Place the seedlings on a flat surface that is shaded from direct sun. This is easiest if you can hold the container sideways or upside-down. Push up on the bottom of the seedling container, and be ready to catch the root ball with your other hand. Sprinkle enough moistened potting soil into the containers to fill them about one-half full. I make markers from plastic food containers taken out of the recycling bin, cut into narrow 3-inch strips. On the other hand, plastic markers can move to the garden with the plant, which makes it easy to tell one variety from another. Part of the beauty of paper cups is that you can write on them using a permanent marker. When using paper cups or recycled containers like yogurt cups, poke at least 3 drainage holes in the bottom of each one. Many sources recommend disinfecting containers at this point, but I think washing them with warm, soapy water is sufficient. Wash out plastic pots that have previously been used. If the soil is cold from sitting outside, bring it indoors and give it time to come to room temperature. Place as much compost as you need in a pail, and lightly moisten it with warm water. Water them several hours before you begin, and protect them from any type of stress. Pricking out is a form of surgery, so the seedlings should be in top condition. Using the following step-by-step procedure, I seldom lose a seedling. Getting organised ahead of time is important, too, because once your hands are covered with soil, you don’t want to stop to make labels or find more containers. Most vegetable and herb seedlings are easy to prick out as long as you do it while they are young and have fewer than 5 leaves. Transplanting the young seedlings to individual containers can double or triple your supply of plants. Gardeners who buy seedlings also do a fair amount of pricking out, because it’s not unusual to find several lettuce, basil or even tomato seedlings growing in the same pot. The others come up crowded, and need to be 'pricked out' – gardening lingo for separating the little seedlings and transplanting them to individual containers. They should, with one sturdy plant near the middle of each seedling container, so that the root ball forms a plug plant type mass. About half of the seedlings I start indoors grow exactly as
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