Transplant Shock

TexasTycoon · July 19, 2015

We rooted a branch of our tomato plant back in May after strong winds caused a ton of damage and left that branch hanging on for dear life. It's gone well, but unfortunately we planted it in the only pot we had available which was a fairly small one (about 8 inches diameter). We transplanted it to a 5 gallon pot today and unfortunately caused quite a bit of root damage in the process. I let my husband (who is even newer to gardening than I am, though he is learning) do the removal of the plant from the little pot and he wasn't as gentle as he probably could have been. The roots left attached to the plant when we put it into the new pot could fit in one hand. When we dumped the remaining soil from the pot into the new pot, lots of roots came with it. The plant is now limp and kind of just draping itself onto the cage. We did water with TTF immediately after transplanting, and we planted it "up to its neck" to encourage deeper root growth. Is there anything I can do to help the little guy perk up and establish more roots quicker, or is it just a waiting game at this point?

July 19, 2015	#1
TexasTycoon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Round Rock, TX, Zone 8b Posts: 1,157	Transplant Shock We rooted a branch of our tomato plant back in May after strong winds caused a ton of damage and left that branch hanging on for dear life. It's gone well, but unfortunately we planted it in the only pot we had available which was a fairly small one (about 8 inches diameter). We transplanted it to a 5 gallon pot today and unfortunately caused quite a bit of root damage in the process. I let my husband (who is even newer to gardening than I am, though he is learning) do the removal of the plant from the little pot and he wasn't as gentle as he probably could have been. The roots left attached to the plant when we put it into the new pot could fit in one hand. When we dumped the remaining soil from the pot into the new pot, lots of roots came with it. The plant is now limp and kind of just draping itself onto the cage. We did water with TTF immediately after transplanting, and we planted it "up to its neck" to encourage deeper root growth. Is there anything I can do to help the little guy perk up and establish more roots quicker, or is it just a waiting game at this point? __________________ -Kelly "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." - Audrey Hepburn Bloom where you are planted.