Repurpose Your Old Tongs To Make Transplanting Plants Even Easier

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Transferring seedlings from tiny pots to long-term homes in your garden requires some TLC. For example, hardening off seedlings before moving them outdoors boosts their chance of success. So does removing them from their pots as gently as possible because young plants whose roots get damaged during their big move experience transplant shock. 

If some roots break during the moving process, a plant may shut down when it experiences the relentless sunshine, wind, and other challenges that come with outdoor living. This shock often presents as wilting, and some plants never recover. Those that pull through spend time recovering from this overwhelming period of their lives, and until they've regained their strength, they're unlikely to grow vigorously. Though root injuries aren't the only cause of transplant shock, they're a factor you can control to some extent. One way to protect plants' roots during transplanting is easing them out of their containers with tongs. Products such as Uyeesi stainless steel seedling transplant tongs are designed for this very purpose, but you can get also good results with broken kitchen tongs. 

Squeezing a plastic pot and turning it upside down will probably dislodge the seedling inside, but roots and foliage are likely to suffer in the process. Broken tongs can prevent you from flipping the pot in this way, risking a situation where the plant and soil slide out faster than expected, landing on the ground or breaking as you scramble to catch them. Tongs with a busted joint can slip into the slim gap between the soil and the sides of the pot, allowing you to carefully grab the plant and lift it out of its old home.

If you intend to use broken tongs to guide a plant out of a pot, be sure to choose a pair that's the right size for the job. A flower seedling in a tiny seed-starting cell will require a smaller instrument than a pepper plant in a 16-ounce party cup. No broken tongs available? No sweat. Find another object that won't press into the soil much, disturbing sensitive roots, when you slide it into the pot. For little seed-starting cells, consider using a butter knife as recommended by YouTube channel Happy Home and Garden with John and Dawne. Or try a pair of them, which you can wield like split-apart tongs. Plastic knives are one of the most flexible cutlery options, and plastic sporks should also work. Some gardeners use popsicle sticks or chopsticks to remove seedlings from itty-bitty pots. You could even reuse a pencil that helped you plant flower seeds when you began your seed-starting adventure.

Avoid grabbing the seedling's stem during the transplant process, as breaking this part of the plant may lead to its demise. Instead, go for the plant's leaves if you need something to hold. A damaged leaf usually isn't fatal, and the plant may shed it anyway after getting settled in your garden. Also consider biodegradable DIY seed-starter pots next time you plan to grow seedlings indoors. Many types can be planted directly in your garden, minimizing damage to plant roots. No matter how you plan to transplant your seedlings, be sure to water them beforehand. This supplies their roots with moisture, which helps them resist damage.