Tips for transplanting healthy seedlings

Q. I have a hard time with transplants. Sometimes they’re too leggy. Other times they break off or get sunburned. Do you have some tips to help?

Maggie from Boardman

A. Transplanting young seedlings can be a tricky business with its own rules for success. Here are a few tips to make transition into your garden go smoothly, allowing you to enjoy a wonderful yield come summer and fall.

Be Protective: You need to toughen them up. Seedlings started indoors need a period of transition before they are exposed to the outdoor element. This process, known as hardening off, allows them to adjust to wind, direct sunlight and fluctuating temperatures. Start this process around the last frost date. The time it takes depends on your plant and climate. On their first outings, plants need shelter from direct sunlight and wind. They need to be brought inside each night. Later, when they have toughened, they may stay out overnight in a sheltered spot. You also need to go through this process with plants you have purchased from a nursery or box store if they were not hardened off during their travel to the store. If you choose to use a cold frame for hardening off, make sure you never leave the lid closed on a warm day. Entire crops have been lost in a few hours when the temperature rose too high, too fast.

Be Selective: First, you’ll want to make sure the area where you plan to locate your garden has the best soil for growing your “babies.” Spend some time preparing the soil thoroughly so your carefully chosen plants will grow and thrive. Contact the OSU Extension office to find out how to have a soil test. This allows you to have the right soil conditions before you plant. Choose to transplant only healthy young seedlings, making sure you correctly space them for the best growth results. Crowding your plants invites stunted growth, limited growth and an environment for diseases.

Choose your moment: Select an overcast day for planting so the plants are less stressed while they adjust to their new growing conditions. Make sure the ground is ready to dig. Pick up a clump of soil and squeeze it, and roll it into a ball. Tap the ball with your fingers. If it falls into smaller pieces, the soil is ready to be worked.

Handle with care: This is the time to have a tender touch. Loosen the root ball and set the plant into a hole so that the plant sits as deep into the ground as it did in the pot. If you’re setting out plants in peat pots, you can plant the entire pot directly into the ground. It’s best to peel off the upper rim of the pot and use a sharp knife to cut a few slits into the sides to allow roots to grow out. Letting pots be above the soil line will cause the entire pot to dry out, limiting root growth. Firm the soil, water thoroughly and add a layer of mulch.

For more details and helpful tips, go to http://go.osu.edu/transplanttips.

This week’s answer provided by Pam Baytos, OSU Extension master gardener volunteer. Call the office hotline at 330-533-5538 to submit your questions. Regular clinic hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon.