PRICKING OUT and POTTING ON
Pricking out is the process of lifting a seedling from amongst other seedlings to pot it into its own pot. It is very important that you handle seedlings by the leaves only; if you crush the stem, you kill the plant; if a leaf breaks off, the plant can grow another.
Potting on is the process of taking a plant from a pot which is too small (or crowded) and planting into a slightly larger pot. If potting from one individual pot to another, the diameter of the new pot should be a maximum of 2cm larger than the diameter of the old pot. Take the pot with the plant in it and water well at least an hour before potting on. Make sure the soil that you are planting into is also thoroughly moist. Put some of the new soil into the bottom of the new pot. To get the plant out of the old pot, place your hand flat on the top of the soil, with your index finger and middle finger on either side of the plant stem, tap the bottom of the old. Place the plant into the new pot, making sure that the soil level around the plant is the same as the soil level in the new pot. Water well without drowning.
TRANSPLANTING
Transplanting is the process of transferring plants from pots to the garden. Don’t be tempted to overcrowd the bed. We are very much into ‘polyculture’ but every plant needs its own space to grow well; otherwise, the competition for light, moisture and nutrients makes weak, unproductive plants that will be susceptible to insect and/or fungal attack.
Give the plants the distance written on the seed packet. If your space is limited, we suggest researching “square foot gardening” or “growing food in containers”.