By Payton Beck
If you find yourself impatiently waiting for your garden seeds to sprout, try out transplants.
“The reason we like to use transplants is earliness,” Dr. Joe Kemble, a vegetable specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System said. “You don’t have to sit there and wait for the seed to come up.”
For example, planting a four to five week old tomato gets you way ahead of the season, according to Kemble, who is also a professor of horticulture at Auburn University. Using a transplant cuts out waiting on the tomato seed to germinate into a small plant.
Selecting plants
Not all plants are a good choice for transplants. “Corn and sweet potatoes do not like being transplanted,” said Kemble.
A plant’s age also determine what will make a good transplant. Do not purchase old transplants, which you may find at a garden center.
Typically, select a five or six week old transplant. When selecting cucumbers, you want them to be two to three weeks old, Kemble said.Select cucumbers at a younger stage because they can go through a rough transplant shock, and you will not receive any crop.
Also, you do not have to pick the largest or tallest plants. “If purchasing plants, choose medium-sized plants that have a stocky, healthy appearance, a deep green color and are free from insects and diseases,” Kemble added.
Growing transplants
The environment your transplants are in is essential for success. The key for successful transplants include your media, containing your transplants and location.
Growing media (soil) is an important consideration. “To prepare a growing mix well suited for transplants, use one part loamy garden soil, one part shredded peat moss and one part sand,” Kemble said.
Baking the media for about 60 minutes at 210 degrees Fahrenheit sterilizes it.
You can also purchase potting mixture in a garden center. “The easiest method is to purchase a seedling mix, which is typically composed of vermiculite and peat moss,” Kemble said. “These mixes are suited for more long term transplant production (4 to 10 weeks) and generally contain enough nutrients to provide nutrition to the developing seedling for up to two weeks.”
Using compressed peat pots, disks of pressed peat and peat cubes for transplants work well.
According to Kemble, an easy way to plant a large number of seeds is using wooden flats and plastic trays. Kitchen items such as aluminum foil trays, paper cups and bottom halves of milk, ice cream and egg cartons work as starter containers.
Once the seeds have come through, sunlight and warmth is important for a healthy plant to grow.
Water too much or not enough can cause major problems. Simply touch the media to check if water is needed.
Fertilization should begin shortly after the seeds have sprouted. Check to see if the seedlings need more or less fertilizer during the process.
Bringing plants outside
“Before setting transplants into the garden, they should be hardened off, which is the process whereby plant tissues are toughened to withstand the outside environment,” Kemble said. “For two weeks, set the plant in partial shade, but remember to bring them inside at night, Kemble said. Leave them outside a little longer each day.”