Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Place the seedling in a small container of water and allow it to absorb some of the water
into the root ball. It doesn't need to float in water or the soil surrounding the root ball will
begin to loosen and break apart.
5. Move the plant.
Once the seedling's root ball has received a sufficient amount of water,
it can be transplanted into the new container. If the seedling's soil was sufficiently wet, then
all that is necessary now is to transplant it from its original container to the new one. Since
these seedlings are very delicate, it is important that you take your time when removing
them from their old container.
Even though most seedlings will be small, it is common for some people to simply pull
them out of their old container. This is the wrong thing to do. Pulling on the trunk of the
seedling will cause it to snap in two or, at the very least, crack the trunk of the plant, which
could eventually kill it.
The preferred method of removal is to place the seedling's trunk between the second and
third fingers of one hand and turn the container upside down. Grasp the bottom of the con-
tainer with your free hand and gently shake it to loosen the seedling from its container. In
some instances, the plant may be lodged in tightly, so it might become necessary to tap the
bottom in order to move it.
It is possible the plant will still resist moving from the old container. If this occurs, take a
butter knife and slide it around the inside of the container on all sides between it and the
plant. This should free the seedling.
6. Inspect the root ball.
Depending on how long the plant has been allowed to grow in its
old container, it is possible that it has established quite an elaborate root system. In fact,
there are times when you remove a plant and all you will see is a twisted heap of roots with
no visible soil. This means that the plant was allowed to remain in its container for far too
long. While the plant can still be used, it will need some additional help in order to get star-
ted.
When roots are densely-packed together, you will need to separate and loosen them some-
what in order to allow them to get a head-start once they are placed in the new container.
If you leave them in a mangled mess, the plant will probably still grow, but it will take
longer for the roots to realize that they are no longer constricted in a small place. Helping
them out speeds up the process.
