Seeing a seed sprout and turn into a little seedling is so exciting. But once it’s time to transplant that seedling into a larger space, your excitement might turn into dread if you’ve experienced some casualties in the past. Those tender seedlings might not be able to handle the stress of moving out just yet, so you need to be careful with them as much as possible. The key to removing them safely from the six pack of containers is to push them out rather than pull them out.
Pushing the seedlings out of the containers will allow you to keep the root balls intact and save your plants from a lot of stress. Seedlings already have enough elements causing them potential transplant shock, like hotter temperatures and intense sunlight, being extra careful to not damage their roots can give them a higher chance of survival.
Push, don’t drag, your little seedling out of its container
Just as a bird pushes its baby out of the nest or your parents give you a gentle verbal nudge out of their house, do the same with your seedlings! They’re young, they’re tender, and they’re probably used to a controlled environment where light, water, and nutrients are all perfect. So, when it’s time to dump those baby roots out of the safe plastic container and into the real world, you need to be careful.
Gently hold the seedling in one hand while you hold one cell of the six pack in the other. Squeeze the cell lightly to loosen the roots. Push on the bottom of the cell to remove the soil. If the soil doesn’t budge, continue squeezing. If it starts to come out of the container, continue pushing until it’s all the way out. Pulling on the plant could cause the stem to break off from the root, or you could uproot the plant.
