[puffjoe]

Step 5

Once the plants are several inches tall and have developed their first true leaf set (the first round leaves are seed shell leaves and are there to allow the plant to get enough energy to begin to form proper leaves) it is probably time to pot them up. When mixing this soil I again go with 50% perlite but in addition to my regular soil I add 10% worm casings and a small handful of guano mix.

If you are using paper cups this pot can be simply cut off and thrown away and the entire root ball and soil planted into your prepared larger tomato pots, if you are using plastic starter pots, squeeze them gentle to loosed the soil inside before tipping them into your hand and potting them on.

I plant up early and before the seedlings roots fill the entire grow space they are given, this is to avoid stress and allow natural root development. Seedlings develop a root system with a strong and deep tap root (cuttings usually have a shallower root system), this tap root needs room to grow.