#THINNING BASIL SEEDLINGS HOW TO#
#THINNING BASIL SEEDLINGS FULL#

If you forget to label the area (I never do that, yuk, yuk), you can identify the plant by looking at the true leaves. True leaves resemble the leaves of the mature plant. Usually true leaves come in a pair, although some plants develop just one true leaf to start and others get a few true leaves all at once.

The second set of leaves is referred to as true leaves. Sometimes you can see the seed casing still attached. The first leaves that form are called seed leaves or cotyledons. For others, it’s best to wait until several sets of leaves develop. For many plants, it’s wise to wait to thin until a second set of leaves forms. WHEN TO THIN: Some plants can be thinned at a certain height. This reduces the chance that you’ll damage surrounding plants. When it’s cool sprouts will be nice and plump and the remaining plants will be less stressed if you get too close.īEFORE THINNING: Water the soil to make it easier to pull extra plants. More Thinning TipsīEST TIME OF DAY TO THIN: At the coolest part of day and 10 minutes after watering. Maybe even laminate the thing! Let your seeds stay put until the next time you need them. Go ahead, print out this handy thinning chart.

#THINNING BASIL SEEDLINGS FULL#

No more fiddling around with a bag full of seed envelopes. To solve this little inconvenience, I created a chart for cool weather crops. Sometimes it’s damp out in the garden, or it’s an uncommonly warm day.

#THINNING BASIL SEEDLINGS HOW TO#

While most people prefer a finger width between seedlings and on either side of them, I like to use two– it’s always better to be safe.Every fall planting season I shuffle through seed packets to find out how to thin the seedlings. Again, depending on the plants and their mature size, spacing may vary. Root crops are a bit more sensitive to thinning and should be pulled out with extra care or even cut at the soil line.

They can be gently raked to remove excess seedlings as well, though I prefer pulling them one by one to limit any damage. Many flowers and leafy vegetables can also be thinned this way. Gently pull out the unwanted seedlings, leaving the healthiest in place. Otherwise, the remaining seedlings may suffer from root disturbance. Those having fragile roots, like beans and cucurbits (melons, squash, cucumbers), should be thinned as soon as possible, before their roots have a chance to become intertwined with one another. However, not all plants handle thinning the same way. Learning how to thin plants isn’t difficult. Of course, I have found cloudy days to be just as effective. Seedlings should have at least two pairs of true leaves and be about 3 to 4 inches (8-10 cm.) tall before thinning.Įvening hours are a good time to thin seedlings as the cooler temps and darker conditions make it easier for the remaining seedlings to bounce back from any stress they may have received. You can soak the area with water to soften the soil if it’s too dry.

Make certain the soil is reasonably damp beforehand, which simply makes it easier to pull the plants out intact and with less damage-similar to weeding young sprouts. Depending on what you are growing, you’ll want to thin plants out enough so that each seedling has a couple of inches (5 cm.) of space (or two finger widths) on either side. If you do it too late, the overdeveloped roots may cause damage to the remaining seedlings during the thinning process. Knowing when to thin seedlings is also important. Crowded plants limit air movement, which can lead to fungal diseases, especially if the foliage remains wet for extended periods. When you thin seedlings, you’re also helping to improve the air circulation around them. The practice of thinning plants is done to allow them plenty of growing room so that they can receive all the proper growth requirements (moisture, nutrients, light, etc.) without having to compete with other seedlings. Knowing when and how to thin plants is important for their overall health and success. Thinning plants is a necessary evil we must all face in the gardening realm.

Thinning basil seedlings