Question About Potting Up From Dense Planting Method

[pdxwindjammer]

I have been doing the dense planting method for the past few years, thanks to nctomatoman's videos and info. I don't get much sun in my backyard so once I pot them up, I have to move all the trays back and forth across the deck every day to follow the sun and also to move them under the eaves when it rains.

In order to lessen the time that I do this but still allow the tomato seedlings some more growing room, I am wondering if I can just take the entire cell of seedlings and pot them up into a 4 inch pot? Or will the roots grow too much for me to be able to safely separate them later?

I am considering about 10 plants to a 4 inch pot for the next month and then transfer them all into their own pot in a few weeks.

Thoughts?

[John3]

In this nctomatoman video at 5:10 he doesn't say to do what you are asking but he does plant 10 in one pot.

[livinonfaith]

I would go ahead and pot them to individual pots, certainly by the time they have a few pairs of true leaves. The roots systems start getting larger by then, and they will just get more and more difficult to separate.

It's true that if you put them all in the same pot now, you could probably pull them apart later and have enough root so that many would survive. (since tomatoes are so crazy tough!)

But you would most likely lose some growing time while they heal and put out new roots. (And you never know if it might stunt the plant a little in the long run.)

[recruiterg]

I think 10 plants to a 4 inch pot would work fine. Try it and see if it works. I do this in Solo cups and separation is no problem.

[Rideau Rambler]

That's exactly what I am doing in solo cups right now with tomatoes and peppers and eggplant. They are growing like crazy so it must be fine. The plants will tell you when it's time to pot them up separately or in two's, one day you will look at them and think "not one day more together in that pot or their growth will be stunted". I also have limited space, so I potted up 10 peppers from their starter cell into a solo cup about three weeks ago, then today I further divided. Good luck!!!

[pdxwindjammer]

Thanks everyone! I started with my tomatoes yesterday and will get some more done today before heading out on an Easter day hike in our gorgeous weather! Happy Easter evveryone!

[nctomatoman]

Let's say that I have a plug of 50 Sungolds that need to get out of their small plug cell, but I am not ready to transplant - I just put them in, as a plug, to a 3.5 inch pot - they will live that way happily for a few weeks.

Or - I have a plug of 50 sungolds but put only 18 of them into 3.5 inch pots (a flat) - the other 32 I gather into groups of 4 or 5 and put them all into a single 3.5 inch pot, planted deeply. they will live like that happily for some weeks as well.

Tough love, and not treating them fussily.....I am about 2/3 done with my transplanting - by using the strips of 18 3.5 inch pots, I am approaching 200 seedlings transplanted per hour!