dormant seedlings
Rodger Whitlock (Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:13:34 PST)
On 22 Jan 2013, at 11:26, Lee Poulsen wrote:
What has worked well for me for crowded seedling pots is when I realize that
the plantlets are too overcrowded, which is shortly after they come out of
dormancy, I simply remove the entire contents of the small pot and without
disturbing anything (much easier to do with moist media full of growing
roots), and place it in a larger pot so the surface is at the top of the new
pot. It is very much analogous to planting a potted tree or bush in the
landscape. So far, the plants I've done this with love having more growing
space starting early in the growing season.
There's a simple trick that makes this a little easier. Prepare the New Pot,
fill it with soil, and push the Old Pot (full of soil & seedlings) into the
loose soil. Water to settle the New Soil, and backfill with more as required.
When the shouting dies down, then lift the Old Pot and carry on as Lee
suggests. Most plant pots have quite thin walls, so the Old Soil Mass now has a
custom-formed hole it fits into with great accurary.
In carrying out this holus-bolus repotting, it does help if the Old Soil Mass
is on the dry side. If it's soggy, it is more prone to falling apart.
A very minor, perhaps trivial, detail, but as the saying has it, God is in the
details.
--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Z. 7-8, cool Mediterranean climate