Transplanting the Basil.

OVERVIEW

So far, I have transferred basil and cucumbers to peat pots.

I have been giving the plants about 14-18 hours of light from a combination of window light, a florescent bulb, and a screw-in grow light.

I water the peat pots on a daily basis.

The basil sprouts have grown true leaves (smaller leaves), so I decided to transplant some of them to peat pots.  I documented parts of my transplant process.

The soil that I am transplanting to is a mix of Fertilome Seed & Cutting soil and Dr. Earth organic fertilizer.  I am using the Tomato, Veggie, and Herb formula, but they also make a special blend for starts (not available at Western Gardens).   I started this venture with an attempt to do organic gardening, but I don't think the Fertilome is certified organic.  However, I am not trying to get organic certification for my vegetables, just veggies that are not doused in pesticides and non-nattie fertilizer.

I am transplanting all of my seeds from the germinators to peat pots.  I like the peat pots because they will minimize stress on the plants when future transplanting is necessary.  Exposure of the root material to the atmosphere is very stressful for the plants.

I am using a very small amount of fertilizer (~1/4 cup) per 6 peat pots.  The soil (I was told to never call it dirt) was extremely fluffy.  I added enough soil to slightly overfill the peat pots, then I poked a little hole in the center of the soil in each peat pot.  I added a little water to each hole.  I carefully removed each basil seedling, trying to grab a little "soil packet" with each seedling to minimize stress to the seedling.  Some of the roots were bound to the wicking cotton twine.

I placed the basil peat pots into my tray, alternating basil and cucumber plants, in an attempt to distribute light fairly.  As of right now, I have many more plants than I will have room for, so if anyone wants some starts, hit me up.

The little dome germinator does much better than the larger, red germinator.  I think it works better because it has better connection to the heating blanket, so the soil stays warm.  I have tried the Hillbilly Tomatoes in the past.  They are delicious.

My aloe plant is slowly coming back to life.