western-queensland-gardening-guide.pdf - South West NRM

Pricking out and dibbling
Seedlings sown close together soon compete for water, nutrients and light. When
seeds have been sown into individual containers, sometimes more than one seed
germinates. When the seedlings are at the two to four leaves stage, select the most
vigorous seedling and pull out the poorer seedlings. These are usually discarded.
This process is called "pricking out", and is easily done by hand.
Where a communal sowing has been carried out, it is necessary to transplant the best
of the seedlings into individual containers so that they can grow on. This process is
known as "dibbling". It is also carried out at the two to four leaf stage.
The medium should be gently loosened.
Select only the most vigorous seedlings. Holding onto a leaf, each seedling
should be carefully pulled out of the medium and re-potted.
The way you re-pot the dibbled seedling can determine the eventual success of
the final tree or shrub. Kinked or curled roots created at this stage often cause the
premature death or stunted growth of plants. Care must be taken to make a large
deep hole in the potting medium in the new container into which the seedling is
to be placed and avoid kinking or tangling the roots.
Carefully press the medium around the roots and gently water in.
Figure 20. "Dibbling" the seedlings
Growing
The growing period varies from 3 to 12 months, depending on the species. Growth
can be assisted by several factors:
Shading: 50% shade is adequate for most natives.
Root pruning: Roots should not be allowed to grow out of the pot into the
ground. This can be prevented by regularly lifting the pots or, preferably, having
the pots suspended to allow air pruning.