How to Plant a Tomato to Prevent Transplant Shock

Tomato plants are very susceptible to transplant shock. They generally recover in a few days but any amount of shock will leave your tomato plant weaker than necessary. Minimizing transplant shock with your tomato plants is easy and results in a stronger plant that will grow vigorously, be more disease resistant, and produce a higher yield of tomatoes.

Begin with strong, healthy plants. Be sure all danger of frost has passed and the soil temperature is 60F or warmer. If you started your own from seed, harden off by placing outside during the day and bring them in at night. Do this for several days to acclimate the plants prior to transplanting into the garden. Be ready to plant your tomato in early morning or late evening when the sun is not as hot. Water the plants about an hour before transplanting to help avoid moisture loss.

You will be removing several bottom leaves from the stem of the tomato plant. Do not do this until you are ready to place the plant in the hole. The idea is to avoid any moisture loss where you remove the leaves while exposed to the air. The plant will be able to absorb moisture quickly through these locations on the stem once it is planted, minimizing shock. Tomato plants also have the ability of growing new roots at these locations along the stem, resulting in a thicker, stronger stem.

I like to use newspaper weed blocker which also holds in warmth and moisture in the first critical days of the tomato transplants. To do the same, lay out the newspaper as pictured or see this article on using newspaper as weed blocker for more detail.

Dig a deep enough hole to bury the stem above the removed leaves and wide enough to allow for easy new root growth. If the soil is dry, fill the hole with water and let drain.

Starting with the bottom leaf, gently snap the leaf stem off of the main stem using your fingernail, garden scissors, or small pruning shears. Remove 2-3 leaves (or more if you have a very large plant).

Holding the main stem close to the soil, slide the plant out of the pot. If there is any resistance, support the plant and tap on the bottom of the pot. Tug on the plant slightly until it slides from the pot freely. Inspect the roots. You should see a good network of whitish, healthy roots. If your plants are in peat pots, do not attempt to remove the pot. Plant the entire pot, which will decompose.

Place the tomato plant in the hole. If your soil is not good, mix some compost and/or peat moss in with the soil. Fill the hole and water the new transplant immediately.

Tomatoes will generally show signs of shock instantly by wilting and not growing until/if they recover. The above method will prevent or at least minimize any shock. If your tomato plants do experience some transplant shock, keep moist but not soggy. Do not let the soil dry out! Protect them from excess heat or cold and wind as much as possible. They should recover within a few days and be well on their way to rewarding you with delicious tomatoes.

Tip: If you already have a tomato plant in the ground that is suffering from transplant shock and does not seem to be recovering very well, you can still bury it deeper by building the soil up around it. Use any enclosure that fits easily over the tomato. You could nail four pieces of wood together to make a mini raised bed or recycle any bottomless container that is deep enough. Remove the bottom leaves and add soil, covering up to where the leaves were removed.