Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Snap Dragon on April 14, 2009, 15:43
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I have some cabbage and broc seedlings that I started off on a cool conservatory window sill.
They have sprouted nicely and will need transplanting before they get too leggy... what do I transplant them into though?
Do they need to be in pots for more root space? My raised beds aren't ready for them yet and they're not big enough to go into the ground yet - they nearly an inch tall.
Thanks in advance :)
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Transfer them to larger pots about a 2" when they have 3 leaves not the juvenile ones and then let them harden off by leaving them out during the day and putting them under cover at night :)
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I'm not sure whether to leave them a bit, or transplant earlier. I pot them on into 3" pots pretty much straight after germination and bury them up to their seed leaves. I figure the longer they are in the seed tray the more chance of damping off, and the more leggy they will get ... but the normal advice is to let the "real" leaves appear before pricking out / potting on. I'd love an explanation if anyone knows why?
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I think the fact that you wait until there are two 'real' leaves is just for an indication that there is a good root system for transplanting.
At this stage, mine go into 3" pots, I think 2" is a bit small, and they will remain outside in these until about 8" tall, when they will go into their final positions.
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I think the fact that you wait until there are two 'real' leaves is just for an indication that there is a good root system for transplanting.
That's definitely the case - at the seed-leave stage there is frequently only the single initial root when I transplant. I don't know if I'm checking them more by transplanting that early ... perhaps I'll do a half-and-half test with the next batch.
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Mine were also in the conservatory in trays, then when they had their 2 leaves, I moved them to the greenhouse on my lottie and transplanted them into 3" pots and left them there for a week or so, and I've now moved them into my cold frame waiting for the frost to disappear completely. :) They are doing very well at the moment. I did the same with my sprouts.