Transplanting Seeds & Others

 Seeds First!

So, your seedlings have sprouted! Congratulations, now if you did not use the outdoor method you need to transplant them into the soil. Hope you remembered to keep your seed's original packets! You are going to need them!

Most seeds, are usually evenly spaced. Between 3 – 6 inches depending on what you are growing.

Make sure your furrows, or rows, are evenly spaced too, with a slightly deeper channel between row spacing, this allows for good drainage and good watering. Plus, gives you space to walk down if it becomes necessary to thin them out some more.

Cover lightly with soil, up the stem, (depending on height of plant) about an inch.

If you are going to add some form of plant food, add it to your water! NOT directly to the soil!

Remember if you used the outdoor method, you only need to thin the seeds out a bit. Not a lot. Most seeds grown outside are more healthier and stronger than those grown indoors or by the cheats method.

Big Plants, Shrubs & Saplings!

Water your 'others' if they are in pots. Just give them enough to make the soil in the pots damp.

Wait 10 minutes.

Then carefully, pick up the pot. Placing a hand around the main stem frame of the plant or shrub.

Turn it upside down, do not crush the leaves or new growth.

Give the pot a few solid taps on the bottom. The plant should slide out nicely.

Make sure you have already dug your hole, for transplanting, before you 'tap-out' your plant! Depth is good, but when you place the plant in, the top of its pot soil, should stand level with the ground soil.

Fill in around it. Patting soil down lightly.

DO NOT tread around the plant, firming the ground too early causes plant damage!

Same principles apply to shrubs.

With saplings/ trees the only difference, is if they are not in a pot. PLUS you have to dig deeper, and make sure the top soil is a good six inches above the pot soil the sapling came with. This helps encourage roots to spread and the trunk to thicken better!

Good Tips On Transplanting.

With any plant or seedlings into outside soils is, instead of watering afterwards, water before, you put them in.

Also, try to put in any extra soil, such as potting compost or similar, before you make a space for the transplanted item. If you don't it could break roots and damage any further growth.

When watering, make the extra soil soggy. Saturate it well. But do not water the main transplant. This will drown it, if you do.

Do not firm the soil around stems! Lightly press, making sure some lose soil is on top. Helping your plant to breathe through the soil, collect nutrients and moisture.

Also preventing types of stem/root rot.