Neighbors and Weak Sisters

[digitS']

These eggplant seedlings are from seeds of different age. You can see how the little girls can get in trouble at some point from shading.

They will go in 4-packs and, obviously, I will have to start with those earlier on the scene. The 2 varieties of little girls will have to be held back for a week, or so. Imagine if it was 2 groups of big girls and the little ones just emerging were in the middle ..!

In their 4-packs, they won't be pushed together. A 9" plant can shade a 3" plant ... plants are so competitive, ya know! Gardeners have to be good playground monitors.

Sometimes (okay often), I've accidentally crowded a couple of seeds. The sisters start off but one crowds the other. They are gonna be neighbors in the 4-packs and flats. For years, I have placed the weak sisters around in the outside cells of the flat. It helps.

Steve

 

[digitS']

Today, I'll say something controversial (since my interpretations of things are always right, having been gained by falling out of a high tree and getting stuck in the mud).

I'm not sure of the advantage of transplanting Solanaceae seedlings deep into the potting mix. @Ridgerunner once reported on peppers failing to produce roots near the surface when deep-planted in the open garden. I doubt pepper seedlings are any different and even question if tomato seedlings gain (or lose) anything in a 4-pack or solo cup and on their way to the garden in a few weeks.

So. I set the tall, 2.5" seedlings in deep and the small, 1.5" seedlings at about where they emerged in the community container. The most important thing is to limit competition for light!

I came on this notion and technique after thinking about the report from Ridge' and having @Jared77 make me feel guilty when I said that weak sisters are always weak and I toss many into the compost bucket. Jared says he always pulls for the little guys ... Sentiment wins, and weak sisters often just need an equal chance at getting to the starting line.

Steve

 

[ninnymary]

Steve, or anyone, can you plant zucchini deep? I started some for my daughter and they are getting leggy. She needs to take them home and plant them!

Mary

 

[digitS']

I don't know, Mary.

If they were vining summer squash like crooked neck, I'd say just transplant them at the same depth and pin the vine to the ground at the first set of leaves. It will grow roots.

However, zucchini doesn't grow like a vine.

You know, they should only be about 3 or 4 weeks indoors before transplanting. I must be in a minority of gardeners who transplant them out. They can suffer from it. I like to have their soil drippy wet for an hour or so and handle squash, cucumbers, and melons with my kid gloves ... actually, my surgical gloves.

Steve

 

[ninnymary]

Steve, I always grow them indoors and then transplant them with no problem. I'm not even that gentle with them!

Mary

 

[catjac1975]

Steve, or anyone, can you plant zucchini deep? I started some for my daughter and they are getting leggy. She needs to take them home and plant them!

Mary

Make sure they are well hardened off. I have planted leggy squash deep as long as the stem is toughened.

 

[digitS']

I want to say something about the value of ~ shade ~ .

I've been doing a fair amount of moving seedlings (wait for true leaves to reduce risk) outta their community boxes and into 4-packs.

They go into the basin for a drink then straight into shade.

It's real sunny in the greenhouse house the last few days. Not one beam of sunlight is touching the eggplants I moved yesterday. Nope, they joined a few tomato plants under the bench. They will stay a couple of days.

The eggplant and tomatoes are joining the rosemary cuttings. Those things have been down there a week. They had zero roots. Maybe if I put them in water they would not need to be treated this way - don't know. It works well with a soilless starter mix and rooting compound. They have resources in those stems. They need them for growing roots and without roots, bright sunlight with its temperature charges would just be a taxing experience for their survival.

I need to watch for slugs down there in the shade. I can even lift the dang slugs back onto the bench when it comes time for the plants to return to the sunlight. I gotta check under the flats! I have one chewed off tomato this season - the only one I've lost. One squished slug from under that flat, also.

Rosemary has been about 90% survival in previous seasons. By the way, every story online about taking rosemary cuttings a few years ago, told me to take cuttings in the fall. Well, maybe if I was keeping them indoors through the winter or running the heat in the greenhouse! Spring cuttings have worked fine.

Steve