Culture transplantation
From Triple Performance
Transplanting crops consists of growing the seedling under shelter (nursery, greenhouse) before planting it in open ground. The objectives are to:
- save time on growth (a transplanted plant starts faster than a seed that must germinate in the soil)
- secure germination
- better manage weeds
- improve the uniformity of the crop.
Transplanting in open ground
Procedure
Transplanting causes a halt in plant development for a few days, so it must be placed in the best conditions for its growth to resume properly. Seedlings can be classified into three categories according to the depth at which they should be buried:
- Collar-floating seedlings which should be barely buried (collar slightly above the soil) because they are sensitive to rot (lettuce, strawberry, beet, and artichoke for example)
- Seedlings with collar at soil level, that is buried up to the base of the first two leaves. This depth concerns the majority of seedlings.
- Seedlings with buried collar, in this case the collar and the first leaves of the seedling are buried (eggplant, chili pepper, leek, tomato, bell pepper, cabbage for example).
Timing
Transplanting is done when seedlings have 2-3 leaves and a suitable size to be strong enough to withstand the change of environment. Most often, it is done in spring for annual plants and in autumn for woody and perennial plants.
Advantages
- The transplanted crop is vigorous and developed, thus it captures water and nutrients before the weeds.
- The crop covers the soil more quickly which leaves less space and light for weeds.
- Seedlings are more robust and produce faster than direct sowing in open ground.
Disadvantages
- Requires a lot of labor.
- Transplanting can be a source of stress for the crops, so it must be done very carefully.
Agricultural systems adapted to transplanting
Transplanting is mainly used in:
- market gardening
- aromatic plants
- high value-added productions
Sources
- Agri-réseau. Production de transplants. [29/01/2026]. https://www.agrireseau.net/agriculturebiologique/documents/MARAI_Chapitre_6Production_transplants.pdf
- Roland Gerhards, Michael Spaeth, Alexandra Heyn et Marcus Saile. 2025. Sensor-Guided Mechanical Weed Control in Transplanted Lettuce and Cabbage. [29/01/2026]. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10343-025-01139-3
- Growsters. 2022. Repiquage : tout ce qu’il faut savoir. [29/01/2026]. https://growsters.fr/nos-articles/repiquage-tout-ce-quil-faut-savoir/#dropdown
