Do not wreck young feeder roots at transplant

Water and minerals enter through young feeder roots and their hairs, not through the old woody core. That band lives just behind the growing tip and is replaced as the root ages.

Set transplants with the root ball intact. Avoid a concentrated fertilizer ring against the roots, a crust that the tip cannot pierce, and a hole that sits in water. Legume nodules and root fungi need that same living zone — they are covered in other series.

If a transplant stalls with wet soil and a yellow top, the feeder roots are the first place to look.

In this series

• Wilt is lost cell firmness — judge water by the plant, not only the soil
• Protect green leaf area; leaves feed fruit, seed, and roots
• Do not wreck young feeder roots at transplant
• Removing the tip releases side shoots
• Match the flower to how it is pollinated
• Families are field shortcuts; lookalikes can still be dangerous