Thinning - How?

[OldGuy43]

I know this ought to be obvious, but how do you thin plants? Cull them selectively, just dig them up to create the desired spacing or what?

 

[lesa]

Pulling up tiny plants, that are next to tiny plants- can be a real problem! The easiest way I have found is to just nip off the plants that have been selected for thinning with a pair of scissors...This way you don't disturb the roots of the plant you are keeping.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What are you thinning? In the garden I usually pull individual plants, one at a time as long as I don't disturb the soil around the ones I leave. I usually water right after to help resettle the soil. But if pulling them disturbs the soil around the ones I leave behind, I cut them off.

Don't forget that a lot of thinnings can be good in salads or such. And chickens usually like the tender plants.

There are things like oregano. I take a shovel and cut off the outside sections to help keep it contained. I've also cut a section out of the middle and filled that with new soil when it really gets thick.

Then you have iris or chives. I usually dig them and just reset the ones I want to keep.

I guess you'd say it varies.

 

[OldGuy43]

What are you thinning?

Kale

 

[Ridgerunner]

Kale generally comes under if I can do it without disturbing the ones I leave behind, pull it. Otherwise, cut it.

 

[catjac1975]

Yank them out to the correct distance.

 

[ducks4you]

Move oregano and ANY other plants that you enjoy, but are somewhat invasive into your vegetable raised beds. If you have a border that will contain them, too. EXCEPT mint--it will take over. Use them as a sweet smelling groundcover in between your crops. I'd rather thin out or cut oregano any day of the week, instead of digging to root out weeds.

 

[hoodat]

I know this ought to be obvious, but how do you thin plants? Cull them selectively, just dig them up to create the desired spacing or what?

It just seems to go against a gardeners nature to uproot healthy plants but it has to be done.
Combine spacing with trying to keep the fastest growing. I do it in stages. First I thin out to a proper spacing leaving small groups of plants instead of single plants. If you thin to single plants something can happen to one or two leaving spacing that wastes ground. Every few days I look them over and snip the stems on the slowest and smallest. I keep doing that till I get down to "the biggest and best". I've found the best tool for that is the small scissors they sell for snipping embroidery thread. They're cheap in any big box store and come in handy for many other uses.

 

[tropicalplanttom]

I have always tended up uproot and replant, but this year I am just going to nip out the ones which I want to thin, as it seems the old way is not the best for the root structure of either the moved plant, or the one which is disturbed by the removing.

 

[RickF]

I did this several weeks ago with some butterhead lettuce seedlings.. They were growing in my hydroponics mix (vermiculite) and I had tons in something the size of a kitty litter box -- something along the lines of 30-40 of them.. (long story). Anyway, I dug them up by hand to move some into egg-shell cups with a bit of soil in it to allow me to give them to friends. Unfortunately this took a toll on the remaining plants which are floundering a bit since.. The seedlings that are still living in the egg-shells are actually about twice the size.. Go figure. Anyway, I'm being patient... Next time I'll probably use the snip method to leave the soil alone..