Newbie question about when to transplant

KathyDC · April 5, 2013

Hi everyone!

First time growing from seeds, so far so good. I've got 14 varieties happily growing in ProMix in my basement under lights.

I'm using NCtomatoman's dense planting method (though really only one of the cells is all that dense, most of the others have only 4-6 seeds sown).

ANYWAY, all of the tomatoes that are growing are beginning to show true leaves. So my question is, when to transplant into a 4" pot? I'm probably overthinking this, but should I be transplanting as soon as I see a little nub of a leaf? Or should I wait until the leaves are fully formed (not necessarily large in size, but at least formed enough to have a recognizable leaf shape).

Thanks for indulging me!

jerryinfla · April 5, 2013

As far as I'm concerned the key time to transplant is when they're not growing as expected in the starting mix/container. I've potted up even before true leaves appear as well as after the second set of leaves appear with good results both ways. If you have extra seedlings you might want to try potting up at various stages and see if there are any differences for you.

KathyDC · April 5, 2013

Thanks for the reply! Reminds me of advice a gardener once gave me about figuring out what was a weed and what wasn't: "A weed is anything that's growing where you don't want it to be growing."

Stvrob · April 5, 2013

I would transplant them whenever it is you have time. Nothing wrong with doing it when they are very small. But if you put it off they will get tangled and harder to separate.

spacetogrow · April 5, 2013

This is my 2nd year using Craig's dense planting method. I transplant them usually before they get true leaves. Your size seedlings should be fine.

I'd watch how much light you can give them all, though. Will you have enough really good lighting if you have each one in a 4" pot? Getting leggy tomato plants due to less than excellent lighting isn't the end of the world, but it will be much easier to avoid damaging them later if they're not tall & skinny.

I vaguely recall that one of Craig's videos showed him potting up several tiny seedlings into the same 4 or 5 inch pot, with a little space between each one. I think that is only good for a few weeks before they'll need more room, but a few extra weeks of very good lighting for them might be worth the extra bother if that's the only way for all of them to get good light.

April 5, 2013	#1
KathyDC Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Suburban Washington, DC (Zone 7A) Posts: 347	Newbie question about when to transplant Hi everyone! First time growing from seeds, so far so good. I've got 14 varieties happily growing in ProMix in my basement under lights. I'm using NCtomatoman's dense planting method (though really only one of the cells is all that dense, most of the others have only 4-6 seeds sown). ANYWAY, all of the tomatoes that are growing are beginning to show true leaves. So my question is, when to transplant into a 4" pot? I'm probably overthinking this, but should I be transplanting as soon as I see a little nub of a leaf? Or should I wait until the leaves are fully formed (not necessarily large in size, but at least formed enough to have a recognizable leaf shape). Thanks for indulging me!

April 5, 2013	#2
jerryinfla Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Central Florida Posts: 377	As far as I'm concerned the key time to transplant is when they're not growing as expected in the starting mix/container. I've potted up even before true leaves appear as well as after the second set of leaves appear with good results both ways. If you have extra seedlings you might want to try potting up at various stages and see if there are any differences for you. __________________ Jerry - You only get old if you're lucky.

April 5, 2013	#4
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	I would transplant them whenever it is you have time. Nothing wrong with doing it when they are very small. But if you put it off they will get tangled and harder to separate.

April 5, 2013	#5
spacetogrow Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: MN zone 4 Posts: 359	This is my 2nd year using Craig's dense planting method. I transplant them usually before they get true leaves. Your size seedlings should be fine. I'd watch how much light you can give them all, though. Will you have enough really good lighting if you have each one in a 4" pot? Getting leggy tomato plants due to less than excellent lighting isn't the end of the world, but it will be much easier to avoid damaging them later if they're not tall & skinny. I vaguely recall that one of Craig's videos showed him potting up several tiny seedlings into the same 4 or 5 inch pot, with a little space between each one. I think that is only good for a few weeks before they'll need more room, but a few extra weeks of very good lighting for them might be worth the extra bother if that's the only way for all of them to get good light.