A Few Tips on Transplanting

Transplanting is fairly easy because green plants are extremely resilient.  Unless you somehow break the stalk/stem or shred most of the leaves, you won't damage the plant to any significant degree.  Do not  worry about damaging the roots.  That will happen to some degree, but roots in particular regenerate quickly.

The first step in transplanting is to prepare the receiving container.  Make sure it contains a fertile, somewhat loose, well aerated soil.  Do not water the soil prior to the transplant process; do that afterwards.  It's best to not fill the receiving container all the way to the top with soil.  Leave an inch or two of space from the rim down to the soil surface.  Then scoop out a small hole in the center to accommodate the plant & its associated clump of soil.  Leave the scooped out soil in the container (off to the sides of the interior).

If you're transplanting a seedling from a shallow germinating tray, simply scoop out the plant with a spoon or other rounded tool while supporting the plant & attached soil clump as best you can with your other hand.  Place it in the prepared hole in the receiving container, fill in the hole (if necessary) with more soil and gently press the soil around the base of the plant to firm it up.  If you're transplanting a seedling from a small, individual cup instead of a germinating tray, the removal of the plant is even easier.  Place one hand over the top of the cup on the rim, so that the base of the plant stalk is between two of  your fingers.  Then turn the cup upside down while holding it in front of you, and gently squeeze the sides all around with your free hand & tap the bottom of the cup.  The plant and soil should come out...if the soil is not wet.  Then place it in the prepared hole in the receiving container and firm it up a bit.

In both cases above, the final step is to give the soil in the new container a good soaking with water... and then leave it alone.  Perhaps about half the time you do this process, your plant will droop or wilt to one degree or another.  That's due to transplant shock.  Leave it alone...just let it be.  It will recover in anywhere from fifteen minutes to a few hours...almost every single time.  In the rare case when it doesn't spring back, use it for green manure.

Some gardeners like to use a probe/stick/old pen to "tease out" a seedling from a germinating tray or small cup when transplanting.  With that method, almost no associated soil goes along with the transfer of the plant.  I've tried that way, and don't care for it.  It's a lot more work, and I don't think the plants do as well as they do with the two methods described above.

With larger plants, rather than recently-germinated seedlings, simply modify the process as required.  For example, scoop out a bigger hole in the receiving container...and use a larger spoon/tool to scoop out the plant & associated soil clump from the old container.  As I said in a previous post, I believe it takes at least two transplants before a plant reaches its final home container.  That's when you're starting from a seed.  Some gardeners say only one transplant is necessary.  I've tried both ways, and still believe the plants do better with two.

Transplanting is mostly just common sense...it's easy to do, and it works 99.99% of the time.  There's no need to worry about it at all.  Prepare properly, and just do it.  :)

p.s.  It's nice to have a transplanting table outside or in a shed...nothing fancy is required.  No matter how careful you are, there will be times when you'll spill a bunch of soil when transplanting.  It saves time & effort if you don't have to clean it up.

Happy Trails, and Be Well