03/30/2026
We've all seen transplant shock. Droopy leaves, limp stems, even a little discoloration the first few days after you up-pot, or put that start in the ground. The reason for this is broken root hairs.
Root hairs are made of a single cell. When you transplant, many of these hairs are broken, preventing the plant from taking up water and nutrients. This leads to some wilting. What do you do? Well the best thing to do is just be patient. And definitely don't overwater. If you give the seedling too much water when there's no root hairs you will drown those roots because they need oxygen just like we do. And since there's no root hairs to absorb the water you'll end up with soggy waterlogged soil. It's all downhill from there.
Just keep this soil slightly moist, wait a few days, and when the plant begins to perk back up, you can start giving it more generous waterings.
