Q & A

Welcome to the Planet Natural Garden Forum! Whether you’re new to gardening or have been at it for some time, here you can search existing messages for answers to your questions or post a new message for others to reply to. If this is your first visit, please read over our forum instructions carefully before posting. Enjoy!

  • This topic has 1 reply, 2 voices, and was last updated 14 years ago by Sal.
  • Can I separate two seedlings grown together?

    Created by Anonymous on

    I have two heirloom tomato seedlings in one pot. Their root systems are intertwined. I want to separate them, without killing them. How can I do that?

    Is it advisable to submerge their root systems in water before separating them?

    Thank you.

  • Author
    Posts
  • #13983

    Sal
    Member

    When sowing tomato seeds you will usually get several sprouts in one pot. Once they reach a certain size with a couple of sets of leaves, just pop the ball of soil out of the pot and crumble it until you can separate the plants and pot them on into individual pots.
    When separating tomato plants from a ball of soil, gently crumble away the soil (sometimes a chopstick or other dull implement can be useful in this exercise). Then, handling the plants by the top leaves and stem, gently try to pull them apart from each other. Try not to touch the roots. I don't think submerging them in water would be necessary and make sure you don't over water when you first replant them. Good luck!

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.