Seed Guide 2007 pgs 01/41 - McKenzie Seeds

When seeds germinate, the first leaves to
appear are the cotyledons or seed leaves.
These are usually a pair of oval, fleshy
leaves that bear no resemblance to the
mature leaves of the plant.
The conventional advice is that seedlings
should not be pricked out or transplanted
until the first true leaves appear, but the
gardener must exercise common sense
and move them on only when they are
large enough to handle. In the case of
large seedlings, such as courgettes
(squash) or marrows, this could be before
the true leaves have developed and it is
sound advice to sow such subjects
individually in small pots.
Removing tiny seedlings from the sowing
container into trays of a good universal
compost can be a delicate business. The
golden rule is never to handle the plants
by their stems, which bruise easily, but
always by their seed leaves.
Some people use a sharpened popsicle or
tapered piece of wood. such as an ice
jolly stick, or a metal device called a
widger to separate and ease out the
seedlings, taking care not to damage the
delicate roots.
GENTLY LEVER
OUT SEEDLING
WITH AS MUCH
ROOT AS
POSSIBLE
G R O W I N G I N F O R M A T I O N
Transplanting
MAKE HOLES IN
POT OR SEED
TRAYS WITH A
PENCIL
HOLD BY SEED
LEAVES & DROP
INTO HOLE
Invariably there will be more seedlings to
transplant than available trays to
accommodate them, so some will have to
be sacrificed or given to friends or put
into the compost bin. The important
point is to give the transplanted seedlings
adequate space to become sturdy young
plants. As a rough guide, allow about 50
seedlings to each full size tray.
It is good planning to prepare the
planting holes in the trays of wellmoistened
compost before you actually
lift out the seedlings from the sowing
container. Simply ease each seedling into
position with the roots falling neatly into
the hole, then gently firm the compost
into contact with the baby plant while
still holding it by the seed leaf.
Proprietary composts contain enough
plant food to give the pricked-out
seedlings a good start in life, but you can,
if you wish, start feeding with a dilute
liquid fertilizer, such as Plant start, after a
couple of weeks or so.
FIRM SOIL
AROUND
SEEDLING WITH
DIBBER
W W W . M C K E N Z I E S E E D S . C O M
WATER GENTLY
WITH A FINE
SPRAY
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