First, scoop out the little seedlings, (like a big 2 handed scoop) put them temporarily in a bowl or pie pan(something easy to get the mass out of), then dump in perlite, (I don't use perlite, just vermiculite myself) like a 1/4 of the pot full(again I've never used perlite so mixture may be too much, but sounds right), mix it up with hands and arms till it looks integrated. Lastly, dig out a hole slightly bigger than the bowl full of seedling and plop it in the middle (again 2 handed scoop), lightly sprinkle soil with plain water and pray. This is how i'd do it, but you risk killing the whole crop so take caution.
No the soil should not be packed, some packing happens naturally, but if its too tight, the plants have a hard time setting up proper root systems and may be stunted. BTW Instead of doing the mix now, you could just wait till you go to a larger pot size and mix the perlite in then.
4x5 Reviewed by 4x5 on . is this normal?? is it normal for the stem to twist like this? should i do anything about it? what? thanks slim ps.. check out my soil, it's got sticks and all kinds of crap in it.. am i using the right stuff.. i bought like 5 different types of soil, and 3 out of the 5 have sticks and other crap in them... is that ok.. i checked each bag for the N > P > K, and they all follow that order... ph is in between 6 and 7 on each soil as well.. Rating: 5