Somebody please tell me I did the right thing?!?!

If you can provide them with a bit of protection in the GH this weekend ( fleece or bubble wrap?) I think they will fare better away from the house for here on. Especially as your daytime temperatures are warming up your GH nicely - a lot of which will remain as residual heat now,
Jenny
just be careful they don't get scorched of course...

 

For your own peace of mind then - sounds a good idea to me as a fellow gardener who likes to keep plants happy ,
( just be discreet - not sure whether the bloomin' missus would empathise....)
Jenny

 

FC I use 5°c as my min temp in the GH . I have a paraffin heater if it is going to go below that . This weekend night temps are a bit chilly, so an oil filled rad on the lowest setting will be fine for a couple of nights.
But if the winds get any stronger round here , I may not have a GH !!!!

 

I've got a different view on some of the points you raised HarryS

Pencil works for me I think it important not to compress the compost with the dibber, hence I like a pointed pencil. If I use a finger I wiggle it, to create a hole, rather than push it in (which could compress / compact the compost under where the seedling will be)

All Dicots should be find with the seedlings buried up to their seed leaves - even Cucumbers which are notorious for hating having their stems wet. Buried deeper than that is bad for most things (Tomatoes being an exception).

I agree watering from the bottom is better, as it reduces the chance of algae / moss growing on the surface, but it is also easy to over wet the compost and remove the air if the pots are left in the water for too long. Its is also time consuming watering from the bottom, if you have a lot of seedlings (unless someone has a smarter way? I have to move the plants from bench to a gravel-tray which they can sit in for 5-10 minutes, and then move them back again and do the next batch. Capillary matting probably provides too much moisture for seedlings; a flood-and-drain system would be ideal - but I haven't got one of them!)

If you use a Haws watering can the drops it creates are very fine, and won't knock the seedlings over. Sadly they aren't cheap :(

http://www.haws.co.uk/useful_information/how_to_get_a_good_spray.html

I put my pricked out seedlings under the bench (in the shade) for a couple of days so they can recover without roasting in the sun.

 

FC, I'd seriously consider delaying the transportation of stuff from the house to the GH today. The wind's velocity is enough to blow you over - let alone a tray of delicate seedlings,
Jenny

 

Hi FC, today I sowed some more French Marigolds seeing as I only have 5 surviving from the last small batch I sowed. I'm taking a tip from the photo you posted of yours and leaving them to grow as big as yours. I think I transplanted the last lot too soon when they only had one set of leaves. Keep your fingers crossed that this batch will do better!

 

You can buy a seedling rose to fit most watering cans, I've had one for years. The only draw back is it takes the water longer to come through and it makes your arms ache holding the can.

 

Well never knew of seedling roses , thanks sheal I'll stick to bottom watering though, works for me.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fine-As-R...denEquipment_HandTools_SM&hash=item1c26f28c1f

 

Haws has a raft of them - all good IME. There are ones (like the "Fine as Rain #4" in the eBay auction) which have very few holes; they don't knock seedlings over, but take ages to water anything. Particularly good for just-emerged seedlings before pricking out, but I bottom-water them because I have relatively few seed trays.

However, after pricking out the seedlings are still quite fragile, but will take quite a bit more, and I use a Haws "Fine as Rain #6" - that delivers a lot more water, so gets the watering job done more quickly, but its still gentle enough not to trample the seedlings., and I have far too many modules/pots at the just-pricked-out stage to be able to bottom water.

Haws also do a "Fine as Rain #12" rose that has a quick-fit hose connector