Notes on Pricking Out Seedlings

Post date: May 12, 2020 5:37:51 PM

Notes on Pricking Out Seedlings

Uma Shashikanth

When you buy plants at the nursery, you wonder how they got one single sturdy plant in a plug in the seed tray. You look at your trays with spindly seedlings searching for light, and the trauma of clipping off the multiple little seedlings that germinated together. The trick to learn is pricking out. Here are my notes.

1. Pricking out is a delicate (surgery-like) operation, carried out in a few days after the seeds have germinated. The idea is to house the new root in a spacious and firm space, before finally transplanting it into a larger pot or the ground.

2. Very helpful for plants with very fine seeds (petunia for example). You can prick the tiny plants out just as they begin to show true leaves. I have also worked with seedlings with just the first two leaves.

3. Transplanting shock is higher in this technique. Don't touch the root or stem, hold the plant by the leaf, if at all. Use a pencil or labeling stick to gently lift the tiny plant. you will see a long root and a thin end to the white root.All of this should go into the new soil, in one swift operation.

4. Prepare the seedling tray with medium and make a deep hole with the pencil. Lower the plant into the hole, with the leaves just above the ground level. Firm up the soil.

5. Don't worry too much about the root getting coiled up inside the hole, it will do fine. Complete the operation in a quick move, without exposing the root for too long.

6. Water the seedlings very carefully. You want to plug any air gaps in the soil, and enable a snug contact with medium, but do not want to disturb the root too much. Firm the soil well before watering, and water gently over your outstretched palm.

7. Ideally do not modify the location of the plant for the first 2-3 days. Leave new seed trays in the same place where the seedlings originally were. Then move to a semi-shaded area that gets some morning sun and afternoon shade.

8. If the seedling does not get adequate sunlight, it will die. It will also fail if the sun is too harsh before it can establish itself. Managing the light is the art to master in pricking out.

9. Choose the healthy seedlings to prick out. They survive better. Always immerse the seedlings completely, with just the leaves popping out. This ensures they root very well in the seedling tray. They should be cared for in the nursery until they develop true leaves and then transplanted as a plug to the final destination - ground or pot.

10. Spinach, coriander, chard, marigolds, tomatoes, chillies, brinjal, and almost all herbs and lettuces did well on pricking out. I tried pricking out radishes and carrots, and ended up with twisted produce. Choose carefully.

Stop fretting about spindly seedlings and the pain of clipping off extra seedlings. Learn to prick out, and who knows you may have enough strong plants to begin a nursery!

#Shashikantnotes