TRANSPLANTING
Transplanting is one test of a good gardener, another is the care
of the plants after they are gotten into the ground—the careful
cultivation that forbids a weed to show its head above ground, or a
crust to form on the soil after a rain; these two successful operations
spell success in the garden—their absence failure.
For several days before the young plants in the hotbed are to be
put into the ground they should be hardened by leaving the sash
entirely off and by occasionally withholding water that they may be
accustomed to the irregular water supply of the open ground, but the
beds should be well watered the night before transplanting that the
plants may absorb enough moisture to carry them through the ordeal of
transplanting and that the soil may have sufficient moisture to adhere
to the roots.
The planting lines in the garden should be drawn and the holes
for those plants which are to stand some distance apart—such as
tomatoes, peppers and the like, should be already dug and, where extra
fertilizing is called for, the hills enriched with a good spadeful of
well decayed manure and the ground all ready for the plants. In this
way transplanting will go forward with the least possible delay and the
plants will suffer little, if any, from the change.
It is not at all necessary to wait for a rainy spell as so many think
desirable; the most successful planting can be done on a clear,
bright day if the work is handled properly; indeed this is just the
weather that gives best results, a period of rainy weather with cloudy
intervals between is also favorable except for the discomfort of
working in the wet but when planting time comes one must not think too
much of one's personal comfort,—it is up to one to get things into the
ground and growing; we can be comfortable later on when there is time
for it.
A rainy spell, broken by hot, sunshiny, muggy days is of all times the
worst for transplanting; plants wilt and die in spite of one, fairly
cooked by the hot steam engendered by the rain and sunshine, and such
planting weather should be avoided unless the season is late and the
planting urgent. Only as many plants should be lifted at one time as
can be put into the ground before they wilt. Do not try to lift plants
separately but lift them in clumps, pressing the trowel well down
below the roots and lifting the plants with as little disturbance as
possible—never pull up the plants by the tops as one sometimes sees
done; this strips off the tender, fibrous roots on which the plant
depends for gathering its food. The tap root which remains has little
foraging value, it serves, principally, to hold the plant in the ground
while the fine, lateral roots are busy collecting food to feed the
growing top; if these little feeding roots are destroyed the plant must
make a new supply before top growth can be resumed.
Do not attempt to separate the plants at once but carefully release
each plant as it is required; in this way they retain their freshness
and loss from wilting is minimized.
Make a hole large and deep enough for the roots, setting them deeper
than they were in the hotbed, and fill in part of the earth, pressing
it down firmly, fill in the hole with water and when it has seeped away
fill in the remainder of the earth, leaving it dry, fine and smooth
about the plant. Each of these three operations may be completed for
the entire row of plants before going on to the next: the plants set in
the hole and the first earth drawn up, then all the holes filled with
water and by the time the last hole is filled the first will be ready
for final filling in with earth. This is a more efficient method than
to complete one hole at a time and keeps the plants in better shape.
When the whole planting of one variety of vegetable is completed go
over them carefully, noting any wet spots that may appear on the
surface and cover them with more dry earth. Remember that it is upon
the integrity of the dry mulch that the success of the planting
depends. Do not try to protect the plants in any way; if sufficient
water has been placed in the hole, the earth firmed sufficiently and
an efficient dry mulch provided the plant will be much better off than
if protected in any way. Do not water after transplanting until the
plants have become established and need it. If for any cause some of
the plants show signs of wilting while the dust-mulch is still perfect
a hole should be made at one side of the plant and water poured in,
recovering the spot with dry earth. If it rains immediately after
planting, clearing off with fair weather, the beds must be gone over
with the scuffle-hoe to replace the dust-mulch as soon as it can be
worked to advantage. One has only to bear in mind that the secret of
successful planting is moisture at the roots and dry earth above to
succeed.