I want to talk to you about the transplant shop.
It’s, not that dramatic, but transplant shock is a gardening term for bummed out plants, specifically during the days following a move from one container to another.
Growth slows to a crawl and your plants, just mope around, like moody teenagers, faking an illness to skip school so given as its propagation season for me and many other indoor gardeners in the northern hemisphere.
I thought I’d. Take a couple of minutes to talk to you about what I do to avoid, or at least minimize transplant shock. Here we go. First big tip get your timing right. If your seedlings or cuttings haven’t totally colonized their existing space, then you’re transplanting too soon and risk damaging the roots in the process.
Last month, I was very happy to receive some Baxter’s. Bush determinate tomato seeds from my friend Judd in Michigan, so first things. First, thanks for those buddy, as you can see, I’ve started them off in Rapid Reuters.
These awesome little spongy plugs certainly help to protect these baby root systems during transplanting and provide plenty of air and moisture to the roots. I irrigated them once a day with a syringe.
It’s nearly two weeks after sowing, and I can see plenty of roots poking out. So it’s. The ideal time to transplant into nursery pots filled with coco tech, PX, a coco, coir and perlite mix. They’ll stay on these for about seven to ten days before being transplanted again next tip, when transplanting from one pot to another don’t make too big a jump, keep the upgrade fairly modest.
You don’t want a young plant to look lost in a massive pot. You know your plants are ready for a transplant when you absolutely have to water them every day. You know you turn up and the media looks lighter in color and they weigh next to nothing.
I like to transplant when the root zone is fairly dry like this as it’s lighter making the younger plants easier to handle and get out of the pot support the base of the plant and turn it upside down.
A little squeeze or tap. Should do it be gentle but work fast to minimize the bare root exposure time. Remember roots don’t like light, so I recommend working in low light and, yes being the selfless individual that I am I’ve kept mine on you know.
I want you to see what I’m. Doing. Oh yeah. Another thing be sure to have all your new pots already prepped and ready to receive fill them with your chosen growing media and give them a firm tap on the floor to get rid of any large gaps.
If you store your growing media out in the shed, then make sure it’s, not freezing cold, as this will shock your plants roots, bring them in a few days before to warm up to room temperature. Similarly make sure you moisten it up thoroughly with tepid pH, adjusted nutrient solution around sixty-six to sixty degrees.
Fahrenheit, you want the same strength. The nutrient solution as your plants are already accustomed to just because they’re in a bigger pot. Doesn’t mean they’re, going to instantly develop a bigger appetite.
Young root hairs are particularly sensitive to high nitrogen levels. Another major cause of transplant shock. Now, what all the media evenly, when you see plenty coming out of the bottom of the pot, you’re done, make a nice big hole deep enough just so.
The original root ball will be totally covered. Tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers can be planted deeper. As any buried stem will produce more roots, I like to sprinkle some mycorrhizal fungi powder in the holes guaranteeing contact with the roots upon transplanting.
This will help my plants assimilate nutrients and moisture later in the lifecycle. It’s best to inoculate as early as you can, especially if you’re growing short-cycle crops that are done in ten to twelve weeks now gently place your babies into their new holes.
Try not to damage the roots. Oh easy! Does it amigos backfill and gently press the media down around it? Don’t press too hard just enough to get them in place, water and well. A big cause of transplant shock is not watering enough.
I’m using cocoa to grow a specialist two-part hydroponic nutrient solution formulated for use with cocoa core. Some growers recommend elevated phosphorous to aid in root development, but I’m, confident that the grow formulation has everything my young plants need.
I’m. Adding some seaweed extract amino acids and B vitamins in the form of Flor Alicia’s grow an awesome additive to help mitigate transplant shock. Personally, I just add this to the jug of the solution that I’m using to water, my babies in rather than adding it to the reservoir.
At this stage I just like to make it go a little further. There you go little buddy drink up that stress. We’re, leaving goodness oh yeah, just one and a quarter per liter or a teaspoon per gallon general hydroponics later developed a similar product called plural Isha’s plus, which is even more concentrated and can be used throughout grow and Bloom, please excuse the state of the bottle.
I tried to clean it up, but this muck is here to stay after watering in if some of the growing media has washed away and some more to cover up any bare roots, maintain relative humidity at 60 % or more.
For my tomatoes, I try to keep in the mid to high 70s Fahrenheit and high 60s at night. Sometimes I spray my plants with a weak nutrient solution and a few drops of floral Isha’s. Compost, tea also works well.
As for your grow, lights, turn them off for 12 to 24 hours or, at the very least, raise them up or put your fresh transplants in semi-shade, I’m using a Sun system, LEC 315 for propagation and vegie these days, as well as my Trusty 2 by 4 tray on a fast fit, traced, and I find this light-emitting ceramic fixture generates really healthy, vigorous stout starts, but it’s also really intense.
So I need to take it easy by getting the distance right, putting freshly transplanted plants in full, Sun or directly under t5 LEDs or HIDs. As the last thing they want, I mean think about it. After you’ve moved into your new house.
Do you want to go for a jog? No, you & # 39. Ll want to sit down, take a break and try and work out which cardboard box. The coffee machine is ok. Sorry I got into my usual Everest mode. There I’ll slow.
It back down after a few days, you’ll, be able to lower your lights to normal levels again, and your plants will have seamlessly made their way through this transition, with little to no pause and growth net pots and cocoa pods can be transplanted Directly into larger pots, meaning you don’t have to disturb the roots fabric pots like grow Pro are also awesome, because plants need fewer transplants.
Ok, that’ll, do questions and comments down below. If you have transplant shock mitigation strategies that I failed to mention well share them, and if you want to know more about B vitamins, amino acids or seaweed extracts and what they do, then let me know too, and we can delve deeper together, bye for now amigos.
