How To Boost Nutrition in Young Plant Transplants

Young plant transplants in black plastic trays | via AdobeStock

What are the best production practices to ensure young plants establish “strong roots and healthy shoots”? In a recent e-Gro Alert, Patrick Veazie and Brian E. Whipker of North Carolina State University cover young plant nutrition tips for growers to avoid “uneven growth, plant stall, and crop loss.”

Environmental Factors

The most common environmental factors that affect nutrient uptake, and thereby plant health, are humidity, moisture, and temperature.

One example of why and how is that high humidity is a factor in low vapor pressure deficit (VPD), which can prevent Calcium (Ca) absorption and transportation, thereby leading to effects of tip abortion and poor rooting.

Meanwhile, excess moisture in substrates, often from over-irrigation, can lead to iron (Fe) deficiency. Solutions to this problem include “dialing back the amount of water applied to the plants” and/or the application of a fertilizer containing iron.

Lastly, for a temperature example, “if plants are being grown in a cooler environment and with an overly saturated substrate,” phosphorus (P) deficiency can occur, leading to lower leaf purpling and plant stall, especially in young transplants.

Fertilizer Type

Veazie and Whipker state that “fertilizer selection can have a large impact on plant growth.” Therefore, when selecting a fertilizer for young plant production, growers should carefully consider the product’s nitrogen type and nutrient ratios.

Fertilizers with more ammoniacal nitrogen promote an increase in “plant stretch and lush growth” as acidic fertilizers, and those with more nitrate nitrogen promote “compact transplants” as basic fertilizers.

Fertilizer Rate

Fertilizing transplants should be implemented “once roots are developed and shoot growth is initiated,” starting with a low rate of fertility to prevent plant stalling. Then, as the transplants develop, the fertility rate should be increased “to meet growth requirements and promote active growth.”

Inadequate fertilizer application rates can lead to “overall chlorosis, slow rooting, and limited shoot development,” while unrestricted fertilizer application can lead to “plant stretch, resulting in weak cuttings.”

For additional information on best production practices regarding young plant transplants, please read the full e-Gro (Electronic Grower Resources Online) alert “Young Plant Nutrition Tips.” Additional and current e-Gro alert pieces from Volume 14 (2025) can be found online.