Seedling Transplants

If you’re an avid gardener like me, then you’ve had seedlings growing since the first of the year. Let me show you how the Southern Gardener gets my garden ready. When the seedlings are ready I like to move them to these bigger 3 ½” containers because it works well with my gardening style. I use a bin to hold moist potting mix while you fill pots. After filling, I use my index finger as a dibble to make a hole in the mix. Placing a little Osmocote into the hole gives the plants an extra nutrition boost. Now simply pulling these lettuce seedlings can damage their root system and delay development, so I use a little scoop to help remove the seedlings and push them into the holes. Instead of growing everything from seeds, I like to buy seedlings in 6-packs with the intention to grow them out. I set up and fill the 3½” pots as before, and use a couple of fingers or a flat dibble to open a hole and then add the Osmocote. But an issue with some of these larger plants is they can have matted root systems. I make sure to break apart the matted roots to keep them from circling. When the trays are full, I water the transplants in well. Following these prep steps I’ll be ready to plant my garden when the timing is right. I’m horticulturist Gary Bachman and I’ll see you next time on Southern Gardening.