Will I kill my white birches seedlings if I transfer them now?

[dani]

I have 9 white birch seedlings in a small space and I feel like they need a bigger pot to grow without their root system get all entangled. It's spring here, between 14-18C temperature. I don't intent any root pruning as they are only couple months old. My intention is just to space them out in a bigger rectangular pot so they have room to grow.

My idea in the future (maybe in a year or 2) is to start a clump style white birch tree as I haven't done that before.

 

[TomB]

If you plan to style them as a clump, why separate them?
Regardless of that, you should be OK to replant them now. Young seedlings like this are pretty vigorous.

 

[dani]

If you plan to style them as a clump, why separate them?

Because they don't have a lot of space. I will make a clump style or fuse them at the base, but I dont think there's enough sunlight that's reaches the leaves and back row and they will grow bigger. That's the goal, to allow them to grow more and quicker and get them more sunlight for each individual tree

Thank you for the opinion

 

[0soyoung]

I think you can do it now, because I dig up and pot seedlings like this all season long. I just drop them into a bucket of water immediately after I've 'eased' them out of the ground. Maybe keep then in shade for a few days afterward and sprinkle them with water in the heat of the day if they are getting droopy.


btw. Plants grow faster with increasing temperature upto about 95F/35C. With an effectively fixed amount of moisture in the air, the relative humidity drops as the daytime temperatures increase - the air is driest in the afternoon when the temperature is highest.

 

[leatherback]

Just repot them. Plant them in fairly large pots as these are weeds. Expect 1m tall plants by midsummer.

As for clump... Let one grow for a year, and cut back to 5cm tall. It will clump naturally. The speed birch fattens up, fusing is unneeded.

 

[sorce]

Wait till the full moon!

Sorce

 

[Shibui]

Agree that young seedlings seem to be bullet proof. I prick out small plants and cuttings with leaves on all year round just as @Osoyoung mentioned. You can even root prune when pricking out seedlings like this.

More space will allow better growth but you will be surprised to see how much growth these will make even when planted close together provided you supply enough fertilizer and water.
There should be no back row in a pot. You must turn the pot every week or 2 so all sides get even sun. Even a single plant in a pot that is not turned will grow faster on one side and the back can die. I have sometimes left seedlings in community pot for a few years. They can grow just fine together so it is up to you whether to repot or leave them together and provide better care.

 

[Lutonian]

Wait till the full moon!

Sorce

hohmann transfer ?

 

[sorce]

hohmann transfer ?

Send em to fake orbit?

I checked on the J.Crack seedlings I pulled out the yard and potted a couple days ago and they'll live.

You'll be alright.

Sorce

 

[dani]

Glad to inform that I repotted them a week ago and they seem to be doing just fine! Thank you all for the input.

PS: @sorce I did not wait for full moon, it still worked