Leave a reaction | Ayanda Kunene | Last modified August 24 ,2023
Did you plant seeds but struggle with poor produce or stunted plants this year?
How to Separate Seedlings
To keep seedlings from getting too crowded, it's necessary to separate seedlings: either pot them up or thin them to allow for proper growth of your plants. In this post, I'm telling you how.
Now that you have those beetroot, carrot, corn, pepper, or tomato seedlings coming up, you may notice they are beginning to crowd each other.
You may need to separate them and replant (or pot them up) before you transplant seedlings elsewhere. Follow along as I show you step by step how to separate seedlings.
Why You Should Separate Seedlings
Common practice is to sow more than one seed at a time in case a single seed does not germinate in that space. When you sow seeds in a single pot, they will sprout very close to each other and you’ll have crowded seedlings.
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Seedlings will grow faster and larger when they have more space to stretch their roots. If you don’t separate and thin your seedlings, they will become stunted and will not produce well.
This happens because the seedlings are competing with each other for root space, water, nutrients, and air.
When You Should Separate Seedlings
Seedlings should be separated and replanted into individual pots after they have received their first sets of true leaves.
The cotyledon (or first set of leaves) forms once the seeds germinate. The cotyledon leaves help the plant to sprout by breaking open the seed coat. Cotyledon leaves are important for providing nutrients to the plant but aren't the plant's first true set of leaves.
Once you see the second set of leaves or the first “true” leaves, then it’s time to separate and plant the seedlings into larger individual pots.
Supplies Needed
Containers – Your seedlings can be transplanted to almost any kind of larger pot as long as it has some drainage holes and enough soil for the roots of your seedlings to stretch out in or even better a raised bed plot.
Soil – Have plenty of soil on hand to pack around those tender seedlings when you move them to their own containers. Potting mix is the easiest to use but if you’re using your own soil, be sure it contains fertilizer. I like to use this sea food fertilizer to give those seedlings a boost of nutrients.
Markers – It’s important to write out your markers when separating and replanting your seedlings. Many plants look alike at this stage and you don’t want to confuse them.
Water – Anytime you transplant, separate, or pot up seedlings it's important to give them a nice healthy drink of water.
Pro Tip: A spray bottle or small water bottle can help control the water flow to
How to Separate Seedlings
Remember to start with seedlings that have their second set of leaves and are mature enough to be separated.
If you have the room, use your finger or a fork to remove the seedling. Make sure to go deep enough to get all the roots, and carefully pull the seedling out of the pot.
If your seedlings are planted very close together (like the ones you buy at the store) and you can’t pull a single one out, give the pot a squeeze to loosen the soil and carefully dump out the whole pot.
Pro-Tip: When purchasing seedlings from the grocery store, look for the ones with extra seedlings in the container. This can double the value of your purchase!
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If your seedling’s roots are tightly wound around each other, you should gently pull them apart to prevent having the roots disturbed. Your seedlings don’t have to have every root in their root system but you want them to have as much as possible. If the roots are very tightly wound together and you can't separate them without tearing the roots, gently rinse the soil from the roots and they will come apart easily.
In a new container with moist potting soil, poke a hole for the seedling deep enough that the roots can be stretched out, and then put your seedling in. Gently pack the soil around your seedling.
Add enough soil so that your seedling stands securely without drooping.
Give your potted-up seedlings a good watering so that the water goes all the way down to the roots.
Label and put a marker in your plant so that you know what it is.
Pro Tips
Pot tomato plants deep. If touching the ground, any part of the seedling stem will grow roots. You can plant tomato seedlings right up to the leaves. This also helps tomatoes to have a more extensive root system which helps them to soak up water and nutrients.
To keep your seedling transplants from going into transplant shock, be sure to keep the roots damp and keep your seedlings out of direct sunlight for a couple of days.
Thank you for tuning in. I bless you.
Until next time.
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[Related]: What causes tomatoes to rot while still attached to the plant? Join the other patreons on Q&A.
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