When the seedlings are three to four inches tall, transplant them into larger pots, if seeds were started in small pots or seedling flats.
Remember to move labels with them, to keep track of all seedlings and pots. You will not remember all of them, unless you grow only one variety or species! And where’s the fun in that?
By the first fall, the seedlings should be out of the initial germination pot, and either in the ground or in larger pots.
In large pots, PCI seedlings will flower in the second year unless nutrient levels are too low. By now, they are large enough to be treated as adult plants out in the garden. With lower nutrient levels, they will flower in the third year.
You have come full circle with your PCI, from plants to flowers to seeds, to new plants. Congratulations, and good luck with the next generation!
Many gardeners transplant from a seedling pot to 4” pots, and then on to 1-gallon pots in a few months. This gives each young plant room to grow rapidly, and may result in a few flowers on each plant in the second year.
Some gardeners transplant once into 4” pots, then into the ground the next fall.
Others seed directly into 1-gallon pots, spacing the seeds about 1” apart, then leave the seedlings there for a year, and transplant only the most vigorous plants into the ground.
For the first year or two, seedlings are very forgiving of growing conditions and able to tolerate crowding. After this, they may die rapidly if not given their preferred conditions.
Lawyer, Adele. 1996. Seed: Harvesting and planting, SPCNI Almanac, Fall 1996, pp 10-13.