I thought I could postpone this step for another few days at least. But then I saw the first flower buds yesterday, and decided that I’d already waited far too long…
So I went and bought four blue buckets for Rs. 50 each. Then Mani and I mixed the mud that we got from the horticultural society and after making a hole in each bucket for drainage, began the transplantation. I was a bit nervous removing the plants from their pots – I didn’t know what I would see.
To my surprise, the roots of all four had grown past their limits in the pot and were trying to curl around it. Looks like the new 15 litre buckets will give them a lot more space. Here are all four in their shiny new buckets:
And here’s Fathima – a nice close up :)
I hope they don’t suffer from the transplanting. I wish I had done it a bit earlier, but I didn’t really think their roots would grow so fast. I’ll remember not to make the same mistake next time.
They look BIG!
But I have heard plastic pots are not good for plants – clay pots being porous allow water and air to pass.
In reply to Indian Homemaker
You may be right…but I've seen others grow plants in plastic buckets, so guess it can't be too bad. I've drilled holes in them to allow for drainage.
And they were cheap – I've heard that specialized gamlas can be above 300 bucks each!
In reply to bhagwad
If they grow well then that's a new lesson for me :) When my plants didn't survive last time – I had blamed the pots!
Though Indian Homemaker is right about the clay pots being porous, the plastic ones have their own advantages and we’ve got to choose wisely. Don’t worry about the transplant, Bhagawad. Tomatoes are very forgiving and less fussy. They’d be fine – just fine. I too wish I had transplanted my tomatoes to a larger pot soon but I kept postponing them and before I knew it, there were plenty of buds, flowers and two berries already on their way! [SIGH] Wish I weren’t such a slacker!
In reply to Chandramouli
Thanks for the encouragement! I just bought some brinjal, bhindi and french beans seeds. Will be germinating them next!
Hi Bhagwad,
Instead of buckets you can use plastic gunny bags. They are more porous and healthy for your plants. I suggest you here how to use them. Take a plastic gunny bag, fill it with some sand at the bottom, then add left over of sugarcane juice. You will get this at any sugarcane juice vendor for almost free. This will give a lot of nutrients to your plants. Now fill some soil, then some more sugarcane stuff, then finally the soil. Now you are ready with your GAMLA for a plant-transplant…
In reply to Sajid
Great idea Sajid!
I've just planted some Tomato Tamina seeds and will keep your suggestion in mind when the time comes :)