To carefully lift newly germinated seedlings from a communal seed pan and transplant them into individual cells or spaced rows. Usually referred to as pricking out, this gives the young plants room to develop proper root systems without competing for light and nutrients.
Heard on the job
I need a couple of hands in the greenhouse to prick out the brassicas before they get too leggy.
Insider tip
Always handle seedlings by their cotyledons (seed leaves) when pricking out, never by the delicate stem, which crushes easily.
Also heard as
- prick out