What is Transplant Shock?

It’s a common problem in gardens all around the world: recently transplanted or re-potted plants start to look a little off. Drooping, wilting, dropping leaves, discoloration—these are all signs of transplant shock. As the name suggests, transplant shock is an aftereffect of transplanting or potting a plant. But what causes transplant shock exactly? How can gardeners treat transplant shock in their own garden spaces. Is transplant shock preventable? We’re here to explore all of these questions and hopeful throw so light on what transplant shock is and isn’t. So, let’s dig in and learn a bit more about transplant shock.

Gardzen Executive Summary:

· Transplant shock happens when plants undergo a sudden change of conditions or damage/disturbance to their root structure. This most commonly occurs when the plant is uprooted or relocated.

· Signs and symptoms of transplant shock include wilting or drooping leaves, yellowing leaves, leaves dropping off the plant, sun damage, blossom drop, or stunted growth.

· There are steps gardeners can take to help prevent transplant shock and to treat it if it does occur.

· Transplant shock is common and most plants recover from it with a bit of help.

Signs and Symptoms of Transplant Shock

Transplant shock most commonly occurs right after a plant has been transplanted, re-potted, or relocated. Similar symptoms can often occur after any sudden change of conditions or disturbance of the roots, because those are the causes of transplant shock. It’s a plant’s response to a sudden disturbance in its environment or its root structure or both. There’s a fairly universal set of symptoms that indicate a plant is experiencing transplant shock, and here are the most common and easily spotted:

· Wilting or drooping of leaves and herbaceous stems

· Leaves dropping or falling off

· Leaves or herbaceous stems turning yellow or brown

· Sun damage to leaves or herbaceous parts

· Blossom drop, if the plant is blooming

· Stunted or slowed growth in a previously thriving plant

It’s important to remember that a plant doesn’t need to show all of these symptoms in order to have transplant shock. One or more of them in a recently transplanted or relocated plant strongly suggests transplant shock has set in and that the plant needs to be treated with some extra care. It’s also important to remember that some degree of transplant shock is likely in a plant that’s undergone a relocation or disturbance. Generally speaking, most plants recover on their own but a bit of extra support helps.

Before we get to that, however, let’s learn how we can reduce the odds of transplant shock before we replant.

Preventing Transplant Shock

Again, some degree of transplant shock is likely no matter how healthy the plant in question is or how well prepared its new home. However, there are a few things we can do as gardeners to avoid or at least limit the effects of transplant shock in our garden spaces:

· Prepare the new site—and the new soil: A plant’s new home should reflect its needs for sunlight, space, soil, temperature and water. If any of those is off by too great a margin, the odds of transplant shock increase. Ensure that your plant’s new home has well-fed soil (avoid grain fertilizers at first, they take too long to break down. Liquid fertilizer is best for newly transplanted plants), that the light and temperature are appropriate, and that the plant is protected from extremes of sun, water, or wind at first.

· Avoid or limit root disturbance: Most of transplant shock start with the plant’s roots being damaged or disturbed during the transplanting process. Fortunately there are a couple of ways to help avoid this. Start seeds or seedlings in seed trays or containers that make removal and transplanting easy. Direct seed plants like peas and beans that have delicate, easily disturbed roots and don’t handle transplanting well. Be gentle with the plant while removing it from its new home, while moving it to its new home, and while replanting it. It may take a little more time, but being careful with the roots avoids a great many problems.

· Give your plant some shade:  We know we just said that your plant’s new home should meet its ideal conditions as closely as possible, and it should! However, giving a newly transplanted plant some extra shade for a few days—at least during periods of peak sun—really does help it settle in and avoid transplant shock. For container plants, you can just move it to a shadier spot for a bit. If you don’t have shade or the plant can’t be moved, you can use a sun shade or shade cloth of some sort to help protect it till it’s adjusted.

· Water and mulch help, a lot: After a move, most plants like a long drink of water. We’ve found it helpful (if a bit messy) to ensure that the  new location's soil is moist but not saturated before transplanting and then watering a bit more after the plant moves in. Keeping the soil moist (but not saturated; that is important too) helps the plant adjust by making it easier for its roots to absorb water and nutrients. Adding some mulch to the surface of the soil helps keep the plant cool and prevent it from drying out, which is also a good step for preventing transplant shock.

These steps can all help prevent transplant shock, but sometimes our best-laid plans go astray and the plant has a negative reaction to transplanting anyhow. So how do we treat transplant shock? Let’s dig a bit further . . .

Treating Transplant Shock

If transplant shock sets in, the first step is this: don’t panic! The odds are good that the plant will be fine; most plants that experience transplant shock bounce back in a few days once they get used to their new location. However, just like there are some steps we can take to prevent transplant shock, there are a few things we can do to treat transplant shock and mitigate its effects on our plants. Some items on the “preventing transplant shock” and the “treating transplant shock” list overlap, but that’s just because they really are the best solutions for helping our plants.

· Water the plant: Transplant shock puts stress on the plant, and when plants are stressed they tend to want a nice long drink of water. Keeping the soil moist but not over-saturated is a good step. This may mean watering much more frequently than usual and keeping a closer eye on it. We all have busy schedules, so just do the best you can and remember that the plant will most likely be just fine.

· Give the plant some fertilizer: We normally don’t do this, but in some cases a light application of liquid fertilizer along with extra watering can help a plant recover by providing easy-to-absorb nutrients to cushion the stress and help it start to grow again. Any general purpose liquid fertilizer will do, so don’t be afraid to use what you have and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

· Gently remove dead or discolored leaves: Most of the time these will fall off on their own, but it really can help to gently remove them so the rest of the plant can focus on recovery. Be careful not to damage the stems, branches, or healthy leaves when doing so. This could cause more stress on the plant and that’s something we want to avoid right now.

· Provide some shade and some humidity: Just like preventing transplant shock, giving a shocked plant a few days in the shade to recover can help. It needn’t be all day shade—just protection from the brightest and hottest parts of the day until the plant recovers. In dry environments, misting the plant with a spray bottle may help as well. Keep misting to a minimum, as too much misting can damage leaves and cause additional stress which we still want to avoid.

Again, the key step is “don’t panic!”. Your transplant shocked plant will likely be fine and recover on its own in a few days. It’s easy to say this but sometimes difficult to remember for plants that look especially bad while experiencing transplant shock. Greens of all kinds, we’ve noticed, look like death for a day or so after transplanting but generally bounce right back with a little care.  Just remember that every garden space is different and your results may vary. Learning to manage transplant shock is part of learning your garden space, your plants, and what makes them all unique.

Transplanting, and Other Gardening Adventures

Transplant shock is just one of those things that happens in gardening. It’s a normal occurrence, generally nothing to worry about, and most often goes away in a few days with a bit of supportive care. So, one more time: “don’t panic”. Transplant shock is just one of the many things we have to deal with when we have plants and gardens. It’s nothing to be afraid of, but rather just something to know about, prevent where possible, and treat when necessary. Most of the time things turn out fine and even when they don’t it’s a chance for us to learn. We hope this blog helps you do all of the above!