Hello! Sowed some Lettuce indoors a couple of weeks ago. Sowed pretty thickly after my first batch had poor germination rate. Good rate this time round, now got some crowded seedlings. Should I prick these out now or wait for some true leaves?
by This_Condition3393
4 Comments
If you’re going to thin the sooner the better so you minimize root disruption for the ones you want to keep. If you’re going to pot up you can wait a bit longer but the very close ones may be harder to separate.
Wait for true leaves and then thin out. by snipping the weaker ones. If you can gently remove the seedlings and pop in another tray that would work as well.
Sooner the better, careful with the roots.
I grow a fair amount of lettuce. IMO…..if you were to leave them and not snip you’d have ‘cut and come again’ type lettuce – which is a great way to start the season since head lettuce in spring grows slowly. Not sure if you’re growing in ground or in containers but regardless, easy to take that clump of lettuce you have and transplant it. I would also start individual seeds in small pots now and then when they get established in a few weeks, transplant those too.
I always have some cut and come again lettuce on the go as well as head lettuce too. I get 4 succession a season. I’m a bit north of Toronto and we’re just losing our snow & the ground is starting to thaw. I have a little plastic row cover out now which is warming the soil and I will be scattering some seeds in a couple weeks under it. I will also be transplanting my lettuce starts too.
If you decide to leave and not snip (which I highly recommend), I would start a feeding program with a soluble fertilizer with a high N. Comes in synthetic or organic but soluble is key. I use great nutrient rich compost in my garden and use synthetic fertilizer with my seedlings because I want to control the nutrients.