Gardening Diary - Transfer The Plants

It's weekend and time to visit parent-in-laws. My guru told me to bring my babies yesterday in the phone, say there's some activity for me. Good! Because I starting to get panic that, some of my Pot Marigold babies are start to bend down instead of heading up which; happened the same at my first blindly seedling trial (source said this flower need a bit extra care during growing period). Secondly, a bunch of China Aster are gathered in 1 small area instead of spreading equally in the pot.

Always, there is a warm welcome waiting for us whenever we visit to parent's house. That is why I love to come here. Further more, Mutsi is very surprised to see my babies have been growing so well. After a delicious lunch, we start to look into relocate the babies without further delay.

Material needed:

1. Separate pot(s)/vase(s)
2. Plant's stick with sharp head(I used ice cream stick at home because I don't have plant stick)
3. Soil
4. Old newspaper

First started with my Pot Marigold~~

1. Use news paper to close the holes of the pot, to avoid soil from escaping.
2. My guru+mother-in-law = Mutsi (and cute looking!)
3. Now use the stick go under the soil deeply and carefully push the soil up. Here some of the roots might get broken (because they are tight up and messy underneath) and have to throw the plant(s) away if it does. So have to be very careful.


4. When transfer to another pot, try to bury plants a bit deeper into the soil. Mutsi did until only the leaves are on top and... Done!
5. Back to the long pot, we need to add soil to support the 'armies' standing straight and up. I feel bad when many plants has to bury under the soil fully but Mutsi said it is ok. They will find their way up. They were born from soil anyway.

Before and after. So huge different [Poor babies :( ]

6. Now we need to manage the traffic in the China Aster pot. Use the stick or finger to make a hole before bury them into soil.

7. Mission accomplished!

Well done!!!

There is no need to rush to water the plant. Let them get use to the new change for 1-2 days then only pour with little water. From now on, every alternate or 2 days with little water is sufficient. Oh don't forget to move them to balcony for sun bathing, reminder from Mutsi. :)

EXPERIMENT & RESULT

I killed a lot of babies iceberg lettuce when I did the transfer back at home. One of the reason due to too many water previously, that the soil was so wet also there is something like a piece of flat wood under the soil and caused all the roots are tie up together thus hard to separate them. Anyway, lesson learned that actually no need to water them everyday. Besides, I tried to replant (transfer) those without root (I was very careless, only the head left :P), with root only no head as well as those broke to half with top part 'hanging' with bottom. Plants are amazing, they will tell you whether they can survive or not right on the next morning. As a result, of course they can't survive without root, the 'root only' is struggling to survive and the broken one; very unlikely can survive too.

Top left is the one without root and dying, the healthy one on right and hope that the bottom one (root only) able to regrow in the new environment.

I trust that I have learned all this knowledge in school however, I have returned it to teacher since the day I left the school :P. Anyway, some knowledge is good the learn through experience than to memorized from book.