Regarding the number of plants in the compots, I would normally have at least 2X this density as it seems they do grow better, but I was concerned that I might need to put them into various different micro-environments, if they started dying, but they didn't. At this point, I'm going to leave them alone, since they seem to be doing OK and I will sell some in the spring to recover the cost of the flask.
Regarding the deflasking technique, they were very robust seedlings when I got them and the roots were extremely well developed. I hand carried the flask, so I didn't need to worry about tumbling or padding. When I deflasked them, I put them into this mix, flushed it with very dilute fertilizer and sealed them up in ziplock bags (2 four inch pots per quart bag) for several weeks. I then folded down the end of the bag to form a small opening about the size of a quarter and left them this way for an additional two weeks. I did not water them during this time, since I could see moisture condensing on the inside of the bag. After this 4 week period, I folded down the top and watered them whenever the medium was dry, which was about 2x week under lights at room temperature. I did make a conscious effort to grow them with the medium a little on the dry side. They were in the bags with the folded down sides for an additional month and I suspect this helped maintain a higher relative humidity around the seedlings. Right now the relative humidity in the room with the light rack is about 30%, so I mist them every day, but try to avoid the temptation to water more frequently. So, in summary, they had an easy transition to the real world, and I have avoided rotting the roots. I hope my luck continues.
Mike
