Transplanting

You can move a plant from one spot to another.

This is called transplanting. Often, people grow a plant in a safe place first. They might use a greenhouse. Then they move it outside to grow.

Moving a plant can be hard for it. It might feel stress from the move. To help, people keep the roots safe in soil. They might use small pots made of paper or plastic. These pots help the plant stay strong.

Some plants are grown with bare roots. This is cheaper but harder for the plant. Other plants stay in their soil plugs. This helps them grow well in their new home. It is a big job to move them.

Transplanting means moving a plant from one place to another.

Many people start plants in a safe place first. They might use a greenhouse or a nursery bed. This helps young plants stay safe from pests and diseases. It also helps them grow before the weather outside is ready.

Moving a plant can be hard. The plant may feel stress from the move. This is called transplant shock. To help, growers try to keep the roots safe. They use containers like peat pots or plastic packs. These hold the soil and roots together. Some growers use soil blocks or paper pots too. These help the plant grow well in its new home.

Some plants are grown with bare roots. This costs less money. However, these plants may not grow as well. In places like British Columbia, growers use plugs. A plug is a small ball of soil with a plant inside.

Larger plugs often help trees like the white spruce grow better. Growers must also keep these plants cool during the move. They might use special vans to keep them at a cold temperature.

Transplanting is the way people move a plant from one spot to another.

Many gardeners start seeds in a safe place first. They might use a greenhouse or a protected nursery bed. This helps young plants grow before the outdoor weather is ready. It also keeps them safe from pests and diseases. This method can even help avoid problems with how seeds grow. People use these steps to make sure plants are strong before they go outside.

Moving a plant can be a hard job for the living thing. The stress or damage a plant feels during a move is called transplant shock. To prevent this, growers try to keep the roots very safe. They often use containerized plants, which are grown in small holders. These holders keep the roots and soil together in one piece. Common containers include peat pots made of compressed peat or plastic packs. Some growers also use soil blocks or paper pots to help.

Different types of containers have been used for a long time. Some are made to be planted directly into the ground with the tree. Examples include the tar paper pot and the Alberta peat sausage. Other systems, like the Walters square bullet, are also used. There are also containers that are not filled with extra soil. These include things like Polyloam or Tree Start blocks. These systems help create a strong, cohesive plug of growing medium.

In British Columbia, growing white spruce trees is a big job.

Growers there often use a system called Styroblocks. These are special plugs used to raise seedlings. In 1981, people ordered over 14 million small PSB211 plugs. By 1990, the number of those small plugs dropped to zero. Instead, people started ordering much larger PSB415 plugs. These larger plugs grew from 257,000 in 1981 to over 41 million in 1990.

Keeping plants at the right temperature is another important part of the work. Many conifer seedlings are kept in frozen storage at about -2 °C. When it is time to plant, they are often moved to a cool place. This cool storage is usually between 1 °C and 2 °C. Refrigerator vans are often used to keep them at 2 °C to 4 °C during travel. Keeping them cool helps them stay healthy until they reach their new home in the ground.

Transplanting is the agricultural technique of moving a plant from one location to another.

This process often begins by starting a plant from a seed in optimal conditions. These conditions are usually found in a greenhouse or a protected nursery bed. Once the plant is strong, it is replanted in an outdoor growing location. This method is very common in market gardening and truck farming. In these industries, the terms "setting out" or "planting out" are synonymous with transplanting. While it is a helpful tool, it can be risky for certain ornamental plants. If not done carefully, the process carries a significant risk of killing the plant.

Growers use transplanting for several specific biological advantages. First, it allows them to extend the growing season by starting plants indoors before outdoor conditions are favorable. Second, it protects young plants from diseases and pests until they are sufficiently established. Third, it helps avoid germination problems that might occur with direct seeding. However, the primary concern in all cases is avoiding transplant shock. Transplant shock is the stress or damage a plant receives during the move. To prevent this, plants often need a period of acclimatization called hardening off. Minimizing root disturbance is also a vital step in ensuring the plant survives.

There are two main ways to produce transplants: containerized and non-containerized. Containerized transplants, also called plugs, allow plants to be moved with their roots and soil intact. These are grown in various holders like peat pots, soil blocks, or paper pots. They can also be grown in plastic packs with four to twelve cells or larger styrofoam plug trays. Non-containerized transplants are grown in greenhouse ground beds, benches, or outdoor in-ground beds. These plants are often pulled with bare roots for transplanting. While bare-root plants are less expensive, they often have lower yields because they struggle to reestablish themselves.

Containerized planting stock is classified by the specific type and size of the container used. Some systems are designed so the container is planted directly into the ground with the tree. Examples of these include the tar paper pot, the Alberta peat sausage, and the Walters square bullet. Other systems use molded blocks of growing medium, such as Polyloam, Tree Start, or BR-8 Blocks. In the forestry industry, containerized white spruce stock is now the standard. The shape of the container matters for growth. For instance, white spruce grown in a container with a 1:1 height-to-diameter ratio produced significantly more dry weight than those in 3:1 or 6:1 configurations.

In British Columbia, the way people grow white spruce has changed significantly due to container technology.

The BC-CFS Styroblock plug, developed around 1969 or 1970, is now the dominant stock type. The size of these plugs is indicated by a three-figure designation. The first figure represents the top diameter, and the next two figures represent the depth in centimeters. Data shows a massive shift in the types of plugs ordered. In 1981, orders for small PSB211 plugs, which are 2 cm wide and 11 cm long, reached 14,246,000. By 1990, those orders dropped to zero. Meanwhile, orders for larger PSB415 plugs, which are 4 cm wide and 15 cm long, grew from 257,000 to 41,008,000.

Temperature control is a critical factor in the success of transplanting conifer seedlings. Many of these seedlings are kept in frozen storage at approximately -2 °C for long periods. Before they are planted, they are often moved to cool storage to thaw the root plug. This cool storage should ideally be kept between 1 °C and 2 °C with relative humidity over 90%. Refrigerator vans used for transport typically maintain temperatures between 2 °C and 4 °C. It is important to avoid using dry ice, or solid carbon dioxide, for cooling. High concentrations of gaseous carbon dioxide can disrupt the respiration and water transport within the seedlings.

Managing the transition from storage to the field requires careful timing and environment. While some studies suggest that planting frozen seedlings can work, others focus on the benefits of thawing. For example, thawing can prevent a loss of contact between the plug and the soil that might happen if the plug shrinks during melting. However, researchers have noted that cool storage can sometimes have negative effects on seedling health. This is because the rate of respiration is faster during cool storage than during frozen storage. This faster respiration can deplete the plant's carbohydrate reserves more quickly. Therefore, maintaining the correct temperature and humidity is essential for the plant's survival.