3366 



TRANSPLANTING 



TRANSPLANTING 



TRANSPLANTING is a general term to designate 

 the removal of living plants whereby they may become 

 established in new quarters. 



Transplanting may be performed when the plant is 

 in a dormant condition, as in winter, or when it is still 

 actively growing. Small herbaceous plants are usually 

 the only ones that are transplanted when in a growing 

 condition, and this only when the plants are living 

 under special garden conditions where they may have 

 the best of attention as to watering and shading. Con- 

 sidered from the standpoint of the plant, transplanting 

 is always a violent operation, for it destroys a con- 

 siderable part of the root-system, loosens the plant's 

 attachment to the soil, and arrests for the time being a 

 large part of its progressive vital activities. To over- 

 come these dangers, the earth into which the plant is 

 set should be well prepared and moist, so that the plant 

 may quickly reestablish itself; part of the top usually 

 should be removed to lessen transpiration, and with suc- 

 culent and growing plants some shade should be pro- 

 vided for a time. The deeper and finer the soil, and the 

 greater the quantity of moisture it holds, the more 

 successful the transplanting operation will be, other 

 things being equal. The operation is also more success- 

 ful in humid regions, as in the Atlantic states, than it is 

 in dry regions, as on the plains and westward. In the 

 more arid parts of the country transplanting is per- 

 formed as little as possible, whereas in the eastern part 

 great quantities of annual and other garden plants are 

 transferred from seed-beds to the open ground. 



The successful transplanting of any plant depends in 

 part on the condition of the plant itself. The younger 

 the plant, as a rule, the better it withstands the opera- 

 tion. Herbaceous or growing plants that are relatively 

 short and stocky and compact, transplant better than 

 those that are long, "leggy," and weak. The stocky 

 plants are better able to withstand the vicissitudes of 

 inclement weather when they are transferred from a 



protected place to 

 the open air, and they 

 probably also have 

 more recuperative 

 power to make new 

 roots and to attach 

 themselves again to 

 the earth. Many- 

 plants may be "hard- 

 ened off" or gradu- 

 ally inured to sun 

 and cold before they 

 are transplanted. The 

 more frequently a 

 given plant is trans- 

 planted the more 

 readily it endures 

 the removal. The 

 root-system becomes 

 close and compact 

 and there is relatively 

 less injury to the 

 roots at each sub- 

 sequent removal, pro- 

 viding a long interval does not take place between the 

 operations. 



The success of transplanting also depends to some 

 extent on the weather at the time the removal is per- 

 formed. If cool, cloudy, and damp weather follows the 

 transplanting, the plants are much more likely to live. 

 Plants usually establish themselves more quickly in 

 freshly turned soil, because it contains a relatively large 

 amount of moisture. To bring the earth into contact 

 with the roots, it should be firmed closely about the 

 plants. This packing of the soil tends to bring the sub- 

 terranean moisture upward where it may supply the 

 roots; it also tends to increase evaporation from the 

 surface of the soil and thereby to waste the water, 



3833. A transplanting - box, spe- 

 cially designed for melons. It is 

 made of a "flat" or splint 14 inches 

 long and 3% inches wide, bent at 

 four corners and held in place by a 

 tack. It has no bottom. 



although much of the moisture is utilized by the plant 

 as it passes upward. To prevent the escape of moisture 

 from the surface of the soil, it is customary to cover the 

 ground with a mulch, from 1 to 3 inches in depth, of 

 fitter, sawdust, leaves, or coarse manure. When prac- 

 ticable the water may be saved by keeping the surface 

 well tilled, thereby providing a mulch of earth. See 

 Tillage. 



In dry weather it may be advisable to water newly set 

 plants, particularly if they are green and growing fast, 

 as tomatoes, cabbages, and other annuals. The water- 

 ing may best be done at nightfall. The water should be 

 applied in a hole or depression about the plant or at one 

 side of it, rather than on the surface; and the following 

 morning the loose fresh earth should be drawn over the 

 roots in order to provide a surface mulch and to pre- 

 vent the soil from packing. Of course, this particular 

 pains cannot be taken in large field operations. 



All kinds of plants can be transplanted, but some of 

 them remove with great difficulty. In these cases the 

 special skill which is born of experience with these par- 

 ticular plants must be invoked for success. The 

 difficulties are of various kinds. In some cases the 

 difficulty may be a tap-root system, as in the case of 

 the black walnut and the hickories. In these instances 

 the plant may be prepared a year or two in advance by 

 severing the tap-root some distance below the ground 

 by means of a spade or other sharp instrument that is 

 thrust underneath the crown. In other cases the 

 difficulty is the inability of the plant to make new feed- 

 ing roots quickly, as in some of the asiminas or papaws. 

 Such plants often may be treated like the tap-rooted 

 plants; that is, the long cord-like roots may be severed 

 at some distance from the crown a year or two before 

 the plants are to be removed. In other cases the ina- 

 bility to be transplanted is probably due to the exces- 

 sive rate of transpiration from the foliage. In these 

 cases cutting back the top rather severely and provid- 

 ing shade may contribute to success. In some cases 

 the difficulties are so great as practically to prohibit 

 transplanting. 



Soncalled transplanting machines have been perfected 

 within the last few years for setting small herbaceous 

 stuff, as cabbages, tobacco, and tomatoes. These are 

 really vehicles, drawn by horses, that open a furrow and 

 drop a small quantity of water when the plant is 

 inserted in the furrow by the hands of an operator who 

 rides on the machine. The plants, already prepared for 

 setting, are carried in a tray or hopper, and the opera- 

 tor places these between guards which automatically 

 measure the distance. These machines are particularly 

 valuable in large areas where great quantities of plants 

 are to be set, and also in hard and dry land where it is 

 difficult to make the proper openings with the hand and 

 also otherwise to supply the plant with sufficient water. 



For most small plants that are to be reset in small 

 quantity, the dibber is a most useful implement to 

 expedite the operation. (Fig. 3834.) 



Plants grown in pots and small shallow boxes trans- 

 plant more readily than those raised in the open soil. 

 Particularly is this true of pot-grown plants, for the 

 bevel or slope of the pot allows the ball of earth to be 

 "knocked out" readily. See Potting. Special trans- 

 planting-boxes are on the market, to be used instead of 

 pots, for purposes of economy. These boxes are usually 

 made of thin basket stuff and are thrown away when 

 the plants are taken from them for transplanting. 

 (Fig. 3833.) The seeds are sown directly in these boxes. 

 Melons, cucumbers, and other plants that are difficult 

 to transplant are often grown on pieces of inverted turf, 

 taken from old pastures. 



In the case of large trees and shrubs, success often 

 may be attained by transplanting in the winter, when a 

 ball of frozen earth may be removed. It is usually 

 better to give the transplanting of large trees into the 

 hands of an expert than to attempt to perform it with 



