11 Steps to Efficient Potting of Liner Plants

Feb 22 2010
Over the weekend we were able to pot up over 700 of the more than 1500 liner plants we received over the last week. I was able to pot 450 Saturday by myself in just over 3 hours as Scott was away. Here are the steps I took to make the process as efficient as possible.

1. Have sterile pots, soil, and utensils readily at hand.

2. Pre-water the liner plants in the trays before setting them into the pots; allow to drain.

3. Get growing soil onto a table that you can easily work on to scoop the soil into pots.

4. Transfer as many pot-filled trays at a time as possible to reduce “travel” time.

5. Pre-wet newly filled pots in a well-drained area.

6. Allow the pots to drain before setting them on the potting bench.

7. Use a dibble to make holes ing the soil to pop the liner plants in.

8. From the bottom holes in the liner tray, pop the plants from the tray using a small blunt tool.

9. Use one hand to pick up the plant from the tray and drop into the dibble hole as the other hand firms the soil around the previously dropped plant.

10. Label each tray with the plant name, variety, and color, e.g., Penta, Butterfly, White.

11. Transfer the finished potted plants to the plant nursery to acclimate prior to setting into the garden.

Just a few notes of things I’ve learned through experience:

· Wear gloves. I wear light weight, inexpensive latex gloves when handling plants and soils due having picked up a fungus under my nails last year from handling soils and plants ungloved (treat it with tea tree oil).
· Keep everything at a comfortable standing level. Scott put up a temporary potting bench on sawhorses to reduce bending and lifting.
· Work early in the a.m. It’s cooler and the plants are not wilted from water transpiration.
· Use a label maker to mark each tray. This is a quick and easy way to make uniform, easy-to-read labels for each tray. I always thought I could remember which tray was which; I can’t!
· Watch the newly potted plants daily. They may need water (likely) and may have a snail or slug or two; get them before they eat the tops off the new crop.