when to repot seedlings

[James H]

I have a tray of nep seedlings that i have some small plants with very small pitchers and now i am getting more seedlings starting to germinate right next to the older plants. I am wondering how big do the seedlings need to be before you can separate them out to allow them to grow with competition.

 

[DavyJones]

There's no real hard and fast answer for this one, but, if you remove them while they are too small you might end up losing a few. If they are growing next to larger plants though, it might be wise in case they get shaded out. Since their first leaves after cotyledons already have proto-pitchers, I'm not quite sure at what stage your plants are growing. Use your good judgement, and if they look like they are interfering, move 'em. If they are doing fine, leave 'em be.

 

[BigBella]

I would wait until they are a few centimeters across before transplanting them (the second or third true leaves after the cotyledons is a fairly good indication); otherwise, you're likely to lose a few; and I generally use a peat-sand compost that allows for them to be effortlessly scooped from the pots, as opposed to the risk of pulling them from live sphagnum . . .

 

[Maiden]

When your seedlings have at least a lil pitcher or 2, they have a tiny root and can be repotted.
You can do it slowly with a wet toothpic.

BigBella: nice dog!

 

[UnstuckinTime]

...now i am getting more seedlings starting to germinate right next to the older plants...

If they are only JUST starting to germinate, you could try to use tweezers to move them away from the already sprouted plants. Do it before they've even made contact with the substrate, I'd say, to ensure minimal stress.

 

[Thagirion]

I sprout mine in milled sphagnum. I cut a square around the baby plants when they had their first pitcher and moved them to a pot because I sprout them in shallow plastic covered trays. I literally cut a square shape with a scissors and then lifted the whole thing with a butter knife so no roots were disturbed.

 

[Rokosauros]

I wait till the third or fourth leaves where you can see a distinct tiny pitcher form at the tip of the leaf before repotting it. Mind the roots though, some species can have quite a big root system for such a small size.