So I am having pretty good luck with my peppers as I have planted 3 seeds in each small pot and they all seem to be doing just great. Now I do not have the capacity to grow every single seed because I was thinking some will fail. When is it save to just snip the seedlings in the pot letting only one remain?
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seeds When do you eliminate seedlings from the same pot?
- Thread starter bman900
- Start date
I usually snip the smaller ones. Gives the bigger seedling access to all the nutrients instead of having to share them.
I used to do it right after their first true leaves show. Then I saw a video with Jim Duffy and standard plug trays. The plants seemed huge for those little 72 cell trays, all looked very healthy despite being crammed together by the tray size. Now I wait until I see a clear difference in vigor an appearance.
I dont think it matters for the health of the plant if you do it earlier, but by letting them grow past the first true leaves you might be able to get a better idea of which ones will do better.
I dont think it matters for the health of the plant if you do it earlier, but by letting them grow past the first true leaves you might be able to get a better idea of which ones will do better.
I usually wait for the first true leaves.bman900 said:
I usually wait for the 2nd set of true leaves.
I used to separate them as soon as they looked strong enough to handle (usually just after first set of true leaves) but now I just plant a single seed in each tray or Jiffy pod. I hate messing with them when they are small. I have found that if the seeds are good, they'll likely all germinate. I pre soak in mild chamomile tea and toss the floaters. I get about 95% germination.
FWIW, I usually try to keep all the healthy ones going for a while. I usually lose a few to birds (who enjoy tearing up ~1 inch plants for no apparent reason), bugs, operator error (derp!) and other garden mayhem. By the time they get to ~4 inches, they're big enough that people tend to want them, and I have little difficulty giving or trading them away.
That said, if the roots are all tangled, you're probably better just "offing" the smallest. Attempting to separate the two (or more) just tears up ALL the plants' roots.
That said, if the roots are all tangled, you're probably better just "offing" the smallest. Attempting to separate the two (or more) just tears up ALL the plants' roots.
I always plant two seeds in my starter plugs. Quite often, both germinate.
Not wanting to kill any plants, I have transplanted both in to 3 inch pots and waited until they are a couple of months old. When the two plants in a 3 inch pot were completely root-bound, using a very sharp kitchen knife, I carefully sawed the rootball in half between the two stems. I only had one out of a couple dozen not survive the 'surgery'.
Last year, as an experiment, I did not separate several Jalapenos and Cayennes, instead planting out the rootball with both plants intact. It did not seem to affect growth or production very much (I am sure it did somewhat, but all the plants were actually quite productive).
Not wanting to kill any plants, I have transplanted both in to 3 inch pots and waited until they are a couple of months old. When the two plants in a 3 inch pot were completely root-bound, using a very sharp kitchen knife, I carefully sawed the rootball in half between the two stems. I only had one out of a couple dozen not survive the 'surgery'.
Last year, as an experiment, I did not separate several Jalapenos and Cayennes, instead planting out the rootball with both plants intact. It did not seem to affect growth or production very much (I am sure it did somewhat, but all the plants were actually quite productive).
skullbiker
Extreme Member
Unless there are more than 3, I just let them grow together. If you grow in smaller pots, this probably isn't a good idea. I use large pots or usually plant in the ground and it isn't an issue. Some will say they will be short of mutes this way, the answer is to just give them a little more! I've been doing this for more years than some on here have been alive and it works for me. YMMV
skullbiker said:
Not to mention a wicked Bonchi project.
On topic: I normally cull the lesser(s) seedling(s) before the roots become tangled. If they are all doing exceptionally well I normally try and sow them a couple inches apart so I can break off a "plug" and re-plant the pepper seedling in its own pot