Moving Seedlings From Trays To Raised Garden Beds
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When starting plants from seed, using seed trays to help nurture & protect delicate seedlings in their early growth is very helpful. Of course, this is a temporary home for the seedlings & they will need to be transplanted into your garden where they can grow fully & flourish.
Tray Size
There are many tray options, some of the most common ones have 1.5&#; wide cells for seedlings, & some can be as large as 2.5&#;. Larger cells allow for more root space for plant development, meaning the seedling can stay in the tray longer. Smaller cells let you start more seedlings in less space, but they of course have less room for roots so they need to be transplanted sooner. As a general guide, after your seeds germinate they can grow in smaller (1.5&#; cell trays) for about 2-3 weeks, in larger 2&#; trays they can grow in them for about 3-4 weeks before needing to be transplanted.
Hardening Off
When it&#;s nearing time to transplant seedlings, if your seedlings weren&#;t started & growing outside already, you want to go through a process called hardening off. Hardening off is the process of progressively bringing seedlings outside so they can acclimate to direct sunlight, wind, & fluctuating temperatures. Bring the seedlings outside for a few hours the first day, then back inside, then a little longer the next day, & repeat for about a few days to a week until you eventually leave them outside permanently. Only do this if your climate is right for the plant though. Snow & tomatoes won&#;t mix, no matter how much you try &#;
Transplanting
When it&#;s time to transplant, wet your seedling tray soil & your garden&#;s soil. This makes the soil stickier. It holds together better when removing the seedling from the tray & when making a hole in the soil in your garden bed for the plant to go into.
Gently push up from the bottom of the seed tray to pop the seedling out. Be delicate & do your best to keep all of the roots intact & the seedling undamaged.
Place the seedlings into the holes you dug in your garden bed & backfill soil around them, gently pushing down to make sure there aren&#;t air pockets around the roots.
Then, water them consistently making sure the top few inches of soil stay moist for the roots to establish themselves. Once established (you can see visible growth) you can cut back water to a standard schedule. A general guide for this is to ensure your soil keeps some moisture 2&#; below the surface.
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Prick out seedlings of flowers and vegetables once they have their first pair of true leaves &#; these are the first set of leaves that resemble the parent plant. Use a pencil or dibber to lever the roots of the seedling out of the compost, holding the seedling by the leaves, as these are replaceable, and never by the stem, which can be easily crushed. Transplant your seedlings into small pots or trays filled with peat-free multi-purpose compost. Use a pencil or dibber to make a hole in the compost and drop or spiral the seedling in so the surface of the compost comes up almost to the lowest leaves. Transplanting deeply will help keep your seedling securely in place. Gently firm the compost around the seedling.
Aim to transplant 12 seedlings into a half-sized seed tray. Use a dibber to mark out the spacing, with three plants across the width and four down the length of the tray. It is better to transplant large seedlings into their own individual pots. Once your seedlings are transplanted, water well using a watering can with a fine rose attachment, and place on a bright windowsill, in a greenhouse or in a propagator.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Rice seed transplanter trays. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
If you don't prick out seedlings, they can succumb to a disease called damping off, causing them to collapse. It's possible to avoid the need to prick out seedlings by sowing seeds singly in modular trays, but these take up more space in propagators or on windowsills.
Prick out seedlings of flowers and vegetables once they have their first pair of true leaves.
Follow the advice in this easy guide to how to transplant seedlings, below:
Gently lift one seedling at a time using a dibber to lever out as many of the roots as possible. Always hold seedlings by a leaf, not the stem, as this is easily crushed, which would kill the seedling.
Transplant the seedlings to individual pots or new seed trays, which should be ready and waiting alongside. Filled with multi-purpose compost, the surface should be level and gently firmed.
Make a hole with the dibber and lower the seedling into it, almost to the base of the leaves. Firm it in carefully, ensuring the seedling is upright, well spaced from its neighbours and in a straight row.
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Soak the newly transplanted seedlings using tepid water from a watering can with a fine rose, so as not to disturb them. Label with the plant's name and place it on a greenhouse bench or a bright windowsill to grow on.
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