I accidentally planted too many tiny lobelia seeds in my tray, and now I'm unsure of what to do. They're pretty small and haven't developed their true leaves yet, so I'm hesitant to transplant them into bigger pots. Should I just let them fight it out in the tray? Any tips on managing this overcrowding?
3 Answers
When they grow true leaves, gently separate them with something like a toothpick. Don't feel pressured to keep every single plant; you can always sell or give away the extras if you're short on space or resources.
Another option is to carefully thin them out by separating them, but be gentle as it might stress them out. If you're worried, you could just let them grow a bit longer to strengthen their roots and then pick the survivors to keep. Alternatively, starting over with proper seed spacing using chopsticks or your fingers might save you some hassle.
You can try what's called 'mowing' the seedlings by snipping down to about 2-3 plants per cell to reduce overcrowding. Just make sure to do it soon, before they get bigger – once those leaves start blocking your view, it gets a lot tougher!
Haha, I feel you! We should start a movement called 'The Culling' for overcrowded trays!