My seedlings seem to be doing… OK.
I germinated them indoors and seem a bit.. leggy.
Is it the right time to transplant to a pot or wait a bit longer under lights ?
Bring them outdoors or keep them in ? I am in zone 9b and don't anticipate frost.
by StrawberryInTheBay
6 Comments
Typically 3-4 sets of true leaves before transplanting. These seem just a tad young. Maybe one more week.
I don’t see any that are leggy in this photo. Once they have a set of true leaves, and yours do, it’s fine to pot them up into an intermediate-size container. I use 3.5″ x 3..5″ square plastic nursery pots for that step. They will stay in those until I’m ready to plant them out (into their permanent-for-the-season home.) I take mine outdoors for a few hours a day to gradually let them get a taste of “the real world.” I avoid the bright sun of high noon, and start with the dappled light under a tree most of the time. NE Texas.
BTW — It’s time to separate those doubles.
(To clarify: There are many sound approaches, this is not the only way to do it, just the way I have found to work well for me.)
You could pot up now but make sure you get rid of that netting! I haven’t used that netting in 10 years and still find it intact in my garden.
You say you have them under lights but still getting legginess. You might not have the right quality of lights for what the plants need. Not sure what your weather is like but I believe natural sun is the best even if you just set them out on nice days.
I’d say most of the ones with their true leaves can be up potted now. I, personally, am not a big fan of these starting pellets. One reason is that the netting doesn’t decompose like it’s supposed to, so I highly recommend cutting/peeling off as much of the netting as possible when up potting. As far as taking them outside, if they’re hardened off then you can set the tray outside for a bit. But if not, I’d slowly introduce natural light by putting them outside ( preferably in shade ) for 20-30 minutes, every couple of days. You shouldn’t be too far from having good temperatures to plant outside, so the sooner they’re hardened off to the wind and sun, the sooner you can plant outside. Best of luck!
I’ve had way worse tomatoes in terms of legginess. Tomatoes can put out roots along the stem, so if you do have a few that seem long and skinny just bury them deeper and it just turns into a healthier root system. These look great though!
What are those pods you’re using? Do you like thay more than the soil blocking?