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Re: basic question re seedlings
Susan Flewelling wrote:
My seedlings are still in their peat pots - I transferred them back in
early April from the starting mix to potting soil - had been taking them in
every night (before dark <g>) but gradually hardened them off. One reader
suggested I had depleted the soil of nitrogen by overwatering - that could be
the case so I'm going to rectify that.
Susan,
- The most common problem with peat pots is not overwatering, but
underwatering. The peat pot dries out, becoming a very effective wick that
draws moisture from the plant. Often the roots of the plant cannot penetrate
the peat pot -even after planting - due to this wicking action. Also, if the
peat pots are filled with potting soil, there is very little chance that
nitrates - or any other nutrients - have been depleted in the time span you
indicate.
Are the peat pots dry on their exterior surfaces or on the rim? When you plant
seedlings out, have you taken care to bury the rim of the peat pot? Many
gardeners peel away as much of the peat pot as possible, or cut slits in them,
to make sure roots can spread into the soil.
Before they declined, did the tops of the plants get large in relation to the
size of the pots? If so, my guess is that the peat pots have limited root
growth and drawn moisture from an already stunted root system. This is very
common when novices try peat pots, or when experienced gardeners let their
seedlings go too long before getting them out of the seedling pots. Most
seedlings should be out of peat pots or six packs as soon as they have one or
two sets of real leaves. Do try to peel away as much of the peat pot as
possible - they really don't always disintegrate as easily as they should.
Hope this helps.
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