Watering Plants After Transplanting: A Complete Guide

Plants are delicate living organisms and require a fair amount of care to ensure longevity.

As they grow, either as seedlings or mature plants, they’ll eventually need to be transplanted.

Following this, you may wonder, how do you water your plants after transplanting them?

You should immediately heavily water your plants once you have transplanted them.

Make sure that both the roots and soil are moist after watering as this encourages the plant to establish itself in the new soil.

This article will discuss how to correctly water your plants after transplanting them.

So keep reading! We have all the answers you need.

How To Correctly Water Your Plants After Transplanting

There are many reasons why you may decide to transplant or re-pot both seedlings and mature plants.

As a general rule of thumb you’ll probably have to uproot your mature plant at some point and find it a new home.

Transplanting is an essential skill that all gardeners should learn.

Generally, you want to avoid disturbing the roots as much as possible during the process, as this reduces the likelihood of injuring the plant.

One thing to consider is how much you water it once you find the plant a new home.

As transplanting is generally a difficult time for your plant, you’ll want to ensure you give it the best chance of survival.

When transplanting either a seedling or a mature plant, it’s essential to water them generously right away.

This helps the plant to establish itself in the new soil, and it’ll reduce the chance of transplant shock.

Depending on what kind of plant you have and how large it is will ultimately determine how frequently you need to water it after transplanting.

Below we will give you insight into watering both seedlings and mature plants after transplanting.

How To Water Seedlings After Transplanting

When transplanting a seedling, it’s a little different from a mature plant.

Seedlings are generally much easier to transplant as they have much smaller root balls. The chance of root shock is slightly less when compared to a mature plant.

Once you have found the home for your seedling, the most important thing to remember is to keep the soil bed moist as possible.

So begin by giving the seedling a generous watering in its new home.

You don’t want the top layer of soil to dry out, as this can lead to various problems and may even cause the plant to die.

So, keep an eye on the top layer of soil as the plant works to establish itself in its new home.

Until the plant is established, ensure that you water the seedling at least once daily. 

As we said, you don’t want the surface of the soil to become dry. So give it a generous watering every time the soil begins to dry out.

When watering the transplanted seedling, do not water from above; instead, water from the soil level.

This will stop the small seedling from falling over and ensure that the water slowly sinks into the soil, giving the roots a better chance of absorbing the water.

Watering Larger Plants After Transplanting

Transplanting a mature plant is still a relatively easy task so long as you know what you’re doing.

The day before you plan on moving your mature plant, give it a heavy watering. This helps to prepare the plant for its move and will reduce the chance of injury.

Once you have placed the plant in its new home, immediately give it a generous watering.

This will increase its chances of survival and helps to reduce the risk of transplant shock.

Ensure the plant’s roots are in contact with the new soil and that the soil and roots are moist.

This will encourage the plant to establish itself and begin growing in its new home, giving it a great chance of survival.

Another thing to keep an eye on is the plant’s root ball.

You don’t want the root ball to be sticking out of the soil.

Because if it is, this will begin to draw moisture out of the soil and force it to dry out. So, ensure that your root balls are buried in their new home.

A general rule of thumb is the larger the plant, the more water it will need.

So if you’re watering a mature plant, ensure that you give it much more water than a smaller seedling.

You’ll likely need to water your recently transplanted mature plant at least twice daily for the first few weeks.

However, this all depends on the weather conditions and the season.

How Often To Water Transplanted Plants

So, now that we have discussed the various watering techniques for both seedlings and mature plants, we will also discuss how often you need to water your plants in their new home.

For the first two weeks, you’ll want to lightly water it at least once daily.

Remember that this number can vary depending on the season and how quickly the top layer of soil dries out.

If your plants are placed in an area that receives adequate rainfall, then simply check up on the soil a few times a day to ensure the top layer is moist.

If the soil begins to drown or looks like it’s collecting a pool of water, you’ll want to move the pot to somewhere that receives less rainfall.

Overwatering can be as deadly as underwatering for your newly transplanted plant.

Transplanting is a stressful experience for all kinds of plants.

So, keeping an eye on your plant during this transition phase will increase its chances of survival. Monitor the soil as often as possible to ensure it doesn’t dry out.

If the top layer of soil is almost dry throughout the day, another generous watering is needed.

This will ensure that the soil stays moist and gives your transplanted plants the best chance of establishing themselves in their new home.

But, when debating how much you need to water your transplanted plants, another thing to consider is the season.

In general, plants need less water during the colder months.

Of course, it always comes down to what particular kind of plant it is. Succulents, on average, need a lot less water than other species.

So, it’s always best to do your research beforehand to ensure you’re supplying your plant with adequate water.

But the most important fact to remember is that you never want the top layer of soil to dry out completely.

Can Watering Cure Root Shock?

Root chock refers to stress on recently transplanted plants and is fairly common. It may cause the plant to poorly establish itself in its new home and can stop the plant from rooting well.

While watering your plant will not necessarily cure root shock, it can help.

So, keeping the soil moist and well watered ultimately helps any plant suffering from root shock and gives them a fighting chance.

Conclusion

So, if you’re planning on transplanting some of your plants in the near future, now you know how to best care for and water them following the process.

Just remember, as soon as you place the plant in its new home, generous watering is required.

Following this, ensure that the top layer of soil does not dry out. If it does, ensure that you give it another generous watering.