The next step after planting your seeds into Jiffys is to transplant them into pots. We can’t do this until the seeds have sprouted and roots have grown through the Jiffy.
In this video demonstration we have seeds that have sprouted and are showing their true leaves, which indicates that the seeds have started to root, but have yet to grow roots through the Jiffy. We decided to transplant anyways because the seedlings have begun to stretch due to the light being placed too far from the plants; forcing them to reach for the light.
Lights should be kept about 6” from the top of the plant to reduce the risk of stretching. Older lights can also cause stretching because they tend to emit less intensive light. If your light bulbs are over a year old, you should consider replacing them.
Before we start the transplanting process, we want to make sure that the Jiffy plug has been soaked in a B vitamin solution; this will reduce the risk of the medium surrounding the roots from drying out and causing extreme stress or even death.
Once the Jiffy plug has been soaked we can then proceed transplanting into pots. Because two of the plants have stretched and two had slow growth, we want to take this opportunity to have them grow evenly. We can do this by placing the plants that have stretched lower in the pot, while keeping the shorter plants closer to the top.
We will start with the stretched plants by putting a bit of soil at the bottom of the pot, make sure it is enough to cover the drainage holes. We then place the Jiffy at the bottom and fill the rest of the pot with soil. Placing the stretched plant closer to the bottom of the pot will reduce the height of the plant above the soil, making it look smaller in height.
Make sure to adjust how your plant sits in the pot at this point. Try not to compress the soil too much while doing this. Once you are satisfied with how your plant looks use the same B vitamin solution to water the new medium you have transplanted your plant into.
Make sure to water the soil surrounding the Jiffy and don’t water too close to the stalk of the plant. This will reduce the risk of rotting the stalk and killing your plant. This will also help reduce the risk of the Jiffy plug drying out before you can water it again. Continue the same process for any stretched plants that you may have.
The same process can be used for shorter plants. The only difference is that you would place the plant closer to the top of the pot, filling the rest of the pot with soil. Adjust the plant and water in the same manner. All plants should be the same height, give or take a couple of centimeters, once you have finished transplanting.
Keep a close eye on the plants for the next 24 hours to make sure the medium does not dry out entirely. You should have to water again within a 48 hour period. Continue using a B vitamin solution for the second watering.
From your friendly neighborhood PNW Guru
