Gardening Articles: Care :: Soil, Water, & Fertilizer
Transplanting Eggplant, Peppers, and Okra (page 2 of 2)
by National Gardening Association Editors
Head Off Cutworms
One of the simplest treatments to prevent cutworm damage can be done when you transplant. Simply take a strip of newspaper two or three inches wide and wrap it around the stem of the plant. When you place the plant in its hole, make sure an inch of the newspaper strip is below the soil surface, withthe rest staying above ground. This prevents the dreaded cutworm from chewing through the stem of your tender young plant.
Run through a checklist in your mind before you start to transplant. This will prevent you from reaching for something that isn't there while the roots of the plant you've just taken from its pot start to dry out. Is it cloudy or late in the day? Is the soil fully prepared? Are the plants properly hardened off? Do you have a shovel or trowel, fertilizer or compost, newspaper cutworm collars and watering can at hand? If not, do whatever is necessary before starting to transplant.
Even though you've hardened off your transplants, they still have tender roots. Getting them into the ground quickly will help prevent any damage to the roots and help minimize the shock.