When do I pot up and how often?

[huntsman]

My sprouts are about 4" now, and clearly need potting up. (At least they do based on height, though perhaps root condition also helps determine pot up schedule??)

How many times would one pot up before going into the ground or final container?

Does this depend on temps?

Thanks!

[ContainerTed]

I started in a standard tray that was 6 x 12 -72 little compartments. After germination, the seedlings stayed in this until they had at least their first true leaves.

Then I potted up most to 9 oz clear plastic cups. The choice of 9 oz was strictly a space under the lights consideration. The choice of clear was to observe root growth on some. I did put some in 18 oz plastic cups - again space under the lights was the driver.

Having begun about three weeks too early with my initial seed sowing, I had to move some to 1 gallon nursery pots when they showed the beginnings of being root-bound.

The number of pot ups varies with each grower. Some folks begin their seeds in larger pots to minimize potting up tasks. NCTOMATOMAN has a thread on dense seed starting which contains a lot of good info.

The little seedlings are pretty hardy and will survive a pretty good amount of "disturbance". In my experience, peppers are more sensitive to being disturbed than are tomatoes.

So, IMO, you need to work the problem backwards from the plant out. How big a plant do you want at plant out? Once that is decided, then the steps and the sizes of the pots at "pot up" become easier to lock down on.

Ted

[huntsman]

That's really helpful, thanks Ted -

I actually followed that NCTOM thread when planting and now have a gazillion sprouts!

I think I'll have to pot up at least twice more before heading outside, as our Spring has arrived, but there are still a few cold nights...

BTW Should I wait until the plants are root bound or close to it before I pot up?

Is there any advantage to potting up to much bigger pots?

Cheers!

[ContainerTed]

You can't go too far wrong following Craig's methods. I take those 72 little cavities and put 2 to 5 seeds in each one and then cull down after germination. For my giveaways, I simply dedicate additional cavities to a particular variety.

I don't like to reach a point where my plants could clinically be called "Root Bound". That equates with a cessation in growth in a time of maximum growth rate. All my cups have a hole in the bottom and are watered through that (water wicks up into the cup). Using clear cups allows me to see roots that have reached the sides of the cup. It's really a judgement call on each one, but seeing several roots on the sides or roots curling around the bottom or coming out of the hole is an instant flag to pot up. The question you ask is "Does the plant have room for more roots without stressing."

So, my answer to Question #1 is "before".

My perception on going to larger pots is that the plants seem to detect that and put on a burst of growth. It's probably the fresh nutrients, but I like to think that my plants are "talking back" to me. (big smile)

Just treat them like the living entities that they are and a lot of answers jump out at you. Mine are like children. I talk to them and spend a lot of time seeing to their "comfort". They seem to respond (at least in my mind).

Ted

[huntsman]

Heh heh! You're as nuts as I am!

One question, Ted:

Is it fine for the little cups with holes in the bottom to stand in a tray of water? Or will they wick up too much water?

[robin303]

I pot up up to three times and I let my plants simi dry out before watering. I get root rot and mold I I leave mine in standing water.

[ContainerTed]

I let them wick up the water, but allow the whole bottom tray to dry out. If I think I've put too much water in the tray, I simply take some out. You can tell when a plant is too dry or needs more time to absorb the water present. I also keep a fan on my seedlings from across the room. This circulates the air and keeps the temperature around the plants more stable. It also promotes stronger stems.

Actually, I'm a lot more crazy than anyone thinks. (Huge smile) One of these days, Ami will get me to tell my super-secret ingredient that makes seedlings really super-healthy and vigorous with great roots. See how "nuts" I am. (This gets a full chuckle).

Ted

[huntsman]

There's more to that than meets the eye, I can tell, and my curiosity is piqued!

Gotcha on the allowing the wicking tray to dry out from time to time.

Robin, thanks for the info - I potted up today and will certainly need another pot up before D-Day...