Luke, I just got a pepper with it's first true set of leaves being, "club leafed". Have you ever experienced this in peppers and if so, do the plants continue to form more club leafs as it grows?
I stopped thinning seedlings several years ago when I started root-washing seedlings for early pot-up. As soon as the sprouts get their first set of true leaves i drop the cells into a bath of warm water, superthrive, and worm tea. I wash the soil away (but don't throw it out) and then transfer them to another "clean" bath with the same nutrients and let them sit for an hour. Then I pot them up into whatever their next phase container is. I strain the first bath and put the soil into a special compost we call "re-pot" where it will be renutrified then used to cut fresh seeding medium in the future. The water from both baths is then used to water-in the new pot-ups. I have tremendous success with this method and find my plants to be far healthier in the long run. It also allows me to dense-plant far more than just onions. I can put several seeds in one cell doing it this way, I just have to space the seeds out slightly. It also allows me to utilize more tray options than just cell trays and/or cups. I run a community garden out of one of my fields and everyone involved saves certain things to be reused in the project, including salad trays from costco, which make fantastic seed starting trays for dense seeding once some holes have been punched in the bottom. I can start 40 tomatoes in one salad tray this way..
Luke: you make my day! Last year our garden fell by the way side since I was taking care of my Mom who died of cancer in August and I just gave up on the garden after that. A few days ago I watched your video about why you started gardening and I am so glad I did. I am really sorry you had to go thru that traumatic experience. I too was bullied physically & emotionally and it takes a lot out of you, but we must move forward and your video reminded me that I have my garden to help me too. I am excited about starting my seeds and have been watching your older videos on seed starting to get me ready. Thanks again.
Hello, I have about twenty planted clusters of hot pepper plants that needed thinning. After watching your video I now have the courage to go kick some peppers out of town. Thank you
I did the one seed per cell, first time doing seedlings. My germination rate so far for what has sprouted has been very good. This will be my third year gardening so I call everything I do an experiment.
I just want to pause and thank you for your wealth of knowledge you make available to so many people that helps them make their gardens all the more successful. I am a new home owner and last spring was my first-year garden. Having lived I'm New York for 29 years, I simply couldn't garden outside. My new home has 2.8 acres and it was so much fun digging in the dirt! But... It was horrible. First timer problems. I didn't thin, I didn't have the right soils, I didn't give enough space for each plant. I've been addicted to your channel for a month now and I will be much better prepared for this spring. Thank you!
Nice dude...a little trick i do is "plant two seeds in each cell but in the diagonal corner like the number 2 on a dice" when i transplant they usually split smooth. I grow outdoors though so i can afford the size difference. Never tried the wash method people keep talking about..seems stressful to the plant.🌽🍅
Great points Luke. I a thinner. If you don't thin it steals nutrients, air flow, water, light. It can be a pain in the butt but you need to do it. A few weeks ago I thinned out some beets outside and transplanted them and it worked fine. I have also transplanted some pepper seedlings indoors. I very carefully removed the seedling and then stuck a pencil in a container to make a hole and threaded the seedling into the new hole in the container.
Awwww.... yeah, I thinned some crowded tomatoes today, but I was suckered. I took 1 bunch out of their cell at a time, soaked it in water, gently pulled the tiny seedlings apart (only had their 1st set of leaves, not true leaves) and then replanted them. I had leggy tomatoes that germinated waaay quicker then the other varieties in my 72ct tray, so I also was replanting to sink them down into the seedling tray, in hope they will do better 🤞. We'll see..... I struggle with fungus gnats, so after microwaving or baking my seed starter soil, I also use Mosquito Bits Tea to bottom water my seedlings & I sprinkle cinnamon on the tops of my poor seedlings. And wouldn't you know it, gnats were buzzing around me as I was transplanting!! 😡 They take my joy out of gardening. Thank you Luke for another awesome video! May God bless you!
First year starting seeds inside! So far things are going great but I planned on thinning seeds. I couldn’t agree more with your last comment. I feel like I cannot spend enough time in our “grow room”. It’s hard to not get too excited about the seedlings growing and starting other seeds earlier than I need to.
hey new to your channel, I started a patio garden this year. I'm glad you talked about thinning seedling, It was tough for me to do it. I felt like I was picking the best child...tears. I do love your channel and all the info, TFS
Luke I am a big fan of your channel, you have provided such a wealth of knowledge that has been greatly useful to me so I would like to say thank you so much! This will be my first year starting from seeds, and my family and I are very excited by the process. Will be starting thinning this weekend, which in truth feels pretty painful having seen all these seeds sprout up amd do so well but I know the ends will justify the means. Thank you again for all of your great information and God bless you and your family!
Instead of thinning my seedlings, I germinate the seeds between moistened sheets of paper towels that are placed inside a Ziploc baggie. After the seeds germinate, I take the time to plant the seedlings into individual cells within each tray. I also pot up when needed. My garden is small -- only 38x100. As a result, it does not take a lot of time to accomplish the task. Kate in Olympia, WA
Thanks for the encouragement, I hate destroying my little seedlings, but thinning does provide much stronger and healthier plants! I will try to remember how happy you were in this video next lot of seedlings I need to thin!
This is my first year actually attempting a garden, my husband built a “greenhouse” space of pvc pipes, I’m so excited and hope something grows long enough to produce just one fruit. I’ve been watching all your videos as well as other channels to get my head around all the great information provided.
Thanks for sharing!!! is my 1st time growing food. I didn't "thin" before transplanting. I did "thin" a few days afterwards after repotting though. I hope my Arugula, Spinach and lettuce continue to grow. I had to remove the PVC cover to my Green house that's in my kitchen, open the window and use a fan to give my plants air because I saw a few spots with white mold. I watched some videos about that. I also saturated them with too much water so now I'm letting them dry out. Hopefully things will turn out fine. I'm still learning. But again thanks for your knowledge! 🌱 👍🏼
Mate, I have to say that you produce great quality, practical and informative vids - every time. Thank you. I recently bought a number of tomato seed packets from MIgardener and am very excited to see the results when I plant plant them around August to November, here in Sydney Australia. You continue to be one of the best sources of gardening information for me.
Lol. Thank you for this segment. I have been very careful when sewing my starter seeds (from MIGardener) . But, I have never seen someone actually thin their plants. So, this was hugely beneficial for me. Thank you!
I just got my first Bonsai growing kit. I was reading to thin the seedling and it’s funny how you said “it hurts your heart to thin them” or something to that effect. Because that’s exactly how I am feeling. I was kinda scared to do it. But seeing how it was done and the reason behind it makes me feel like I can do it. I’m a supper beginner. Like literally just started this today. But I’m super excited about my Bonsai journey and I can wait to reap the rewards!! Thank you for this video.
Luke, "yes" I am going to be thinning tomorrow. I will know what I'm doing because you're an awesome teacher. I have the perfect little sharp pruners as well that I got for Christmas. Thanks so much. God Bless. Bertha from Texas.
Yes Luke, thinning out the extra seedlings is part of the process I love and hate to do. Love it for the great result and hate it for the waste :-) Nice informative video. Thanks.
Just in time for me to do my thinning! Thank you, I have learned so much from you and Jess at Roots & Refuge. This is my first year gardening, and i'm so excited to see everything in full bloom.
I like to either use plug trays or multi seed pony cells with seeds spaced far apart. Then when they get big enough I will give them their own cell. That way I can get more sprouts from a 4 cell pony that are easier separate if they all sprout. I can say separating is tedious. Then again so is potting up. When I only have 20 seeds they are all going to be given a chance to grow.
I just found you channel . Thanks to Roots and Refuge recommending it on their channel. I have looked at a couple of your video's. I really liked what I have seen so far. So I am a new subscriber. I look forward to enjoying more of your video's.
I plant three seeds per solo cup in a triangular pattern. I then transplant to seperate cups after germination and have had success with this method. However I do have issues like you mentioned with size variation and having the grow light at the correct height needed for each plant. Good information to consider going forward. Thanks 👍
I thin for most crops, and I have come to terms with the guilt because I eat them as I go - “your sacrifice has given me a microgreen snack and I will be forever grateful!” haha
Yes I thin. Usually try to squeeze the little pots and really loosen up the soil to untwine the little roots. I dump carefully each little pot into my hand and plant each healthy 'ling in its own pot. Works fairly well I believe I save 50% or more of what would have died otherwise. Its hard for me to just kill them. Love your show
I just did this to my seedlings this morning. Sad day, but in the end I hope I selected the right one to thrive. #firstyeargarden oh and I used some nose hair trimmers that don't get used to thin and tweezers to pick up the little trimmed off seedlings haha
I have done both with tomatoes, kale. I thought two tomatoes won't hurt, but you are so right. The tomatoes were sprouted indoors and moved outside, the plants with two seedlings per cell didn't do as well in tomato production. I guess I'm the kind of guy who has to make the mistakes, then see the results.
What a great video! I have thinned later than you did in this demonstration, so I'll make an effort to do so sooner in the future. I'd love to know what your thoughts are on the multi-sowing practice that Charles Dowding uses for things like onions, snow peas, radishes, chard, beetroot, etc. wherein he not only initially plants them in "clumps", but takes them all the way to harvest in clumps of 3-4 plants.
Just thinned all of my tomatoes. It’s like I’m excited, but I’m not. It’s almost like you have to go through that right of passage or get that badge before anything else can progress on. Hey, I’m used to it now and it does pay off. Play your favorite music, have your favorite beverage, hopefully there’s someone there to help and you have a great pair of snips. It will all pay off. 👍
From experimenting, correct me if i am wrong but this is what I've observed. I think planting more than one seed per cell may also just help whichever one will be stronger in the end get that good jumpstart. How i imagine it is like the root system of the weaker seedling will provide the stronger one something to grab hold of like a ladder almost. Just my thinking behind it. Because for awhile I was skimpy with seeding, i never seeded at all heavily. But i noticed when people do, once they had thinned them out what they had left was SO strong. That competition builds them up, i think.
glad i watched this video i usually pull the extra seedlings. went ahead and bought the pruning fiskar sheers you recommended cause in a few weeks ill be doing my spring pruning.
So in watching this video I have a question, do you place water in the base of the tray? I was always told to fill the bottom of the tray with water so the seedlings always have water and the soil remains damp. I have 6 72 seedling trays going and noticed as you moved your trays around they sounded dry. Is this a bad practice?
I have really long white stems for my lettuce seedlings with just 2 leaves on each of them and they are pretty densely packed, they are not in a growroom but a pot that sits on the ground filled with compost. It gets regular intervals of sun through the windows, is it a temperature problem, or a density problem, or maybe something else? I'd love to hear your opinion. Thank you for your consistent quality content 😊
What do you think of simply direct sowing everything instead of starting indoors (if you have a mild spring in your area). I know some are better being directly sown, but what about direct sowing EVERYTHING? haha
best thing about alliums is the ease of starting. I have somewhere around 800 to 1K plants in each 1020 tray! worked great last year, but I'll regret it a few trays into transplanting :D
I think what you produce and put out for us is really awesome.... I will be doing some potted vegetables to get my feet wet, although if I had help I’d want to jump right into the raised beds.... perhaps by the fall I can put some in... though having just said that it dawned on me if I put one or two raised beds in now it would be less to mow... hmmm...🤣.... Did want to ask you about how to discourage rabbits, squirrels and the like from getting into our bed and pots, any ideas?
Not a question on this video, but regarding your high density planting, ( i do the same) but do you use vertical growing too? For instance, I've made a growing wall (very supported for the weight) for my zucchini. I train it upwards and literally grow my zucchini about 5' up and sideways. I also make teepees out of branches, growing cucumbers up it, while lower growing plants grow underneath, (can use this to advantage for a little shading too...) there's many things that can vine up instead of along the ground, and it works well. I actually have cars slow down to look in amazement at my zucchini wall... Love your videos btw...
I am lucky to have donated land so when i thin this year most of my extra's can go there then when harvested the veg gos to the local food bank. It's at my church so from time to time some donate money or resources that they have and don't need. So hopefuly wast will help those that need it.
Hi Luke, I remember you telling somebody in live session when they asked about thinning, you said you do not thin it at all. You told you will not touch the plants once planted. I remember you telling the plants do the thinning themselves. Thanks for the videos though!
I planted a little too thick with my radishes. I wasn't hopeful for productivity since the seeds were a couple years old. Not only did they germinate in record time but they all seem to be coming along. yikes. thinning party straight ahead
Yes I am guilty of letting to many seedlings grow in the containers and then I seperate them into seperate cups. I cant kill them I am not to that place yet. They are so beautiful . ☺
Thank you! I am starting some things pretty early because I live in a higher altitude microclimate on a mountain in zone 4b new hampshire and it's been a weird winter so the ground could take time to thaw. How many seedlings should I leave per cell in the 3" pots? I hope I didnt make a mistake by starting things in that size like basil and kale. I had already bought a bunch when i did artichokes because they need a bigger pot so I figured it wouldn't hurt.
I like to use the 200 cell flats and just plant a seed per cell.. then once they get too big for the cells transplant them to the 4 / 6 cell containers for them to mature in until they go outside. This way i dont have to kill any seedlings and i just pick the strongest ones to move on and i can give the others to friends or family. Also i got 37 out of 40 tomato seeds germinating that i got from your store luke! :) i think that's a passing grade
You're hilarious😄 'spent too much time in the grow room today?' 😂 I could spend all day under those lights especially on such overcast days like today ☁ 😁 And yeah,it breaks my heart every single time thinning seedlings 😑 has to be done though
Hi Luke. I watch all your videos, get all my seeds from you and try to see your Face book live casts. Oh also I am on your Instagram. I just have one question which you have probably already answered. What happened to the old music you had in your intro? It was much nicer. This one sounds like an old wind up record player that is running out of winding, and the totality seems of. ☺
I sowed about 15 seeds in a pot and they all germinated. It hurt to thin them out but I know it’s for the best. I wasted a some seed too. I’m learning.
It hurts my heart to "kill" the seedlings. 😆 I only grow plants and in the past I have always pulled them out and transplanted them into their own cup. I know it isn't what I should do because they do end up growing very slowly, so this year I'm going to have to try and cut them away to get much healthier plants. ☹️🙂 Thanks for this video!
it was hard to watch you cut them... but I understand the reason for it. I usually do two or three seeds to a cell as well but I've never thinned mine out and I've had no problems so far. been gardening for three years now. and I live in east Texas or zone 8
My seedlings are a bit on the big side, but I'm gonna take the plunge. The urge to try and split them up is strong but i don't have more dirt. and there's still snow outside.
I use the exact same trimmers! Are those bootstrap farmer 72 cell trays? If so, what's the easiest way to get the plugs out? You can't squeeze the plugs out like you can in the cheaper trays. Thanks for the vids!
I started some heirloom tomato seeds about two weeks ago and had one sprout in 10 days and one in 12. The rest have not germinated. These are saved seeds I got from family, I’m not sure how long they are supposed to take. After one week of waiting for seedlings I started another batch using a different method (1st used toilet paper tubes, then solo cups). Nothing has sprouted yet from batch two. Any advice? I am starting the first batch on top of my refrigerator under a grow light and the second batch in the window.
quick question, my seeding mix gets green fuzzy growth... will it impede the seedlings? should I scrap it off the top of the soil... I have read that it means they are getting too much water... but I cannot find the balance to avoid over watering and keep the soil moist for germination. should I transplant the seedlings into fresh soil?
Would it be bad to leave the cut seedlings on top of the soil instead of removing them off the flat...like extra fertilizer? I've been doing that. Btw, my MIGardener seeds are all sprouting really well!! :)
I have never thinned seedlings. I feel so much guilt of wasting the seed. However, it has always been hobby plants and success wasn't required, and also very seldom. Which, yes, another layer of guilt of failure. Now that I am getting into homesteading, success will be required...and you've convinced me to thin those that need it. Which leads me to a question. Besides the herbs you've mentioned and lettuce/greens I've seen of your dense planting...what plants NEED to be thinned? Is there a stem type that requires it? (woody stemmed pepper plants) Or is it based off root systems or foliage? Any advice would be appreciated. Seed packs always indicate spacing requirements. BTW, born and raised in MI, currently in FL but moving to KY to homestead!
When I planted my Bok Choy the seeds clumped and now I have like 15 seedlings really close together. Can I thin them when I replant to a larger pot? Or should I try to work from the outside in while they are all clumped up in the seed starter?
Are you thinning seedlings? Have you ever tried to plant all the seedlings? If so, how'd that turn out for you?
I haven't thinned yet . But I think I'm going too now
Luke, I just got a pepper with it's first true set of leaves being, "club leafed". Have you ever experienced this in peppers and if so, do the plants continue to form more club leafs as it grows?
The pepper is, Corno De Torro Giallo BTW.
@@bluefiredancer happend to me to they will develop a little bit slower at the start , but after a few weeks it makes no diffrence
I stopped thinning seedlings several years ago when I started root-washing seedlings for early pot-up. As soon as the sprouts get their first set of true leaves i drop the cells into a bath of warm water, superthrive, and worm tea. I wash the soil away (but don't throw it out) and then transfer them to another "clean" bath with the same nutrients and let them sit for an hour. Then I pot them up into whatever their next phase container is. I strain the first bath and put the soil into a special compost we call "re-pot" where it will be renutrified then used to cut fresh seeding medium in the future. The water from both baths is then used to water-in the new pot-ups. I have tremendous success with this method and find my plants to be far healthier in the long run. It also allows me to dense-plant far more than just onions. I can put several seeds in one cell doing it this way, I just have to space the seeds out slightly. It also allows me to utilize more tray options than just cell trays and/or cups. I run a community garden out of one of my fields and everyone involved saves certain things to be reused in the project, including salad trays from costco, which make fantastic seed starting trays for dense seeding once some holes have been punched in the bottom. I can start 40 tomatoes in one salad tray this way..
Lol “this cell ain’t big enough for the two of us” love that!
Aww, thinning is so sad 😭! Thanks for the video, it gives me courage to thin.💪
I GET SO SAD WHEN I THIN MY SEEDLINGS. I WISH I DIDN'T HAVE TO BUT I HAVE SUCH LITTLE SPACE
Luke: you make my day! Last year our garden fell by the way side since I was taking care of my Mom who died of cancer in August and I just gave up on the garden after that. A few days ago I watched your video about why you started gardening and I am so glad I did. I am really sorry you had to go thru that traumatic experience. I too was bullied physically & emotionally and it takes a lot out of you, but we must move forward and your video reminded me that I have my garden to help me too. I am excited about starting my seeds and have been watching your older videos on seed starting to get me ready. Thanks again.
Hello, I have about twenty planted clusters of hot pepper plants that needed thinning. After watching your video I now have the courage to go kick some peppers out of town. Thank you
I did the one seed per cell, first time doing seedlings. My germination rate so far for what has sprouted has been very good. This will be my third year gardening so I call everything I do an experiment.
I just want to pause and thank you for your wealth of knowledge you make available to so many people that helps them make their gardens all the more successful. I am a new home owner and last spring was my first-year garden. Having lived I'm New York for 29 years, I simply couldn't garden outside. My new home has 2.8 acres and it was so much fun digging in the dirt! But... It was horrible. First timer problems. I didn't thin, I didn't have the right soils, I didn't give enough space for each plant. I've been addicted to your channel for a month now and I will be much better prepared for this spring. Thank you!
Nice dude...a little trick i do is "plant two seeds in each cell but in the diagonal corner like the number 2 on a dice" when i transplant they usually split smooth. I grow outdoors though so i can afford the size difference. Never tried the wash method people keep talking about..seems stressful to the plant.🌽🍅
Great points Luke. I a thinner. If you don't thin it steals nutrients, air flow, water, light. It can be a pain in the butt but you need to do it.
A few weeks ago I thinned out some beets outside and transplanted them and it worked fine.
I have also transplanted some pepper seedlings indoors. I very carefully removed the seedling and then stuck a pencil in a container to make a hole and threaded the seedling into the new hole in the container.
So many videos from you this week! Awesome!
Edit: Wait, daily videos now!? Yessss!
Awwww.... yeah, I thinned some crowded tomatoes today, but I was suckered.
I took 1 bunch out of their cell at a time, soaked it in water, gently pulled the tiny seedlings apart (only had their 1st set of leaves, not true leaves) and then replanted them.
I had leggy tomatoes that germinated waaay quicker then the other varieties in my 72ct tray, so I also was replanting to sink them down into the seedling tray, in hope they will do better 🤞.
We'll see.....
I struggle with fungus gnats, so after microwaving or baking my seed starter soil, I also use Mosquito Bits Tea to bottom water my seedlings & I sprinkle cinnamon on the tops of my poor seedlings. And wouldn't you know it, gnats were buzzing around me as I was transplanting!! 😡 They take my joy out of gardening.
Thank you Luke for another awesome video!
May God bless you!
First year starting seeds inside! So far things are going great but I planned on thinning seeds. I couldn’t agree more with your last comment. I feel like I cannot spend enough time in our “grow room”. It’s hard to not get too excited about the seedlings growing and starting other seeds earlier than I need to.
hey new to your channel, I started a patio garden this year. I'm glad you talked about thinning seedling, It was tough for me to do it. I felt like I was picking the best child...tears. I do love your channel and all the info, TFS
Luke I am a big fan of your channel, you have provided such a wealth of knowledge that has been greatly useful to me so I would like to say thank you so much! This will be my first year starting from seeds, and my family and I are very excited by the process. Will be starting thinning this weekend, which in truth feels pretty painful having seen all these seeds sprout up amd do so well but I know the ends will justify the means. Thank you again for all of your great information and God bless you and your family!
I personally have used fisker scissors for years and absolutely love them I also like that they dont break the bank at only $10 a peice.
Instead of thinning my seedlings, I germinate the seeds between moistened sheets of paper towels that are placed inside a Ziploc baggie. After the seeds germinate, I take the time to plant the seedlings into individual cells within each tray. I also pot up when needed. My garden is small -- only 38x100. As a result, it does not take a lot of time to accomplish the task. Kate in Olympia, WA
Thanks for the encouragement, I hate destroying my little seedlings, but thinning does provide much stronger and healthier plants!
I will try to remember how happy you were in this video next lot of seedlings I need to thin!
This is my first year sowing by seed... I planted 1 seed per spot cause I am still where you were in the past!! I will get there....
This is my first year actually attempting a garden, my husband built a “greenhouse” space of pvc pipes, I’m so excited and hope something grows long enough to produce just one fruit. I’ve been watching all your videos as well as other channels to get my head around all the great information provided.
Thanks for sharing!!! is my 1st time growing food. I didn't "thin" before transplanting. I did "thin" a few days afterwards after repotting though. I hope my Arugula, Spinach and lettuce continue to grow. I had to remove the PVC cover to my Green house that's in my kitchen, open the window and use a fan to give my plants air because I saw a few spots with white mold. I watched some videos about that. I also saturated them with too much water so now I'm letting them dry out. Hopefully things will turn out fine. I'm still learning. But again thanks for your knowledge! 🌱 👍🏼
Thank you for this tip! I'm new to gardening and your channel is just what I needed!
Mate, I have to say that you produce great quality, practical and informative vids - every time. Thank you. I recently bought a number of tomato seed packets from MIgardener and am very excited to see the results when I plant plant them around August to November, here in Sydney Australia. You continue to be one of the best sources of gardening information for me.
Thank you Luke! The MIgardener channel is a gift
Lol. Thank you for this segment. I have been very careful when sewing my starter seeds (from MIGardener) . But, I have never seen someone actually thin their plants. So, this was hugely beneficial for me. Thank you!
Hi - First time vegetable gardener from seed, my broccoli and kale will be thinned tomorrow- thanks for the info.
I really enjoyed this video! I did finally get my books! One is for me and one is for my best friend! i can't wait to give it to her!!
Got my seed order last night, This will be my 2nd year gardening and 1st time growing from seed. Thank you
I just got my first Bonsai growing kit. I was reading to thin the seedling and it’s funny how you said “it hurts your heart to thin them” or something to that effect. Because that’s exactly how I am feeling. I was kinda scared to do it. But seeing how it was done and the reason behind it makes me feel like I can do it. I’m a supper beginner. Like literally just started this today. But I’m super excited about my Bonsai journey and I can wait to reap the rewards!! Thank you for this video.
Luke, "yes" I am going to be thinning tomorrow. I will know what I'm doing because you're an awesome teacher. I have the perfect little sharp pruners as well that I got for Christmas. Thanks so much. God Bless. Bertha from Texas.
Thanks Luke for the thinning tips. I've always disrupted the others. Didn't think about clipping
Great information and awesome closeup of how to do thinning. You're such a good teacher, Luke!
Good video man I bought most of my seeds from you and we will be starting are plants soon keep up the good work God bless
Ouch...... I will be thinning for the first time this year....excited to see how much healthier my plants will be🌱🐝
Yes Luke, thinning out the extra seedlings is part of the process I love and hate to do. Love it for the great result and hate it for the waste :-) Nice informative video. Thanks.
Just in time for me to do my thinning! Thank you, I have learned so much from you and Jess at Roots & Refuge. This is my first year gardening, and i'm so excited to see everything in full bloom.
Good advice. Thanks from a new gardener.
I love all my Fiskar pruners, I have multiple different pairs. I do not have that pair so I now have a reason to buy them! Thanks, Luke!
I got some seedling that need thinned im going to go do that later today! thanks for the tips guy! appreiciate your info
I like to either use plug trays or multi seed pony cells with seeds spaced far apart. Then when they get big enough I will give them their own cell. That way I can get more sprouts from a 4 cell pony that are easier separate if they all sprout. I can say separating is tedious. Then again so is potting up. When I only have 20 seeds they are all going to be given a chance to grow.
LOL, not enough room for the two of us. Too much time in the grow room! 😃
Came to check out your channel as recommended by Garden Answer
Me, too, Laura gives such good advice.
Thanks for posting, Luke. I' about to start some flower seeds and wasn't sure how to thin them.
I just found you channel . Thanks to Roots and Refuge recommending it on their channel. I have looked at a couple of your video's. I really liked what I have seen so far. So I am a new subscriber. I look forward to enjoying more of your video's.
I just found their channel last week. I'm loving their videos too!
I plant three seeds per solo cup in a triangular pattern. I then transplant to seperate cups after germination and have had success with this method. However I do have issues like you mentioned with size variation and having the grow light at the correct height needed for each plant. Good information to consider going forward. Thanks 👍
I thin for most crops, and I have come to terms with the guilt because I eat them as I go - “your sacrifice has given me a microgreen snack and I will be forever grateful!” haha
This was very helpful. Thank you
Thanks for this! Answered my questions about thinning basil and onions.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Thanks for your information. Rhonda
I have to get myself some of those snippers! Thank you!
Yes I thin. Usually try to squeeze the little pots and really loosen up the soil to untwine the little roots. I dump carefully each little pot into my hand and plant each healthy 'ling in its own pot. Works fairly well I believe I save 50% or more of what would have died otherwise. Its hard for me to just kill them. Love your show
I just did this to my seedlings this morning. Sad day, but in the end I hope I selected the right one to thrive. #firstyeargarden oh and I used some nose hair trimmers that don't get used to thin and tweezers to pick up the little trimmed off seedlings haha
You got to do what needs to do!
I have done both with tomatoes, kale. I thought two tomatoes won't hurt, but you are so right. The tomatoes were sprouted indoors and moved outside, the plants with two seedlings per cell didn't do as well in tomato production. I guess I'm the kind of guy who has to make the mistakes, then see the results.
You have such great energy, bro
As bad as a may feel about thinning, I usually eat the ones I cut out as microgreens! So it’s a win win!
That's a great idea!
erdiaz13 thanks! No point in waisting it!
What a great video! I have thinned later than you did in this demonstration, so I'll make an effort to do so sooner in the future. I'd love to know what your thoughts are on the multi-sowing practice that Charles Dowding uses for things like onions, snow peas, radishes, chard, beetroot, etc. wherein he not only initially plants them in "clumps", but takes them all the way to harvest in clumps of 3-4 plants.
Awesome video.
Lots of very practical advice here. I love it...lol! You're a very funny guy! Thanks for sharing!
Just thinned all of my tomatoes. It’s like I’m excited, but I’m not. It’s almost like you have to go through that right of passage or get that badge before anything else can progress on. Hey, I’m used to it now and it does pay off. Play your favorite music, have your favorite beverage, hopefully there’s someone there to help and you have a great pair of snips. It will all pay off. 👍
From experimenting, correct me if i am wrong but this is what I've observed. I think planting more than one seed per cell may also just help whichever one will be stronger in the end get that good jumpstart. How i imagine it is like the root system of the weaker seedling will provide the stronger one something to grab hold of like a ladder almost. Just my thinking behind it. Because for awhile I was skimpy with seeding, i never seeded at all heavily. But i noticed when people do, once they had thinned them out what they had left was SO strong. That competition builds them up, i think.
glad i watched this video i usually pull the extra seedlings. went ahead and bought the pruning fiskar sheers you recommended cause in a few weeks ill be doing my spring pruning.
Great video.
LOL, love your sense of humor! Great video; very helpful.
So in watching this video I have a question, do you place water in the base of the tray? I was always told to fill the bottom of the tray with water so the seedlings always have water and the soil remains damp. I have 6 72 seedling trays going and noticed as you moved your trays around they sounded dry. Is this a bad practice?
I have really long white stems for my lettuce seedlings with just 2 leaves on each of them and they are pretty densely packed, they are not in a growroom but a pot that sits on the ground filled with compost. It gets regular intervals of sun through the windows, is it a temperature problem, or a density problem, or maybe something else? I'd love to hear your opinion. Thank you for your consistent quality content 😊
What do you think of simply direct sowing everything instead of starting indoors (if you have a mild spring in your area). I know some are better being directly sown, but what about direct sowing EVERYTHING? haha
best thing about alliums is the ease of starting. I have somewhere around 800 to 1K plants in each 1020 tray! worked great last year, but I'll regret it a few trays into transplanting :D
I think what you produce and put out for us is really awesome.... I will be doing some potted vegetables to get my feet wet, although if I had help I’d want to jump right into the raised beds.... perhaps by the fall I can put some in... though having just said that it dawned on me if I put one or two raised beds in now it would be less to mow... hmmm...🤣.... Did want to ask you about how to discourage rabbits, squirrels and the like from getting into our bed and pots, any ideas?
Not a question on this video, but regarding your high density planting, ( i do the same) but do you use vertical growing too? For instance, I've made a growing wall (very supported for the weight) for my zucchini. I train it upwards and literally grow my zucchini about 5' up and sideways. I also make teepees out of branches, growing cucumbers up it, while lower growing plants grow underneath, (can use this to advantage for a little shading too...) there's many things that can vine up instead of along the ground, and it works well. I actually have cars slow down to look in amazement at my zucchini wall...
Love your videos btw...
Super helpful! Thinning always breaks my heart too. Can you write a list of what plants you recommend thinning? Or is it all veggies? Except onions?
I am lucky to have donated land so when i thin this year most of my extra's can go there then when harvested the veg gos to the local food bank. It's at my church so from time to time some donate money or resources that they have and don't need. So hopefuly wast will help those that need it.
Hi Luke, I remember you telling somebody in live session when they asked about thinning, you said you do not thin it at all. You told you will not touch the plants once planted. I remember you telling the plants do the thinning themselves. Thanks for the videos though!
when it comes to high intensity lettuce this is true, this is for seeds that you are not direct sewing in the ground.
Loved the end of the video! 💃🏿❤️✝🇺🇸💃🏿
How do I choose which one gets the clip? My tomatoes both look amazing, and I am torn between which one to snip out!
I will follow through
I planted a little too thick with my radishes. I wasn't hopeful for productivity since the seeds were a couple years old. Not only did they germinate in record time but they all seem to be coming along. yikes. thinning party straight ahead
Yes I am guilty of letting to many seedlings grow in the containers and then I seperate them into seperate cups. I cant kill them I am not to that place yet. They are so beautiful . ☺
Thank you! I am starting some things pretty early because I live in a higher altitude microclimate on a mountain in zone 4b new hampshire and it's been a weird winter so the ground could take time to thaw. How many seedlings should I leave per cell in the 3" pots? I hope I didnt make a mistake by starting things in that size like basil and kale. I had already bought a bunch when i did artichokes because they need a bigger pot so I figured it wouldn't hurt.
Recommended by Laura of Garden Answer. Thanks for the info.
I like to use the 200 cell flats and just plant a seed per cell.. then once they get too big for the cells transplant them to the 4 / 6 cell containers for them to mature in until they go outside. This way i dont have to kill any seedlings and i just pick the strongest ones to move on and i can give the others to friends or family.
Also i got 37 out of 40 tomato seeds germinating that i got from your store luke! :) i think that's a passing grade
I've used my fiskars micro tip pruners for 5 years now it has never failed me
You're hilarious😄 'spent too much time in the grow room today?' 😂 I could spend all day under those lights especially on such overcast days like today ☁ 😁
And yeah,it breaks my heart every single time thinning seedlings 😑 has to be done though
Good Video,Good Info.
Hi Luke. I watch all your videos, get all my seeds from you and try to see your Face book live casts. Oh also I am on your Instagram. I just have one question which you have probably already answered. What happened to the old music you had in your intro? It was much nicer. This one sounds like an old wind up record player that is running out of winding, and the totality seems of. ☺
I sowed about 15 seeds in a pot and they all germinated. It hurt to thin them out but I know it’s for the best. I wasted a some seed too. I’m learning.
It hurts my heart to "kill" the seedlings. 😆 I only grow plants and in the past I have always pulled them out and transplanted them into their own cup. I know it isn't what I should do because they do end up growing very slowly, so this year I'm going to have to try and cut them away to get much healthier plants. ☹️🙂 Thanks for this video!
New subscriber here!! Thanks for all the great information!!
it was hard to watch you cut them... but I understand the reason for it. I usually do two or three seeds to a cell as well but I've never thinned mine out and I've had no problems so far. been gardening for three years now. and I live in east Texas or zone 8
My seedlings are a bit on the big side, but I'm gonna take the plunge. The urge to try and split them up is strong but i don't have more dirt. and there's still snow outside.
Do you allow peppers to double up? I thought they could be paired together. I understand thinning most others and I will be doing that. Thanks
Great video. Do you have to thin lettuce?
What was the green on the soil with the tomatoes? Mold would only grow if the plants were dead correct? If sown in soilless medium
I use the exact same trimmers! Are those bootstrap farmer 72 cell trays? If so, what's the easiest way to get the plugs out? You can't squeeze the plugs out like you can in the cheaper trays. Thanks for the vids!
I started some heirloom tomato seeds about two weeks ago and had one sprout in 10 days and one in 12. The rest have not germinated. These are saved seeds I got from family, I’m not sure how long they are supposed to take. After one week of waiting for seedlings I started another batch using a different method (1st used toilet paper tubes, then solo cups). Nothing has sprouted yet from batch two. Any advice? I am starting the first batch on top of my refrigerator under a grow light and the second batch in the window.
quick question, my seeding mix gets green fuzzy growth... will it impede the seedlings? should I scrap it off the top of the soil... I have read that it means they are getting too much water... but I cannot find the balance to avoid over watering and keep the soil moist for germination. should I transplant the seedlings into fresh soil?
Would it be bad to leave the cut seedlings on top of the soil instead of removing them off the flat...like extra fertilizer? I've been doing that. Btw, my MIGardener seeds are all sprouting really well!! :)
I have never thinned seedlings. I feel so much guilt of wasting the seed. However, it has always been hobby plants and success wasn't required, and also very seldom. Which, yes, another layer of guilt of failure.
Now that I am getting into homesteading, success will be required...and you've convinced me to thin those that need it. Which leads me to a question. Besides the herbs you've mentioned and lettuce/greens I've seen of your dense planting...what plants NEED to be thinned? Is there a stem type that requires it? (woody stemmed pepper plants) Or is it based off root systems or foliage? Any advice would be appreciated. Seed packs always indicate spacing requirements.
BTW, born and raised in MI, currently in FL but moving to KY to homestead!
When I planted my Bok Choy the seeds clumped and now I have like 15 seedlings really close together. Can I thin them when I replant to a larger pot? Or should I try to work from the outside in while they are all clumped up in the seed starter?
I currently have twenty-five tender green green bean bush plants. Do I need to trim thes bushes.
Do you always thin tomatoes that early in their growth? What's the latest you recommend?
na man i just separate them as soon as they form their true leaf, i had 100s of plants, never waste such a blessing.