How to handle seedlings

Press, 19 August 1977, Page 8

How to handle seedlings

Seedlings growing in pots or boxes must be pricked out soon after they germinate. If left overcrowded too long they become drawn and spindly. Pricking out — the replanting of seedlings into a more spacious environment and a more fertile rooting medium — can be a tedious job when one has to contend with even a few hundred seedlings, but it is a task that must be done with a little care, otherwise it can set back, stunt or even cause the death of the young plant. Poor technique can damage the roots, injure the foliage, bruise or break the delicate stem. The soil should be on the dry side for pricking out. A narrow, pointed trowel is useful for freeing the individual seedlings from each other and the medium in which they are growing. A dibber is handy to have for preparing the planting holes in the new soil mix and also for guiding the plant roots into them. One can be made from a piece of 20mm dowelling 10-15 cm long and tapered at one end. A suitable soil mixture for general use can be made up as follows: two parts soil, one part sand, and one part really wellrotted compost. Using a nine-litre bucket as a measure, add 60kg dried blood. 45g superphosphate, and 30g potassium sulphate. Mix rooting me-

dium and fertilisers very thoroughly. Fill a box with the mix (which should be damp so that it just holds together when compressed in the hand) after covering the bottom of the box with coarse screenings or fibre such as rotten straw. Using the finger tips, firm the medium, particularly around the edges. Complete this operation by applying a firming board — a piece of wood the size of the interior of the box, and fitted with a grip. The rooting medium should not be less than 50mm deep. Carefully lift each seedling by the leaves and guide the roots into the hole made with the dibber in rooting mixture. Still using the dibber, push soil into the hole and firm the plant, which should be left with little more than the leaves and a portion of stem showing above soil level. Insert a label with the name of seedlings and pricking out date on it, and record in the garden logbook, an item which every keen gardener should have and maintain. Now water well with a fine spray, just until the water begins to collect on the surface. Shade from direct sun for the next few days to give the seedlings an opportunity to establish themselves. Do not allow to dry out, but never over-water.