Tips for Thinning Beets

Beet seedlings have to be thinned properly for a good beet plant. The crimson red beets are healthy and a favorite among gardeners. They have a green leafy stem and large roots. Beet seedlings require full sun for growing in a well-drained, light soil. They have a sweet taste and are the most colorful members of the vegetable family.

Need for Thinning

Thinning is essential when growing plants. Thinning seedlings helps maximize crop production and ensures a healthy development and growth of the plants. They also help in maximize the size of the flower. Plants will grow well if proper spacing is provided for their growth. Beet seedlings also require thinning for their growth. A small bunch of beet seedlings emerge when the beet seeds germinate.

After germination, beet seedlings need to be thinned to prevent malformed roots. There are two ways to prevent this, you can either dig the bunch and transplant the seedlings or take off the unwanted seedlings. You can start thinning the beet seedlings once a set of true leaves emerge. True leaves are mainly baby versions of the mature beet leaves. If you are growing beet plants in your homes, here are a few tips on thinning beets:

• For thinning, you can either pull out the seedlings you want to thin out with your hand or use scissors to cut the unneeded seedlings.
• Hand- pulling unwanted beet seedlings can upset the established roots, use scissors to snip off the unwanted seedlings.
• Needle-nose kitchen scissors are best because they are easy to maneuver in small places.
• Leave a space of 3 inches between beet plants.

Once the small baby beets have formed, you have to thin out every other plant to leave a gap of six inches between the beets. You can enjoy the taste of the small beets and leave the rest in garden to grow into their full size. The perfect time for transplanting beet seedlings is when a set of true leaves have grown. It is important to water the seedlings for a few hours before you transplant them.

When you want to transplant the seeds, dig up the bunch of seedlings using a spade. See to it that you get a big root mass possible. Set the bunch of seedlings down and use your fingers to set the seedling roots at a distance. Slacken up the soil where you want to transplant the seedlings. As the roots of the seedlings are long, make a deep hole. With the help of leaves, pick up the seedlings and locate the roots in the hole.

Leave a space of six inches between the seedlings and refill the planting hole with soil. Watering the beet seedlings inside will keep the soil moist and ensure good plants.