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I notice that after transplanting vegetables, they're wilted and shocked during the day, but they relax and look healthy in the evening. Why?

I know the roots get disrupted by the transplanting, and that's why they can't support the previous amount of foliage. But do the effects differ based on light/ time of day?

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If the sun is out and they are in it, that will cause this problem; if the plants were not hardened off properly beforehand, that will have contributed to the issue. It will resolve as the roots extend themselves further over time, but you will need to keep them well watered, and if it is very hot and sunny, possibly provide some shade during the hottest part of the day (usually between 11-3) until they have grown on some.

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  • Thanks! Do you know why they wilt in the sun but not the shade? What's happening physiologically?
    – emersonthis
    Commented Jun 15, 2020 at 15:24
  • Plants transpire - that means they shed fluid through tiny stoma in their leaves. In sunlight, they will lose more fluid so the vascular tissues become floppy and the plants flop. Because they don't yet have enough root spread to support the topgrowth properly, that's why this happens. As they develop a better, bigger root system, the plant can cope. Any plant is only as good as its root system. Heat from the sun can also cause this problem, if uv levels are high, in seedlings or young plants.
    – Bamboo
    Commented Jun 15, 2020 at 15:59

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