Pricking out lobelia?

Hi everyone, thought I'd give lobelia a go this year, haven't done to bad. I'm at the point where I know they need to be pricked out but I've been putting it off. I'm reading you put 3 seedlings in a pot, I'm tempted to put the whole cell in a pot or would that mean weak plants? I'd be interested to know how you do yours.

Thanks

 

The old advice was to prick them out in small clumps rather than trying to separate them in to individual plants. They are very delicate.

 

Agree with @Palustris , it's easiest to gently pull the clumps in half if needed, and pot them on as they are. Lobelias are anyways delicate, clump forming plants so overcrowding the individual plantlets doesn't much change the appearance of the final display.

It's also known as the Lazy Man's approach and works well with any clumpy, soft plants like Oregano.

You have a nice collection there @mazambo , how are you planning to grow them? Baskets?

 

I cast mine over the surface of an open seed tray. When they have formed a solid mat of green - I take them out of the tray in one slab and cut it into the sizes that I want using a pair of scissors.

You already have them sown into plugs - so I'd leave them to form a nice large plug and then plant out each plug in its final position.

The individual seedlings are so small - pricking out would be a pain IMHO - and in the end you want them clumped together - as you already have in your plugs - to make a nice solid display of colour.

 

Yes baskets, I bought some last year and I was quite impressed with them.

 

It was originally my plan to get a nice plug plant out of them but I seem to have overtapped the seedsso from the advice I've been given I think I'm going to split 3 of the biggest cells from each colour and pot up in a larger 6 cell tray and leave the other 7 to carry on growing, so I should end up with something decent thank you everyone.

 

In my younger days I used to prick out lobelia singly ,you do actually get a fair sized bushy plant that way.

But don't think I could do it now.

 

Wow, it's bad enough doing a small bunch, mine look a bit sorry for themselves at the minute I'm sure they'll pick up in a day or two

 

I'm sure they will pick up.

 

Coming on fine, noticed roots appearing out the bottom of the tray but makes you wonder is it worth the effort when you can get a tray of 8 for £2?