How do I know when it's time to give my plant babies a new home? What kind of soil should I use to sow my seeds or repot my sprouts with? What type of plant food should I use? These are the topics we will be going over, plus we'll touch on a few other things! After reading this article, you should be all set to go into the future with the essential knowledge of your caring for your sprouts!
A lot of the answers to the above questions depend on what kind of plants you have! Whether you have one of our Vegetable Kits, Herbs Kit, Cactus and Succulent Kit, Bonsai Kits, or Edible Flower Kit will determine how to proceed.
If you don't have one of our kits yet and are interested, you can check them all out here!
When do I need to replant my sprouts?
This is really going to depend on the variety. Some seed types grow super fast and will be ready to rehome within a few weeks, while others grow so so slow, it can take up to a year! Just because the seeds came in a kit/set together doesn't mean they will be ready at the same time. There is no set number of days to circle on your calendar. You really just have to watch what the plant is physically telling you!
In general, Herbs, Veggies, and Flowers will be ready to take out of their starter pots when they are about 6" tall and have developed a few sets of leaves. Don't lose patience and replant them when they only have their first couple sets of leaves. The roots have not developed at this point enough yet, and replanting too soon will likely lead to your sprouts dying!
If you have Bonsai or Cactus/Succulent sprouts, you'll want to take a seat and relax for a while! Again, different seed types will grow much faster than others. For example, the Flame Tree and Brazilian Rosewood tree will grow WAY quicker than any of the Spruces! Let the sprouts grow a few inches tall before thinking about giving them a new home!
Some signs that your sprout is ready for a new home are:
- Rootbound! If you are starting to see lots of roots poking out the bottom of the pots or creeping to the surface, you should start thinking about repotting them!
- Soil drying out fast/water not soaking into the soil. If you are starting to have trouble with your soil drying out quickly and when you water, the water drains right out of the pot and doesn't soak into the soil, this is another sign your plant needs a new home.
- Looking pale/lacking color. When plants start to get rootbound, they tend to start looking sick. They will begin to look spotty, pale, and yellowish, lacking in their green luster. This is also a sign they are lacking nutrients!
What kind of soil do I use?
If you have one of our Starter Kits, you'll have received soil discs in your kit and are good to go until they need to be repotted! If you have one of our Seed Starter Sets, you'll need to purchase soil! It's crucial that you buy seed starting specific soil! If you use another type of soil, germination may be significantly less, or you may not get any germination at all!
The soil you get for herbs, veggies, and flowers will depend on whether they are going into the ground, a pot, or a raised bed! Garden soil is suitable for sprouts going directly into the ground. Potting soil should be used for plants that are going into larger pots. And if you are planting in large containers/raised beds, it's best to use Raised Bed soil. Extra's can be added to your soil, such as earthworm castings or broken-down compost, but be careful not to add too much to avoid making your soil too heavy! Since you will be putting these plants into your body, it's good to make sure the soil you get is organic to avoid chemicals!
When you go to replant your Bonsai sprouts, you'll want to get a Bonsai Specific mix. These should include Akadama, pumice, or Lava rock and should have very little organic matter! Cactus and Succulents will need a very-well draining blend explicitly made for them! Please don't use potting, garden, raised bed soil for Bonsai/Cactus/Succulents. They won't do well!
When Do I Start Using Plant Food And What Kind?
After your sprouts have started to develop their second set of leaves, they will be hungry! It's actually not a bad idea to begin watering with plant food before they even sprout. That way, they have an extra boost when they do! Whether you want to do this or wait until they germinate, you will want to get a plant food that is low nitrogen (this can burn. young sprouts) and is high in micronutrients and microbes. This helps put focus on robust and healthy root growth, which is essential to a successful replant!
Once your Veggies, Herbs, and Flowers have matured and have rebound from transplanting, you can get an all-purpose organic plant fertilizer. For Bonsai Trees, you'll want to get a good fertilizer specific to them. For mature Cactus/Succulents, you can continue to use the low macronutrient/high micronutrient blend. There are also specific fertilizers made just for them as they don't require as many nutrients as other plants!
We hope this helps you move forward to the next step of growing your sprouts! If you have any questions, please reach out to us! You can do so on our website, by email wecare@shopgardenrepublic.com or post the questions to our private Grower Community on Facebook! Want to check out our starter kits and seed sets? Click here!
Happy Sprouting!