Started Seedling in 10cm diameter pot.. is it too big?

G

Gorguruga

Member
After paper towel germination, I put seedlings in 10cm diameter, 15 cm deep pot, near the very top so they'd have plenty room to grow but I'm wondering now if I should have put them in a much smaller pot to begin with? They now each have 5cm stems and they're growing ok, although one of them has a bendy stem, but i guess i'm wondering if the size of the pot could somehow effect the way they grow in the early veg stage? Should I transfer them to smaller pots or are they ok in that pot?

I saw a lot of posts now where people start off with small paper cups so I'm wondering now if there's a reason for starting off in a small container?
 
G

Gorguruga

Member
Am I worrying for no reason guys? I tried to grow a few last year but they failed so this time I'm asking the (maybe dumb) questions to get it right. Last year I just followed an online guide and my plants died at seedling stage which is the stage they're at now. Every second counts fellas. any advice appreciated by my novice behind.
 
Alienwidow

Alienwidow

Well-Known Member
Gorguruga said:
Am I worrying for no reason guys? I tried to grow a few last year but they failed so this time I'm asking the (maybe dumb) questions to get it right. Last year I just followed an online guide and my plants died at seedling stage which is the stage they're at now. Every second counts fellas. any advice appreciated by my novice behind.
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The only reason that sized pot would be too big, is if youre watering the hell out of it. If you read somewhere that youre supposed to water until you get runoff, then youre probably going to over water a tiny plant. I water my sprouts with a big syringe. When theyre the size of a pinkey finger they wont need much water at all. If you soak the root zone in a big pot, it wont dry out for a week and the roots will get water logged and lock out nutrients and slow growth. You can successfully grow a seed in any size container you want, even 100 gallon smart pots, if you water it correctly.
 
G

Gorguruga

Member
I never grown my own before and it's something I always wanted to do at least once in my
Alienwidow said:
The only reason that sized pot would be too big, is if youre watering the hell out of it. If you read somewhere that youre supposed to water until you get runoff, then youre probably going to over water a tiny plant. I water my sprouts with a big syringe. When theyre the size of a pinkey finger they wont need much water at all. If you soak the root zone in a big pot, it wont dry out for a week and the roots will get water logged and lock out nutrients and slow growth. You can successfully grow a seed in any size container you want, even 100 gallon smart pots, if you water it correctly.
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Thanks Alienwidow, appreciate the feedback. The way I'm watering at the moment is around 2 or 3 tablespoons a day at the base of the seedlings. The last two days I have put all 3 plants outside in a shaded area for pretty much the whole day and then brought them inside at night. Those days were sunny and warm but today it's much colder, rainy and windy so I'm guessing it would be a bad idea to put them out? I put them out originally because one of the seedling's stem was bending in funny ways as if it wasn't getting enough light so it now has a sort of crooked, wonky stem (not a smooth curve like the other 2).
 
Lucky Luke

Lucky Luke

Well-Known Member
Gorguruga said:
I never grown my own before and it's something I always wanted to do at least once in my


Thanks Alienwidow, appreciate the feedback. The way I'm watering at the moment is around 2 or 3 tablespoons a day at the base of the seedlings. The last two days I have put all 3 plants outside in a shaded area for pretty much the whole day and then brought them inside at night. Those days were sunny and warm but today it's much colder, rainy and windy so I'm guessing it would be a bad idea to put them out? I put them out originally because one of the seedling's stem was bending in funny ways as if it wasn't getting enough light so it now has a sort of crooked, wonky stem (not a smooth curve like the other 2).
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I like to get them outside fairly early. They need to experience wind and rain to toughen up. new growers tend to "over think" things and thats the downfall. They over water, over feed,over love. Keep it simple..Plant needs= room to grow, little water, good quality soil (if in pots), and lots of sun.
 
Alienwidow

Alienwidow

Well-Known Member
Gorguruga said:
I never grown my own before and it's something I always wanted to do at least once in my


Thanks Alienwidow, appreciate the feedback. The way I'm watering at the moment is around 2 or 3 tablespoons a day at the base of the seedlings. The last two days I have put all 3 plants outside in a shaded area for pretty much the whole day and then brought them inside at night. Those days were sunny and warm but today it's much colder, rainy and windy so I'm guessing it would be a bad idea to put them out? I put them out originally because one of the seedling's stem was bending in funny ways as if it wasn't getting enough light so it now has a sort of crooked, wonky stem (not a smooth curve like the other 2).
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Do you plan on growing them outside? If you are then the more outside time they get, the better. Just make sure youre babying them. Not too much rain or hard winds on them. And make sure theyre getting over 14 hrs a day of sun, even if you have to run lights inside, or outside in a greenhouse.
 
J

Just fooling

Well-Known Member
Yup what the guys above said. People start them in small cups since space is usually in a limit. I like 3 liter pots any garden center will be happy to give you hundreds of used ones if you are a customer. They have piles at every nursery waiting recycle.

You can keep them in till proper sized to go outdoors with a 3 liter. 3-4 wks. Anything smaller and you'll be up potting quickly. Its best to only re pot once if possible. It puts some stress on small plants to repot them.
 
J

Just fooling

Well-Known Member
Also small pots don't allow the tap root from a seed to go deep enough. Leaving it to a poor start. Cuttings don't form a main tap and are better for small pots.

Once your plant has grown a few inches that tap root can be a foot deep in a healthy environment. This does make a difference in growth.
 
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