Whether you planted too closely, had spotty germination or water washed seeds together, you can easily transplant direct-sown seedlings from one part of the bed to another.
The problem: seedlings are in tight clumps
As you can see above, these zinnias that were direct-sown into the garden bed are growing too closely together. As the seedlings continue to get bigger, the tight clumps will be too crowded and won’t cover the area evenly and may even cause the plants to suffer. Good news is, this problem can be remedied by thinning and transplanting for better garden bed coverage.
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How to fix it: thin and replant seedlings
There are just a few simple steps to fix seedling clumps in the garden. Moisten the soil, then use a soil knife to carefully dig up all the roots of some of the seedling clumps in order to thin and replant them. Gently seperate the seedling clumps that you dug up, and replant them into areas that don't have any seedlings. Once they’re spread out and evenly spaced, they’ll grow better to cover your garden bed.
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The results: a fuller garden bed
Here you can see how the garden bed of zinnia's filled in later in the season to form a carpet of color. If the clumps of seedlings would have been left as is, this even coverage of plants wouldn't have been achieved. So next time you find yourself with unevenly sown seeds, just follow these simple steps to thin and replant for lush and beautful garden beds.
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