Top tips for Nurturing Seedlings
- Chair
- May 2
- 2 min read
For those of you who are happily growing from seed, now is the time to truly nurture your seedlings as a good start now will yield better results later. Some top tips for seedlings.
Prick out your seedlings once they have their first pair of true leaves. True leaves typically have more ridges, veins, hairiness and start to resemble the actual leaves of the plant. By the time you have four leaves on a seedling you are bound to have ‘true’ leaves. Plants need the true leaves as they generate energy for the plant through photosynthesis, something seed leaves cannot do.
Be gentle when pricking out and always tease out the seedling using a dibber, teaspoon or small stick and always hold a seedling via its leaves not the stem.
Pot the seedlings on by placing into a pot of compost (mine is compost plus vermiculite or grit). Use a dibber or pencil to create a hole in the soil and carefully plant the seedling ensuring the first leaves are just above the soil. Covering most of the stem is particularly important for tomato seedlings otherwise they get too leggy. Firm in the seedling and water with a fine rose head to settle the plant. Give your seedlings lots of space and light. To make sure you aren’t overwatering particularly given peat-free compost always looks dry, use your finger to check whether the soil under the surface is dry. Most experts recommend feeding young plants weekly with half-strength liquid fertilizer like seaweed extract to encourage strong growth.
If growing indoors or in a greenhouse, remember that you will need to ‘harden off’ your seedlings before planting them in your final position. To harden off, acclimatise the plants by placing outside in mild weather during daylight hours for a few days before planting out. Tender plants shouldn’t be planted outside really until late May given the risk of late frosts.
For more detailed advice on seed sowing and pricking out, these links to the RHS website have plenty of useful information:
Happy growing!
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