Re potting seedlings

[Maggiethecat]

Squash and courgette seeds have done well one week on from sowing - I’ve even had to remove the lid off the propagator tray because of their height.

is this the right time to repot them into small pots without causing damage?

too early.
wait until the next set of leaves appear.

good luck!

Ok, one of them is flopping over so wondering what to do about that.

if there's space, you could add a little extra soil to help support it. Also turn the tray if you aren't already (although it doesn't look like it's leaning towards the light).

Check the RHS site. It recommends ASAP for squash.

I repotted the tallest ones but must say that the root system seemed very fragile and am not sure they will survive the operation 😮

think I will leave the rest in the seedling tray until better established even if a bit leggy.

if they fail reckon I have enough time to start again and sow in bigger pots.

What you have there is the seed leaves, the leaves that have developed from the seed to keep the plant going while it grows some roots. You need to wait for the first real leaves.

Check the RHS site. It recommends ASAP for squash. I couldn’t find that recommendation on the RHS site. I did find a picture of courgette seedlings being transplanted, all of them clearly with true leaves.

if they fail reckon I have enough time to start again and sow in bigger pots.

I was going to say, next time sow them in bigger pots, then you can leave them in there for longer.

Have you grown courgettes before? You only really need one plant IME.

@MereDintofPandiculation - I couldn’t see that either so repotted just a few. Will wait for true leaves for the others.

@TonTonMacoute - got carried away 😂

You've just reminded me to sow my courgettes! Thank you. I hate them, but I have a very good friend who loves them, so I grow a couple of plants for him.

I agree that waiting until the true leaves come through it a good idea, as is larger pots next time.

Just potted on my courgettes. And realised I’m doing it with true leaves barely showing between the cotyledons. Sorry, whoever it was n another thread who said don’t leave it too long because of tangled roots!

Reporting back - the squash and courgette seeds repotted after 1 week (the 3 left of the photo) are looking a lot better than the ones done after 2 weeks (yesterday).
Early days so will see how they get on.

Other things could contribute! Did you choose the bigger plants to repot after one week? Did the bigger plants have more light?

Next year you could do a proper randomised trial and report back

That sounds far too scientific!!