I think we discussed this once before on DG several years ago. I chickened out and never did try it. I thought maybe there might be some new discoveries since then.
Does anyone trim back new seedling growth in regards to the seedlings under lights? Does it slow down the root growth or development of the plant?
I was hoping by doing so that it might make the plant itself stronger, plus give them all more room to grow under the lights until their move outside after our last frost date in mid April.

Would appreciate anyone's thoughts.....

Your seedlings look good to me. When did you start them? If they were mine, I would not cut them back. My opinion only. They look too healthy as they are. If they were leggy, I might, but these plants look really good. I want to know others ideas and knowledge too. This is a very good question!

Blessings, Mona

Grannyh I remember someone trimming their seedlings on DG but I think it was only because they were too tall to fit under the grow lights. I didn't trim my first ever daylily seedlings last year, I just let them do their thing.

From what I read on the robin. other message boards, and various places; it's a toss up on if they should be trimmed or not. 50% says to cut it to promote root growth and 50% says not to cut it. It's the same with full grown daylilies, some say cut the foliage at end of season and others say not to.

Since mine are grown outside from the get go I don't have your delimma. IMHO, if you need more room because they are getting too tall under the lights then I would cut them, but other than that I wouldn't.

I'm sure other more knowledgable people will chime in that start their seeds indoors.

Thank you, Ladies, for your input. I really appreciate everyone's thoughts on the matter.

Mona.. I started soaking seeds the first week of November and potted them up the week after Thanksgiving. Then transplanted into the larger pot the week after Christmas. DH had went out to the compost bins on a warm day and brought me back two large tubs of compost, which I mixed with potting soil at a 3 to 1 ratio. ( 3 p. soil ) x ( 1 comp).

I won't be transplanting them into larger pots again. Next stop will be in the ground in May. Even if I move them outside the beginning of April into an unheated potting shed, that still gives them 10 more weeks of growing in the basement under lights. This is why I'm wondering about trimming them at some point.

Grannyh, I trimmed my seedlings one year, and other years not. Didn't see
any difference in the root systems or the overall growth of the plants, trimmed
or not.

Your seedlings look super healthy, by the way.

Just wondering I have always planted directly in pots. If you have a GH how much earlier can you plant and what problems might you face.

The ones I grow inside are just to spindley. I don't have a light or the room :(


Teresa

Hi Shriley!...........Thank you! I really believe the added compost makes a huge difference in the plants. It's mostly a leaf based compost with garden waste added (minus any weeds). I went ahead and trimmed about 15 to twenty seedlings so now I'll just wait and see what happens.

Hi Teresa!~.........I just have the old basement to an old house, but with a GH, I would think that you could plant anytime you wanted as long as you had the space you would need to keep the seedlings growing on. I have a bottle of Garden Soap Spray in the basement that I use to deal with any little visitors that might have taken up residence in the compost for their Winter hideout.

They are looking great to me!

I used to trim the tops when they got too tall or a little leggy or bent over at all. Green = photosynthesis but at some point indoors most do a little drooping while in pots. I also trimmed them by a third when planting them in the ground where they are to grow, at the same time fertilizing them with lawn fertilizer (no flowers at first!, just green growth)

You surely are doing something right!