You’ve grown something! Hooray!
Well, a couple somethings. In the same pot. Uh-oh.
This is normal. Typically when we plant from seed, we’re going to put a couple seeds in each hole or pot. Not every seed is viable, so this helps ensure we will get a plant from that pot.
But now we have two or three. And they will compete for resources if we leave them all in there.
It’s time for a tough decision…which one stays and which ones go.
When to thin
Once the seedlings have gotten their first set of “true” leaves, that’s when it’s time. This is really the second set of leaves, but it’s the first set that is actually of the plant itself. The first set usually looks like generic leaves that could be any type of plant.
How to thin
I’ve noticed that people want to pull out the unwanted seedling. DON’T. The roots of these plants are often intertwined, so we would just pull out all the seedlings instead of the ones we want to discard. Instead, just snip off the majority of the sacrificial seedling close to the ground.
You’ll also want to make sure you have clean and disinfected snipper tools to do this. You don’t want to spread disease from plant to plant when you are thinning. Be sure to disinfect your snipper between plants and plant types.
Yes, I always feel slightly bad about thinning, but I know it’s for the greater good. In this case, only the stronger plants survive, so we want to give them the resources to do that. Do you feel bad when you thin your plants?