How to Transplant Your Herbs

Start by having a presoaked clean terra cotta pot if you are using those.

Then have enough potting soil ready for the size of container you will be moving your herb into. For a six inch pot it takes about 4 or 5 cups of soil mixed plus the root ball you are moving.

I use a large cottage cheese container and my Dollar Tree fork for my mixing bucket. Sometimes I will add a cup of mixed Age Old Kelp to the soil and enough water to thoroughly wet the soil.

Then stir the soil (My 8/3/2 is my usual mix) like a cake batter using the fork. Every couple of stirs around the sides, reach to the bottom of the container and fold the bottom soil through the mix. Again this is similar to cutting in during a hand mixing operation.

Continue this procedure until the soil is thoroughly mixed. Then make a small ball of soil in your palm and see how it crumbles apart when you push on it with your forefinger. I like my soil moist but not soggy. Soggy soil will not fall apart. Moist soil will clump into pieces. (Remember you will generally water after the transplanting operation. A soggy plant is not a happy plant. Soggy too often = root rot, fungus or powdery mildew none of which make your herb a happy camper and generally lead to plant death.)

After your soil is mixed, hold the pot with your thumb in the drain hole. Use your measuring cup, large spoon or shake some of the mixed soil into the new pot. With your free hand, use your knuckles or finger tips to press the soil gently into place to make a soil bed in the bottom of the pot.

Set your transplant on top of the soil bed. You want to the crown of the root ball to be above the drain line on your pot or above where you will stop adding transplant soil to the pot. When you are done, the transplanted root ball should be a little hill shape allowing water to drain off the root ball. This way you will minimize a soggy set of roots when you water.

Adjust your soil bed until you have the right height for your plant. Next gently squeeze the sides of the old plastic container or use your plastic knife to cut around the sides of the current pot. Grasp the plant gently at the base and work the root ball free from the old container.

Examine the roots to make sure they are whitish looking. If the plant has become root bound, gently rub the sides of the root ball with your finger and the bottom with your palm to loosen the root ball.

Set the plant and root ball into the new pot. Gently transfer soil around the root ball about half way up. Then using your finger tips, compress the transplant soil a bit on all sides of the root ball. Make sure your plant is upright after this operation. Continue adding soil and gently firming up the added soil around the root ball until you are about ½ inch below the surface of the root ball.

Then go around the edges of the root ball and press down to finish seating the plant in its new home.

If you have your plant too deep, use the fork to reach down under the current root ball and lift up. Push some of the soil along the sides into the void with your finger tips until the plant is at a correct height. The root ball should be just even with the surrounding soil or just slightly above it. About ¼ to ½ inch maximum height will allow some drainage off the root ball and still allow water to soak into the root ball. Too high and the hair roots from the plant will eventually become exposed to the air and die causing water uptake problems and possible fungi growth.
 

Transplanting Video

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