How to Look After Seedlings

With the unpredictable weather in NZ at the moment I wanted to tell you about some of the seedling management strategies I have been using for the first time this spring, and what worked and what didn’t on my 200+ seedlings:)

It will be the first year I have used plastic pots and actually had to manage my seedlings in those pots for more than a few days. And believe me, it has taken some managing, for instance, the watering alone takes a day and lots of patience and in a couple of days it all starts again!!

I thought it would be interesting to know how someone else manages when things like the weather throw us a curve ball and also what observations I have been able to make from watching the seeds germinate, some things I would have missed if the seeds were under the ground in the Kitchen garden.

General lessons learnt
This spring has been interesting, and ideal for me as I love trying ideas and seeing for myself if something works well or it really isn’t really worth the effort.
With the very wet, humid and damp conditions it was the perfect time for me have a go at devising ways my nursery would be organized once it built.
So what lessons have I learnt from the potted seedling mission?

• I can control the germination conditions better if I sow into the tiny plastic pots especially with the quantity of seedlings I will have in one moon phase sowing. By this I mean, at each moon phase I sow a certain amount of say, tomatoes, so the harvest will be staggered and I can enjoy a longer season.

• With so many varieties and an increased amount of seeds sown, the number of pots is incredibly large and when the weather sends a curve ball and the seedlings are going to be in the pots longer than planned, the tiny plastic pots are ideal for root growth and handle better than the 1/2 toilet roll holders I used last year.

• I can also move and handle the tiny pots better. I can load them onto trays and carry them to my watering stations. I can also set them onto a table without the fear they will topple over, and with 6 dogs, all very interested in them this had been a great help.

Sowing seed into pots
I have been able to sow seeds directly into the pots, in the case of tomatoes and brassicas up to 5 seeds per pot. This has saved on seed raising mix as I have had success with making my own potting mix and I have sown the seeds into this.

Mixing one part seed raising mix: one part compost: two parts soil and finely shredded manure. This mix has enabled me to keep the seedlings in the pots longer as it provides more nourishment and a greater area for the roots to search out the food, making for strong healthy seedlings.

Transplanting seedlings into individual pots
Once the seedlings had their seed leaves established I re-potted them so I had one seedling per pot. I would have normally kept them a bit longer in the 1/2 toilet roll pots and then planted them out when the roots were just visible in the bottom of the pot.

The one seedling per pot regime enabled the seedling to get more established and supported a stronger root system. I feel now they have two sets of ‘true’ leaves and are 10cm tall they can survive the weather, especially if I protect them with plastic pop bottles.

Watering seedlings in pots
Watering and making sure all the seedlings have been kept just dark damp has been a real work out!! I have trays which have raised sides and are about an inch deep, I filled the trays with Millys bath water nicely fertilized in the way only ducks do… Thank you Milly
I then popped in the pots that needed watering, watering seedlings from the bottom upwards has several advantages:

• It helps prevent damping off, a fungal disease which affects seedlings, especially tomatoes and celery.
• It makes keeping the seedlings just the right side of just dark damp easier, it has been quite interesting watching all the pots, how different ones need more watering and those that take longer to absorb all the moisture.
• It has been great to reduce the amount of fungal diseases by keeping the stem and leaves dry, this can be difficult when overhead watering.

I hope you have enjoyed this post, and I would like to hear how have you managed your seedlings this spring and if you have you any good ideas or problems you would like to share with us, please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question.

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