Transplanting Arabidopsis to Pots

Ben Carter, 9/24/2014

Soil Preparation

 * 1) Add the following to a large autoclave tray: ten 1L scoops of Sun Gro Redi-earth Plug and Seedling soil, 20mL of Scott's Osmocote Plus fertilizer, and 15mL of Marathon 1% granular insecticide. Mix by hand.
 * 2) Wet the soil using cold tap water and mix. The final soil consistency should be damp and springy and will release a small amount of water when squeezed tightly. Sandy soil needs more water and soggy soil has too much water.
 * 3) Obtain a black plastic 15-well flat and fill it with pots. Note: seedlings transplanted to the rear-most row of the flat do not grow as well due to the ventilation in the growth chambers. If convenient, omit this row.
 * 4) Fill a pot full of the damp soil mix. Use your knuckles to pack the soil down into a firm bottom layer. Top off the pot with loose soil and brush off excess soil to create a flat soil surface at the level of the pot's opening. Repeat this process for all desired pots.

Transplanting

 * 1) Prepare a white plastic tag with the following information for each pot: serial number, genotype, plate media type, date plated, date transplanted, your initials.
 * 2) Remove the first soil-filled pot from the flat and place a tag label in the front facing outward. Using the blunt end of forceps, make 1" deep holes in the soil for the seedlings. We use three rows of three holes for a total of nine plants per pot.
 * 3) Remove the tape and the lid from the selected plate of seedlings. Place the teeth of the forceps under the leaves of a seedling and gently lift it from the plate medium. Do not squeeze as pinching the seedling will kill it! Place the seedling in the first hole in the soil and gently enclose the roots with the surrounding soil. Remove the forceps. Repeat until all soil holes have been filled and place the pot back on the flat.
 * 4) Repeat Step 3 until all of the desired pots have been filled.

Moisture Equilibration

 * 1) Remove a pot from the flat. Tear of a piece of Reynold's Food Service Film to approximately 1' x 1' in area. Place the film over the pot and twist it firmly around the sides to create a moisture-trapping pocket for the plants. Place the pot back in the flat and repeat for all pots.
 * 2) Place the flat in a growth chamber basin and water by flooding the roots as per normal. After removing the water, leave the seedlings overnight.
 * 3) Lift the corner of the film on the pots to begin acclimating the seedlings to the ambient humidity of the growth chamber. Leave the seedlings overnight.
 * 4) Remove the film from the pots.