移苗定植4步曲／4 tips for transplanting seedlings

羽衣甘藍幼苗

近日天氣變得清爽，最適進行秋播了！由種子開始種出一棵植物，往往令人很有滿足感，而且能節省金錢！當小種子長成幻苗，就是移苗的時候了。就以種植羽衣甘藍為例，以下4個步驟需特別注意：

1,  選擇合適盤子

盤子應以乾淨、2至3吋深，底部有排水口為標準。可以是格子盤、罐頭、甚至雞蛋殼！當種子長出真葉時，就是移苗定植的時候，不過，請確保家居有足夠空間受到陽光照射，以助新搬家的幻苗適應環境呢

2, 使用優質泥土

請不要直接把幼苗移種到花園泥土，以免有野草種子或病菌入侵！移苗時，應一拼把本身的培苗土種植到新位置，然後用水噴濕泥土表面保持根部濕潤。

3, 栽種至合適深度

有說落種時，以種子3倍厚度的泥栽種便足夠。不過，對生菜、金魚草、羅勒等好光性種子而言，最好輕輕灑在泥土表面，鋪上薄薄一層泥，再噴灑水份，讓種子保持濕潤。

4, 澆水量適中

使用室溫水灌溉植物，灌溉時避免沾濕葉面，宜直接在根部淋水，以防病菌滋生危害幼苗健康。

Growing plant all the way from seed is one of the most rewarding endeavours. It can save your money too! Take kale as an example, to transplant your seedlings into larger containers or farm bed, make sure you won’t miss out the following tips,

1. Choose a proper container.

Seed-starting containers should be clean, measure at least 2-3 inches deep and have drainage holes. They can be cell packs, plastic flats, can or even eggshells.  

Once the seedlings have their first set of true leaves, you’ll need to transplant them into slightly larger pots. Remember flats and pots take up space, so make sure you have enough sunny space for all the seedlings.

2. Begin with quality soil.
Sow seeds in sterile or potting soil available in plant shops. Don’t use garden soil, it contains weeds seeds, and possibly, disease organisms.

3. Plant at the proper depth.

The general rule of thumb is to cover seeds with soil equal to three times their thickness. For some seeds, such as lettuces and snapdragons, require light to germinate and should rest on the soil surface but still be in good contact with moist soil. After planting seeds, use a spray bottle to wet the soil again.

4. Water wisely.
Make sure always use room-temperature water. It’s important to keep soil consistently moist, but avoid overwatering, which promotes diseases that can kill seedlings.

Try not to splash water on leaves and overwatering. Make sure to dip base of your containers in water and allow the soil to absorb moisture from the bottom until moist.