my sowing over the next couple of weeks.

[Chef_uk]

Thanks, done so today and now have 24 individual pots

I'm still a newbie so may be jumping the gun somewhat for my location

[Kristen]

I would suggest you grow another batch of Sprouts in the middle of March (see the packet for details, and pick the middle-date), you can then compare how the two batches perform. I think early sown Sprouts are more inclined to "blow", but your tests will tell you what you can get safety repeat in the years to come

[Two_Sheds]

was going to start a thread about this for my Brussels They're about 5cm tall

Early sprouts
I won't be sowing my winter brassicas until June

[Kristen]

I'm definitely going to do a "much later batch" this year, just to prove to myself that the later ones make better "buttons" I hadn't figured on THAT late though! ... maybe two alter batches, just to hedge my bets

[DLittlewood]

Thank you all for your helpful advice. I think ive jumped the gun with a few things and tbh I was desprate to potter and surprised when seedlings emerged but now they have I feel like they are my babies and I dont want to kill them - until I can eat them of course lol!

I think I will move the leeks into a large pot so the roots can go down for planting out in June time and will leave everything else in modules for now. My early cabbages last year were small but lovely and the later ones were dessimated by butterflies so I was experimenting with earlies and lates for the brassica this year.

anyway, thanks again for the advice ~Dena

[Headfry]

A little tip - when I prick out or pot on I make sure the compost that I use it the same temperature as the compost in which the seedlings are growing .....well poor little lovies they wont like going into freezing cold compost will they bit like us having a cold bath in the middle of winter!