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Lettuce pricking out and potting on help!

#1 · 14th May 2023, 5:07 pm

Hello, new to growing more than tomatoes.. have grown a big number of lettuce seedlings in one pot. Separated a few out. Most have died but I do have some still going but I’m absolutely lost what to do next and when? Please help 🙁

#2 · 15th May 2023, 7:03 am

Hi @elle90

Great news that you're on your journey to start growing your own vegetables!

Lettuce is super easy to grow and germinates quickly.

It sounds like you may have struggled at the pricking-out stage. Most newer gardeners do. This is the stage where you want to separate seedlings into separate pots so they can reach their potential. A number of new gardeners crush or damage the seedlings in trying to extract them.

One top tip when sowing seeds is not to sow the entire packet too. I only ever sow 1/3 of most packets, so it's easier to thin out and manage crops, especially with lettuce, where there are hundreds of seeds in one packet.

The main tips when pricking out seedlings are:

Prick out seedlings when they have at least 4 leaves
Use a pencil or dibber to loosen the seedlings from their existing pot
Always hold by the leaf never the stem
Drop into a new individual pot (such as a P9 or 1 lt pot) after using a pencil or dibber to make a hole
Lower the seedling in roots first
Water immediately
Try and prick them all out in one hit, don't lift and then leave seedlings out without being potted

Hope that helps on your gardening journey!

Lee

#3 · 15th May 2023, 9:42 am

Hey!

Thank you so much! I’ve been reading so much and yet none of it sounds like what I’m doing! Very confusing. My lettuce are very tall and thin. I hopefully have saved these last few. I have a pot that’s full of them but they’re all tangled up and I fear separating them would kill them. Hopefully with more knowledge next year will be better for us newbies! 🙂

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