What is your technique for potting on seedlings raised from very fine seed?

[Finedon.Dandy]

As if I havent got enough to do I am determined to raise a bit of colour into the garden this year but cannot afford plants or even plugs so have purchased some seed. I sowed a couple of varieties last weekend and less than 5 days later they are (thanks to my heated propagator) through already! However, and I did wonder this as I sprinkled the dust like seed, how on earth should such tiny seedlings be potted on? I am sure I once watched someone on Gardeners World pot on some lobelia seedlings in little clumps and wonder if this is they way to do it for all tiny seeds. The ones I have on the go at the moment is; Petunia, Pansy (these do seem bigger), Echinacea, Impatians and Lobelia -bedding as well as trailing. Has anyone got any ideas or experience please?

Thanks

Tammy

XXXX

[rustylady]

I'd go for little clumps. What did you sow them in, pots or celltrays?

[weekendwellies]

I tend to sow flowers very thinly over the top of 2-3" pots or cells and plant out as they are in clumps, then divide and conquer at a later date.

[Alison]

Small pinch in newspaper pots, let them grow on until they can be thinned down to a single seedling (often using tweezers if they're very tiny) and then pot on each pot into 3" pots and onwards as they grow. This way don't actually have to handle the seedling itself at all so can't snap it.

[Finedon.Dandy]

I used the seed trays that came with my propagator. Seems like the clump method is the preffered one eh.

[SarzWix]

I use a dinner fork, and lift a clump of seedlings and soil together and then pot the whole lot on like that. Eventually they get big enough to split

[veggiechicken]

Mix the seed with sand, then you can sow them more thinly and see where the seeds are in the compost. A tiny pinch in a module and let them grow on into a clump.

[binley100]

I use a dinner fork, and lift a clump of seedlings and soil together and then pot the whole lot on like that. Eventually they get big enough to split

Thats how my mum used to do it ...........

[Thelma Sanders]

I sow a pinch in a small pot or plastic cup and just leave them and plant the lot out as they are.
Simples!

[Two_Sheds]

I don't like seed trays and I don't like thinning.

I sow those tinies into tiny cell trays (you can get ones with 1cm holes but they do need careful watering).
When they fill those, they get repotted into slightly larger modules, pulling out the weaker seedlings as I go, letting the strong ones stay to grow on.

[taff]

into a tray into a good inch and a half of soil/stuff/etc, leave them till they're big enough to handle with a pencil/paintbrush.
I'll do clump next time though

[zazen999]

Cells for me too; they can be left in there until quite large and separated when it's time to plant out.

It's only the seeds that are small, the seedlings get quite big quite quickly so are easily maneuvered.

[Gearoid]

The flowers I grow the most often with tiny seeds are Nicotiana, Petunias and Foxglove. I sow them as thinly as I can, then after they germinate, I thin, thin, thin over a few weeks and let them grow on in their modules. Once they're big enough, I pot them on.