I have the best luck when I plant out at the first set of true leaves as early as possible on a nice rainy day. The sprouts may sit there a while until the spring temps warm up, but they are more likely to survive than if I wait.

Conversely, I plant out my summer sowns as late as possible to take advantage of the cooler temps and rain.

Monkey, if you are planting out before first true leaves, it's too soon. Those leaves are also an indication of how much root development has taken place and if you are transplanting at cotyledon stage, you don't have enough roots to withstand transplant shock, support the seedling.

There are many things I don't even move at first true leaves, I wait until they are stronger and larger (depending on what they are), sometimes until 2 or 3 sets of true leaves.

I have to wait waaaaaaaaaaaaay longer than 1 set of leaves also. My soil is still pretty rough and it hard to the teeny tiny plants to live in it. If I plant out at 1 true leaf stage Its the same as flushing it down the toilet.

I just planted out the campanula that sprouted way early in the spring, but, Emily really really really wanted these so I waited until it was way big to plant out.

Morz8,
For us beginners, could you mention a few of the WS items you wait for more than the first true leaves to "plant out". It may help a lot of us who haven't done this before and besides may save some tiny plant's life! lol

Platycodons seem to do better if they are held in containers and planted out later. They generally bloom the second year for me so I hold them and plant out late fall.

This was my second year of WSing, and I lost a lot of sprouts after planting out. The ones I planted into containers on the porch did well, but the majority of the ones put in the ground were either eaten by something, or just withered away from unknown causes. The good news is that in several cases, there were ungerminated seeds still left in the soil, so new sprouts popped up after the transplants died.

Lesson learned - always plant the whole container of soil.

Lesson #2 - If it's something you reeeaaally want, let it stay in the container until its big enough to fend for itself. If it gets too hot before it gets planted out, then just let it stay in its container for the summer, and plant it out in the fall.

The vegetables had much better success after transplanting than the perennials, and most of the annuals. Not sure what the lesson is there, other than knowing that WSing is a great way to start veggies!

Bonnie

jill, I think it's safe to say I wait on MOST perennials, shrubs....maybe planting out a little sooner those things that self sow easily like verbena bonariensis, the hypericums with ornamental foliage, sisrynchium (blue eyed grass family) but nothing before first true leaves. Whatever else I lack, I'm patient. :)

I have clay based soil that is high in organic content/humus that never freezes in winter, but it's still no place for important things while they still have wimpy little roots...

I have found one major difference between "what seedlings lived" my first WS year planting out and my second (this year) : WATER! It was a rainy spring here this year and the babies loved it. When it stopped raining we had the irregation system going (that we had installed right before the rain started - talk about timing...)I have been waiting and saving for one of these for years!!!!!!!!!

Plants need water like we need air - so basic but SO something I did not pay enough attention too in the past. Especially tiny sprouts.My gardens we so much better in every way with regular watering this year. Even the weeds were easier to pull, cause I wasn't pulling them out of "cement".

Nancy