Thinning new plants tip

[Pat]

Gardening Tip of the Day from Burpee

• It's sad to pull out baby seedlings but a garden needs "tough love" when it comes to thinning. Radishes are a classic example. Every seed seems to come up in just a few days. If you don't thin them to an inch apart within the first week after germination, stunted plants may result. The same holds for lettuce, green beans, beets, sweet corn and just about every vegetable planted from seed. Most of the extras can be pulled up, but with large seedlings like beans try cutting them off to avoid damaging nearby roots.

Sometimes we forget to thin out the new plants, thought this tip would help.

 

[firelily99]

It is hard to do but I drop them down in the soil so they are actually a part of the growing process - they give the gift of life to the remaining plants. Very necessary task if you want your plants to grow to their full potential.

 

[headfullofbees]

Snip extra plants at ground level with scissors rather than pulling them out.
This way there is no root disturbance for those remaining.

 

[claudine]

For me, this is the hardest part of gardening. I feel so very sorry for all tiny plants that have to be pulled out. I hate it. Sometimes, I just can't force myself to do it, and I let them grow. As you can guess, my garden looks pretty messy I'm ashamed to confess it, but there are little weeds growing in my flower pots next to miniature roses. I can't help it, I love all plants!

 

[JGPangi]

Weeding is perhaps my main pet peeve when it comes to gardening, but it's an essential part of it. Thinning out plants, well... it breaks my heart but it's part of the process as well. We usually thin them out when they're around two to three inches in height. Just give them a little snip with the scissors and let them brown where they fall, a little fertilizer help.