I believe the process is called "pricking out". I've never been game enough to try it...(I'm not too good with seeds either..that's why I go for the scatter 'em in the garden and see what happens method). From what I've seen and read, I think you use a fine "skewer-like" tool to gently transplant each tiny seedling to a more spacious abode. You'd have to be pretty gentle I should think.....and very patient....I'm not.

Yep, carefully. Depends how many plants you want. If you don't want all the seedlings you can select the strongest and snip off the rest. I tend to repot into the undivided seedling trays or other containers like margarine ones till they grow a bit. Or I may put them into tubes. Depends what they are. If they are wet they divide more easily. But it's a fiddly time consuming job.

Yes it is a fiddly job but if the mix they are in is thoroughly wet they come apart easily. When planting them on, separate the plantlets spacing them well apart or put them into those pockets some seedlings come in. I have found that when they are re-planted if they are watered in with half strength Seasol and Nitrosol they grow on very well. There is another way to grow seeds by pre-sprouting them individually, if you want I will post on this method.
John

If you're not fussed about keeping them all, couldn't you thin them out in the tray - just keep the stronger ones (and toss out the ones you remove)? I'm not a seed grower so am just guessing. Seems like you'll be there forever no matter what you decide to do.

Thanks everyone. Since these are my first lot of seeds EVER that have actually grown, I couldn't bear to kill any of them!!!!!!!!!! Although I may feel differently once I actually begin, of course:) Thanks for all the advice.
John, that pre-sprouting method sounds very interesting, how does it work?

Hi Princess_lily.
The pre-sprouting method will be posted under that heading later.
John

I've found the easiest way (depending how many plants you want) is to try to lift them soil and plant together, without disturbing the roots, then make a hole the right size, and put it in - less transplant shock that way!

Congratulations, I've never had much luck with seeds in trays. I would try placing the tray in miracle grow water until they're saturated, they should pop out easily and the miracle grow should help them through the sock of being transplanted. I wouldn't try this until the seedlings are several inches or more.

I don't sow seeds in trays but I have lots of seedlings that come up in the garden. I use a kitchen knife (I buy them from dollar shops and leave them in handy places around the garden - also good for removing weeds) to cut a chunk around the seedling to remove. The soil needs to be moist so that as much as possible adheres to the roots.

When seeds are growing in close quarters, it can be a difficult to separate them. If the seedlings are very small, you could try pricking them out with a bamboo skewer or something similar.

You could also try removing small clumps of them and replanting as a small clump and then perhaps separate again when they get a bit bigger.

However, life is short. Why not just plant them into the garden in small clumps. They probably won't all survive but one or two from each clump should give you a good show.

Now this is probably a stupid question, I thought the amount of seedlings would be minimised if I just sowed one or two seeds per cell in the punnets. So how come I am still getting oodles conming up from just one or two seeds? Please explain.
Jan

John can you please post pre sprouting method
Jan

i too have had phoblems// so i use a 3.5kg mallet and madly hammer the container until all the plants are arranged in random planting order on the path then i pick out the survivors and plant..
works for me every time.
good hammering