transplant worries....

[badness]

well it seems that i need to transplant a 8 week old plant into different dirt due to ph issues and i am a little worried about the whole procedure. are there any issues i need to worry about or cetain things i need to make sure of? it is below freezing here where i live so i am going to do it indoors, thanks.

[BKKG]

The general advice that you see around here is really all that you need. I sympathize with you though, my first transplant was a harrowing and nerve-wracking experience. Here's what I recommend for the flush/transplant (you should flush your plant, even though you didn't mention it, if there's a pH issue):

1. Prepare the new pot with adequate soil, and scoop out a little depression in it for the plant to move into.
2. VERY CAREFULLY take some soil out of the current pot, and be cautious not to damage the root ball of your plant. When enough dirt is removed that you can see the root ball clearly, gently lift the plant out (and if the stem isn't very strong, try to support it with a free hand).
3. Pour your new, correct-pH water over the root ball into a waste container (or the old pot), making sure that the water moves through all of the soil for a couple of seconds.
4. Gently deposit the root ball into the new soil, making sure that the depression you made is deep enough to accomodate the roots as well as a small amount of the stem, to make sure that the plant stays upright and the stem doesn't snap.
5. Place your plants back into their grow environment and don't feed them any nutes for at least a week. Water if the soil becomes completely dried out, but avoid doing so sooner.
6. You won't know if the transplant was a success until 7-10 days after you do it, but if the leaves are perky and not drooping it's a good sign.

That's how I handled my transplants, and everything turned out just fine. I even severely damaged the roots of one plant, so she took longer to recover, but eventually she did. It'll be scary to do this for the first time, but you'll be alright.