I have a few seedlings that don't look too great in a few cells. I plant 3 seeds per cell and then keep the best looking seedling. As it goes I was wondering how tricky it would be to transplant the extra seedling instead of clipping them, to ensure I end up with my target amount of plants. I would then try to give away the extra plants once I have what I want. Has anone had any good success doing this and how difficult is it to do without killing the seedling? I assume that waiting too long will result in tangled roots, and too soon they would be too delicate.
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seeds Transplanting instead of clipping extra seedlings
- Thread starter shaggs2riches
- Start date
their tougher than you think , i separate them every year . just don't squeeze the stems pick them up by the Coty's . 
Be sure to gently remove as much media as possible.Patience is key with this task.As Frank mentioned try not to damage the stem in any way,a little root damage here and there shouldn't be the end of the world.Good luck.I don't and never have liked the idea of sowing two or more seeds in cell and remove extras from that same cell because all those may be bigger and stronger than seedlings in other cells.Just my opinion.
I have planted in the past 1 seed 1 cell. This year I planted 3-4 seed per cell on non critical seed to assure each cell the possibility of a viable seedling.
I just need one plant from each variety for this years grow so I clip the ones that dont measure up , if any.
I do have some duplicates because I want quantity of produce in some varieties. But I also planted extra cells to accommodate that.
I just need one plant from each variety for this years grow so I clip the ones that dont measure up , if any.
I do have some duplicates because I want quantity of produce in some varieties. But I also planted extra cells to accommodate that.
It is not overly difficult, provided that you are patient and handle the seedlings very carefully. I also grow 3 to a cell and I separate them every year. I like to transplant after they get their first to second set of true leaves, but I have also transplanted younger ones with no problem. First, I gently remove as much of the soil mix as possible. Dipping the roots in a cup of water can help with this but is often not necessary. Then I gently separate them one at a time. If the roots are very tangled and difficult to separate, you can even use scissors to separate them. Just try to give each seedling their fair share of the root ball and they should be fine. Like cruzzfish said, seedlings can regrow roots very well. I do this with very near 100% success rate every year. The key is to be patient and handle them very carefully.
I start multiples in rockwool and remove them sometimes if I'm not sure on the freshness of the seeds or am simply being lazy. Pretty easy to pull apart when dryish. I lose about 1/10
Well thank you all for the replies. Most of them have started their first true leaves, so I will give them a little longer before attempting it. It turned out that most cells had all three seeds sprout. Then there were a few in the middle of things, that didn't or the ones that came up look small and sickly. You guys have reassured me enough to give it a try. If I can do it well I will have quite a few extra plants to give away.
I found a youtube video that looks pretty aggressive and seems like would still work. Might wait a few more days and give it a try. Would it hurt with peppers to plant almost up to the cotyledons? Or should I keep the stem above the soil?
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=R3uelDRGV1I
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=R3uelDRGV1I
shaggs2riches said:
Not at all. In fact, with very tall, leggy seedlings that have a big gap between the cotyledons and the true leaves, I will often snip off the cotyledons and actually bury the seedling above where the cotys were. It works well.
cone9
Extreme Member
I do this:
I start 3 or 4 seeds in a rootcube. When the strongest seedling is about 2" tall I transfer to Solo cups.
When the strongest plant is 4" to 5" tall I remove the extra plants to their own Solo cups. These will usually be from 3" to 4" tall when transplanted - I don't bother with ones less than 2".
I grasp the stems firmly between thumb and forefinger close to the soil and remove with a firm, continuous slow pull.
Rarely, I will break a stem - those are goners.
Sometimes I lose a fair amount of roots - those usually survive.
I do one plant at a time to keep from drying out the roots. I fill a Solo about 3/4 full with potting mix. I saturate it with water. I poke a hole in the mix to accommodate the roots, tap the roots lightly in rooting powder, slip in the plant and press the mix to close the hole. I then add more mix up to near the lowest leaves. I wet this soil well.
I keep the transplants very wet for several days. Most do not even wilt and grow on into nice plants.
Try it. You have nothing to lose.
I start 3 or 4 seeds in a rootcube. When the strongest seedling is about 2" tall I transfer to Solo cups.
When the strongest plant is 4" to 5" tall I remove the extra plants to their own Solo cups. These will usually be from 3" to 4" tall when transplanted - I don't bother with ones less than 2".
I grasp the stems firmly between thumb and forefinger close to the soil and remove with a firm, continuous slow pull.
Rarely, I will break a stem - those are goners.
Sometimes I lose a fair amount of roots - those usually survive.
I do one plant at a time to keep from drying out the roots. I fill a Solo about 3/4 full with potting mix. I saturate it with water. I poke a hole in the mix to accommodate the roots, tap the roots lightly in rooting powder, slip in the plant and press the mix to close the hole. I then add more mix up to near the lowest leaves. I wet this soil well.
I keep the transplants very wet for several days. Most do not even wilt and grow on into nice plants.
Try it. You have nothing to lose.
Thank you all again for the replies. I managed to transplant a few seedlings that I wanted extras from. I ended up with a few plants that did not sprout, so I was able keep my total plants where I want them to be. I ended up snipping the rest of the plants though, due to not enough room for all of them. The transplanted seedlings are looking good though. Now I have to transplant everything into bigger pots from their small cells. Hopefully our winter starts disappearing soon, so I can get the plastic on the greenhouse. I want to plant out first weekend in May at the latest.