Easy Guide for Learning How to Transplant a Seedling

The springtime is around the corner and the world of gardeners is looking forward to another outdoors gardening season. For me, spring is a nature’s way to describe life with in all of its beauty. But spring is also the time of the year when an indoor grown veggies and herbs should be transplanted to an outdoor garden. Don’t worry if you’re not quite sure how to do that. Just relax and follow my easy guide for learning how to transplant a seedling.

Popular Agricultural Transplanting Seedlings Tool

Harden Off the Seedlings and Prepare the Soil

Your plant has shown its first true leaves. It means that the time of transplantation has arrived. Luckily for my plants, it didn’t took me long to figure out that my tender green youngsters need to go through a small training process before going out to the real world.

I call it a plant hardening course. Basically it means that I temporarily and gradually expose my plants to outdoor weather conditions, which is much better than the alternative of having my plants going through a suddenshift and eventually a transplant shock.

Besides hardening, you should make an early preparation of the soil. What I do is I always dig the holes and set up the new home for my plants before I move them. See it this way. Can you live in an unfurnished home? Well, neither can your plants.   

Handle with Care and Cover the Plants

Transplanting a plant without a proper garden tool is like fishing without a fishing gear. But be careful not to harm your seedlings.

Once you hit the perfect timing for moving your plants, start doing it with a special care. Plant seedlings and stems are very gentle and fragile, so don’t forget to turn your extra sensitive touch on.

Now, let me give you a free advice - cover your plants for a few days after the transplantation. Last year I did that with my basil Spice Globe, as well as with thyme and sage and the result was great. For covering I usually use buckets or upturned flowerpots, but you can also try with cardboard boxes or a piece of lightweight cloth.

Leave your comments below and don’t hesitate to ask a question if you need help with transplanting a plant!

Hitting the Perfect Timing for Transplanting a Plant

The question of perfect timing of doing things in life usually makes a difference between success and failure. It’s not likely that plants are aware of the existence of time, but gardeners should be. From where I’m standing, time is definitely one of my best garden friends. If you’ve read my easy guide to transplanting plants you’re half way through the process. The other half about hitting the perfect timing for transplanting a plant has just been passing by in front of your eyes.

Garden Clock is a Nice-Looking Reminder of Your Gardening Tasks and Plans

Are you Dealing with Cold Hardy Crops or Warm Season Crops

I’ve found out that cold hardy crops can be planted in the first days of spring. The reason for that lies in their ability to survive lower temperatures and frost.

Examples of my favorite cold hardy crops are kohlrabi from the cabbage family, leafy green vegetables like chard and kale, and root veggies such as carrots and radishes.

Another knowledge that came as a result of my experience is that warm season plants prefer transplantation after saying good bye to the last frost.

As soon as you witness that touching moment you can start transplanting your warm season crops such as beans, eggplant, okra, squash, tomatoes, corn and cucumbers.

Check the Weather Forecast

One of the most important notes in my garden diary is the average last frost date. My actions depend on that date but it’s not a catastrophe either if you don’t know when to expect it to happen.

My backup plan means that I wait until two weeks before my average frost date to transplant my cold hardy plants, and another two weeks to do the same with warm season crops.

But there’s one more detail that you have to take into consideration when transplanting a plant. It’s called the first set of true leaves. 

Make sure to let me know if you have any questions about transplanting your garden friends.

Ultimate Tips for Preventing Transplant Shock

A transplant seedling is more susceptible to various plant diseases compared to an adult plant. Some of those diseases are waiting in the soil and some can be a product of infected seeds. So far as you buy the seeds from a reliable seed supplier, you don’t have to worry about the seed infection problem. The soil matter is also solvable. However, there’s still one issue on the table. It is known as a transplant shock. Take a look at my ultimate tips for preventing it.

Solve the Problem of Transplant Shock before It Even Happens

What is Transplant Shock

I believe that plants are mostly designed to have a permanent residence. My experience tells me that moving them to a new location can be quite of a challenge.

While moving a plant that probably doesn’t share an idea of moving at all, certain problems may occur. The one that is commonly known as transplant shock is almost unavoidable.

I’ve read about it and have seen it – transplant shock exists and it happens when a plant suffers as a consequence of improper transplanting or maintenance. So, perfect timing for transplanting a plant and the know-how part that have already been discussed on my blog page are not where the battle ends. You have to help your plants beat transplant shock as well.

How to Prevent Transplant Shock

Transplant shock can be prevented to a certain extent. In my opinion and according to my experience, you got four options:

ü  Don’t disturb the roots too much

ü  If possible take all the roots with the plant

ü  Water regularly after transplanting

ü  During the moving adventure make sure the root ball stays moist

Just to remind you, I transplant my warm season veggies like peppers and watermelons two weeks after the average last frost date, meaning four weeks after transplanting the cold hardy plants such as spinach and parsnip.

I’m here if you need my help with transplanting your beloved garden plants! Happy gardening!