Thinning Seedlings: To Snip or to Separate?

Every gardener that I’ve known has had a VERY clear position on this question: should I thin my seedlings by cutting the extras, or should I try to save every plant and separate each by their roots?

There are pros and cons to each approach, of course, which we will get into. But first I want to say one thing: there is really no wrong way to do this thing we call gardening.

It’s one big, joyful experiment. There’s no such thing as a black thumb, or a green thumb for that matter! You get out of it what you put into it, and some techniques that work for one gardener may not work for you! 

That being said, I utilize both of these thinning techniques – snipping and separating. Now, let’s read on to know when both of these are applicable.

Snipping

So what exactly is snipping? I’m referring to the moments where you have multiple seedlings emerging from the same pot, and you use scissors or these great garden snips to narrow it down to the biggest and best.

If you’re anything like myself, you sow multiple seeds per planting hole. I do this as an insurance of sorts, just in case my seeds aren’t as viable as they could be. 

Then, all of those seeds blow you away with how well they germinated and you suddenly have three zucchini plants growing from one hole. Oops.

“But why is it bad to let them all grow? More plants = more happiness!”

I feel you. There are two main reasons I can see why it’s beneficial to snip.

More plants in the same hole means more competition for nutrients.

If you keep all three seedlings in that one small space, they will very quickly run out of nutrients & soil space. They’re going to become very unhappy very quickly – and you might end up with zero plants!

Overwhelming your growing space.

I’m a big believer of growing what you love to eat. If you don’t come from a family of 50 and you don’t have any close neighbors, you might not need all those extra zucchini plants. 

Keeping your plant numbers in check helps keep an organized and fruitful garden. I suggest making a planting plan before you even start your seeds!

Another reason I choose to snip rather than save is with the types of plants that don’t appreciate having their roots disturbed. Things like squash, gourds and spinach fall into this category. I’d rather thin out the quantities than sacrifice the quality!

Save Every Seedling by Separating!

This is for you romantics who want to save every little plant out there. 😉

There is a time and a place to separate instead of snip, and they are basically just the opposite of the points I made above. Ha! The main one being:

You get more plants.

Enough said, right?

Like I mentioned earlier, not all plants are suitable candidates for separation. But some of them are, … like tomatoes! Tomatoes are a great candidate because they grow roots super easily. Plus, if you break off the tops of tomato plants you can pretty easily root them again without having to start over from seed.

I also have good luck with basil, peppers, most lettuces and brassicas. 

So tell me… are you a die hard snipper? Or a dedicated separator?

Hopefully this quick article gave you confidence to go either way – like I mentioned earlier, your choices as a gardener should not be shamed by other gardeners. Just use the outcomes as further information and experience for the next growing year! 

Happy growing,