Every time I see little green sprouts start to pop up in my seed trays, I get excited. Which is why I am always sad when the day comes that I have to thin my seedlings. I know I have to do it, but each time, it is hard–like I am being forced to choose a favorite child. Do you feel this way?
If I don’t thin them though, they will compete for water, nutrients, etc. So, I have to suck it up and face the cold hard facts of gardening. Ha. If it is time to thin some of your seedlings {check yourseed packet for when to thin}, there are two basic ways to do it:
You can pull out the excess seedlings, much like you are pulling a weed, {if you choose this method, be very careful not to disturb the root system of the plant you are trying to keep}. Occasionally, with plants like peppers and tomatoes, you can replant the pulled seedlings in a new location, but in all honestly, with varying results.
The easiest way to thin seedlings is to use scissors. Just trim the excess seedlings off at the base of the plant, as close to the soil as you can get. The roots will die back and leave your remaining seedling undisturbed. If you are growing your seedlings in trays, make sure to remove the trimmings and toss them {if your seedlings are already in the garden bed, you can just leave the trimmings in the bed}.
So how do YOU thin your seedlings? Do you pull, or cut?
~Mavis
Brandy says
I transplant my thinnings to another place in the garden.
Sophia says
As I’m new to gardening, I didn’t know you could cut to thin…I’m going to try that method from now on, as I’m always worried about the root of the one left planted…and I’m SO glad I’m not the ONLY one who feels terrible when it’s time “to choose!” They worked so hard to sprout…I feel terrible killing them! I guess that’s why I’m sticking with gardening and would never be able to do live-stock farming! lol!
Carol says
I only plant one seed in each little container. I cannot bear to kill the little seedlings by thinning.
Wendy says
I just started cutting to thin my seedlings for the first time today. I’ve always pulled them in the past. I definitely prefer cutting, but either way, I always hate doing it.
Kristin says
I always feel so bad when I have to thin! It feels like a waste of good seeds – especially with something like radishes, where all the seeds always seem to sprout. I’ve been eating my radish sprouts on sandwiches this year – I don’t really notice the flavor, but at least they’re being used! I never thought about cutting them. I just pull them carefully.
Dale Ann says
Having been taught gardening by two very conservative grandmothers, I try to never plant more than 2-3 seeds per pot or planting hole, which provides more seeds that are left to grow or save for the next gardening season.
If both seeds come up in the same pot, I transplant one into a new pot. If it is seed I planted in the ground and I have to thin to one plant per spot, I always try to chose the larger or stronger stemmed one (if there is a difference) and gently pluck out the one to be thinned.
Veronica says
You can eat the ones you thin out. Use like sprouts or toss in your salad.
Diane says
I often use tweezers to pull, to help gently remove the “unwanted” seedling from the other(s). But, like some of our fellow gardeners here, I try not to overplant when I’m first sowing seeds, so I won’t have too many discards. I HATE having to choose the winners and losers!
Michele says
I cut them…it’s easier. The sprouts that get thinned wind up with the same fate as those veggies that are alllowed to mature…they wind up on my dinner plate 🙂
Michele Mercer says
I couldnt bear to cut or kill the little seedlings…now I have 60 large tomatoes, 62 Roma tomatoes, and 144 cherry tomato plants!! ARGHHHH!!!!!!
Jennifer says
Thinning is murder! Murder I say! I just transplant all of them and dont start with too many seeds. If I end up with too many plants I stick em in a container and give em away 🙂
Val says
What a great idea to cut them and use for salads or whatever. Now maybe I won’t feel so sad when they get thinned, I always feel bad that someone has to go!:)
Christine says
I pull them and don’t look back. If I can’t replant them they go in the compost bin and rejoin the circle of life. 🙂
Cat Venable says
Remember, seedlings are just large sprouts! Many of them can be washed and tossed in a salad!
David thelivingroomfarmguy Rodriguez says
I HATE thinning! It’s heartbreaking to me, too… I found a “circle of life, native american” kind of solace in it by A)always clipping, not pulling, because extra root matter that isn’t doing anything isn’t harming anything, but conversely, if I pull the roots out, even if they AREN’T matted into anyone else’s roots, they still disrupt the particles of earth surrounding it’s roots, and ergo, sends (theoretically?) disruptions through the soil that might temporarily stun the plants growth. Then B) I always toss the clippings into my GREEN COMPOST TEA brewer, which probably makes little difference vs. adding it into the bulk of my compost bin, but I emotionally feel better about it when I convince myself that by their sacrifice, they’ve created a wonderful, nitrogen-and-phytonutrient rich “magic sauce” that regular compost doesn’t offer so well, so I can convince myself that everything in my garden is much better off for their selfless sacrifice!
Dauvy Ngy says
The seedlings are considered micro greens and you can eat them in salads. Nothing goes to waste 🙂
Lowell Lane says
This is my first year to plant seedlings. I have done both, but I prefer to just use the scissors and cut the extras off.
Happy Gardening.
apollo says
I used the scissors to cut off the leaves. I do feel sooo guilty doing this. I’ll never plant too many again, I promise!!!
Warning on eating the seedlings: Be careful to wash the soil off of them. Some of the compost that I recently used to grow microgreens might have had microbes that cause food poisoning. I don’t know–maybe there was not-quite-composted manure in the compost. I cut some microgreens recently and wasn’t too careful about washing them. After a microgreen salad, I vomited multiple times, had a couple of episodes of diarrhea. Then it was over. maybe it was Karma from eating seedlings….
Hayley says
I have a question about thinning. I’ve pulled out the weakling before and soon after the other died. Why is this? Also can a seed still come up if nothing has come out after few weeks? I keep adding manure hoping it will give that extra nutrients to grow but half my seeds haven’t grown yet and it’s June 14.ty