[langdon]

my question is this, is it a waste of time and compost?
this afternoon i was potting on plants into larger pots from the smaller ones and i just thought to myself
could i have saved time and compost if i had just  sown the seeds into the larger pots that the plants
would have been moved to anyhow? mmmm
what are peoples thoughts on this?
will be interesting to read any comments
langdon

[egglady]

lots of seedlings dont like to be in too big a pot and they wont do well if they are - also the nutrients in the compost will get used up too quickly

[Greenerlife]

I have been pondering on this as well.  I always plant seeds into seed compost and then into 3" pots in good compost and then finally into their growing place in the garden.  I know some plants don't like too much space to form their roots and some prefer deep pots to grow long roots.  Mind you I really enjoy pricking out and planting on, although I always run out of space in my teeny weeny greenhouse.

[northfifeduckling]

they might not germinate if you just put one seed in a pot, then you have to start again - and fresh compost has more good stuff in it than if it has been watered for a few months...

[langdon]

buy could you not sow a few and prick out the weakest ones when they do germinate?
im going to have to try it out just to see, or i will neva know!!!
langdon

[Andy1982]

Hiya Langdon.

I will usally use those cells as it does save a bit on the compost and planting 2 seeds per cell and then planting out where they will stay untill their finished be it in a big pot or in the dirt. but some seeds like carrotts have generally poor germ rates so i would just put a whole load inbetween some bits of damp kitchen roll and stick them in an empty dvd case and stick in under the laptop to get a bit of heat and you will be surprised as to how fast they will germ. Best of luck mate

Andy

[Fleecewife]

Andy that's brilliant    you should include that in the 'best smallholding inventions' thread.

I think compost, multi-purpose and seedling, only keeps its nutrients for 6 weeks.  I start things off in modules then pot them up when they are big enough - that way the 6 weeks starts from potting on.  Another good thing about potting on is that you can bury plants a bit deeper, such as tomatoes which will not germinate if you sow them deeply, but need to be deep for stability and extra root growth once they are established.

[Mo]

Like the carrot idea  I've always sown carrot direct, I like the thinnings. Think it would work for parsnips?

Do none of you use loo rolls? I usually pot on the whole caboodle but sometimes the loo rolls grow fungus so I strip them off before potting on. If I've sown more than one per roll I just strip off the loo roll and pull the seedlings apart. If you have two or more strong ones you save them both.

[knightquest]

This is my first year growing veg and started late to boot. I'll use loo roll insides next year tho'

Ian

[Greenerlife]

I've used the middles of loo rolls for planting beans but found that they struggle to get roots through the cardboard if they are planted whole - anyone else have same problem?

[confused]

I've used the middles of loo rolls for planting beans but found that they struggle to get roots through the cardboard if they are planted whole - anyone else have same problem?

I found this as well, this year i tried tried running a sharp knife down the side of the tube when planting out ? but i dont yhink it made any real difference between the cut ones and the uncut , next year back to the drawing board .

[Mo]

I cut the loo rolls in half (horizontally) before sowing bean so there's only a neck round my beans (nothing to do with being Yorkshire  )

However, if you soak your seedling before planting out, the loo roll should just unwind from the outside leaving you with a plug.

[hexhammeasure]

re potting on get yourself a pile of leaves in the corner of the garden and leave it for 2 years... use the resulting mass (leaf mould) in the bottom of the pot - saves compost and stays moist longer

[northfifeduckling]

I did my own study on loo rolls as pots last year. Tomato plants were considerably smaller in the loo rolls, maybe it's the glue they didn't like...