Thinning seedlings

Step by step

1. 

   Step 1

   Why thin at all

   Plants that are too close together fight for light and water, and none of them do well. Thinning gives each keeper the space it needs.Crowded stands compete for light, moisture, and nutrients, producing weak, leggy plants and poor roots or heads; thinning is not optional for root crops and leafy greens.

2. 

   Step 2

   When to thin

   Thin once the seedlings have their first real leaves (the second set, after the little starter leaves). That is early enough that they are not tangled yet.Thin at the first true-leaf stage, once seedlings are established enough to tell the strong from the weak but before roots knit together.

3. 

   Step 3

   How to thin without harm

   Use scissors to snip the extra seedlings off right at the soil, instead of pulling them. Pulling can tear the roots of the plant you want to keep. Keep the strongest ones.Snip the culls off at the soil line with scissors rather than pulling; pulling disturbs the roots of the neighbor you are keeping. Keep the sturdiest, best-spaced seedlings.

4. 

   Step 4

   Thin to the right spacing

   Space the plants you keep to the distance the crop guide lists, so each one has enough room.Thin to the crop's final in-row spacing so each plant has its full allotment; the crop guides list the thin-to distance.