26 March 2007 - Thinning out
Once the seeds have germinated, the seedlings have developed their first set of true leaves and are large enough to handle, they are ready to be thinned out.
Of the seedlings in each cell, the weakest are removed to leave the strongest one.
As the roots are not very well developed at this stage, the weakest seedlings are easy to remove completely, including the roots. This is done by holding the leaves and gently pulling them out by hand.
If you find the seedlings difficult to remove in this way, you could cut the stems with a knife at or just below soil level.