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Since the pre-sprouted plant season is in full bloom, what is a good indicator of the time to transfer a pre-sprouted plant? For instance I have a mexi-bell pepper in a plastic pod and two basil sprouts. The pepper is about 8" and seems primed to be transplanted now to a pot. The basil is 5" and seems constricted.

  • Is height the best indicator; should I also balance that against leaf and stalk health?
  • Will certain considerations wither once transplanted? If so, what are the sure signs a plant is constricted and getting worse because it's not in the ground or a pot?
mfg
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  • What is a "pod"? How is it different to a pot? I assume they're not the little spaces in a seed tray as they wouldn't be able to support a 12" pepper plant! (I transplant seedlings from a tray into pots or the ground when they are about 2-3" in size. Any bigger and they get root bound.) – winwaed Jun 12 '11 at 13:21
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    Sorry was trying to remember the sizes; more like 8" for the pepper plant. (I'm planning to transplant today) – mfg Jun 12 '11 at 14:11

1 Answers1

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Most peppers, tomatoes, and herbs are ready to be transplanted into your garden when they have formed 4-6 new leaves and are around 4" tall. When your plant is outgrowing its pot it will start to fall over (top heavy) and wilt easily (roots fighting to survive). As long as your weather is not freezing, get those babies outside! Remember to harden off any indoor plants for a few days before transferring them outdoors. I also crunch up egg shells in the bottom of my hole when transplanting peppers and tomatoes to fight off blossom end rot ( a calcium deficiency)! Good luck!

Summer Shepherd
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