I wish I could help you but I'm new at this too (with seeds). There is a wealth of information on this site
and I'm sure it as somewhere in this forum. It says about 2 weeks for tomotoes after you see them standing with 2 leaves, so I will prob wait until early march. I would say not to rush it. You may risk breaking them if they are too thin.

I typically plant 2 seeds in each cell of 36 cell tray. If two come up in one cell then I'll transplant it to another cell where none came up. I do this before there are any true leaves without a problem. I don't think I've had any die this way. If you have too many that have sprouted, it's much easier to just clip the one that you don't want.

I use a 200 cell tray so I can put one seed per cell. But when I used the 72 cell I transplanted as soon as they emerged into a tray under lights. If you do this carefully you should have no problems. Take as much of the soil with it as you can and them fill in with fresh soil. A handy tool

gonna try and save as many as possible to give to others so not gonna cull any out. 200 cell tray, those are def. going to be grabbed ASAP before i start the toms and a few other things in the next 2-3 weeks. that little tool looks handy, will keep my eye balls open. Thanks all for the responses. Always appreciated.

j

That is a neat tool. What is it called and where can I order one? Looks like it would be perfect for getting plants out of plug trays.

Duane

It is perfect for that. It is called a "Nit Picker" Pinetree Seeds used to sell them but don't anymore. I found it under a different name for a friend but can't find it now. Try Googling?

Here's how I get around that:

I put the seeds in a moistened paper towel
when the seeds germinate and are actually putting out a little root, i put each one into its individual potted cup.

i'm sure that eventually i'll have to move to a bigger pot.
when i do so, all im planning to do is cut out the bottom of the styrofoam cup and put it in a larger pot, then work the cup out from the sides.
hope this helps
Danny

I know of someone who dense plants (30 seeds per cell) and then separates at the first leaf stage. I have pulled up doubles and repotted at the large cotyledon stage with few problems, and I have cut a pot rootball in half to separate two plants when putting them in the garden. I think when you choose to separate 2-3 plants in a pot (rather than dense planting)has more to do with how much space you have under your lights than anything else.

It's a nice tool, but save yourself a lot of money and go to Kitchen Collection and buy a $0.99 butter spreader. It's exactly the same and works like a charm!

Chris

I do like spiced ham does, and separate brand new seedlings with just eh cotyledons - never a problem, unless there is damage to either end of the tiny things.
As to the tool, i just use a Popsicle stick, and never have any problems with transplanting tender seedlings. I do many, many flats of vegies and flowers each year, for us, giving, and for sale.

Actually I find it's just the opposite.
The earlier the transplanting is done the less stress IMO. I use rectangular or square containers without cells. If seedlings are really close in a row I always transplant seedlings into their individual containers/pony packs before the 1st set of true-leaves. They will not have more than the first radical root at that stage. Prepare cups/pots and with a pencil create a hole. Lift out the seedlings (I use a fork) then grab it by the leaves and drop in the hole up to the leaves. If you are using a plug tray then use a blunt pencil to push out the seedling through the drainage hole. Gently take both hands and press the soil down around the seedlings with your fingers and then tap the pot to further settle soil. Water in.
If they are spaced out nicely then I might wait until they are at the 1st true-leaf stage, but no later.
The best thing to do though is to do what you are going to be more comfortable doing!

....forgot to add picture.