TRANSPLANTERS

ASSISTING PLANTS IN NATURAL REGENERATION 

︎︎︎ What is transplanting?
Transplanting is the practice of transferring soil communities,
including seeds and microbes co-existing in the soil, to assist urban
vegetation in natural regeneration. In other words, transplanting soil
creates new possibilities to restore plant communities, that otherwise
would get lost, and makes space for plants for garden themselves
within urban environments.

︎︎︎ Why transplant?
Increasing urbanisation and continuous reconstruction of urban zones
often fail to plan for the maintenance of plant diversity. In Gent
(Belgium), areas with high biodiversity are endangered due to
construction work, whilst new public gardens are constructed with
soil, unfit for a diverse set of plants to grow spontaneously. This
creates a pattern, where human construction diminish biodiversity.

︎︎︎ How to transplant?
Soil from zones with high plant diversity are transplanted to zones
with degraded soils. The soil needed to inoculate a new garden is only
a small percentage of the garden area, but takes several years to fully
establish. Understanding the biotope of the transplanted soil and how it
matches the zone, the soil is transplanted to, is crucial for a
succesful transplantation.

︎︎︎ About
Transplanters is developed during an artist residency in Timelab,
Gent/Belgium (2023) and as the Master graduation project of Social
Designer Freja Kræmmer Nielsen from Design Academy Eindoven,
Netherlands (2023). The project is built on scientific research on
soil transplantation and hands-on experimentation in dialogue with
neighbors and local activist organisations of Dampoort, Gent.

︎︎︎ Email
TRANSPLANTERS

ASSISTING PLANTS IN NATURAL REGENERATION
Soil from zones with high plant diversity are transplanted to zones
with degraded soils. The soil needed to inoculate a new garden is only
a small percentage of the garden area, but takes several years to fully
establish. Understanding the biotope of the transplanted soil and how it
matches the zone, the soil is transplanted to, is crucial for a
succesful transplantation.

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02 SPONTANEOUS VEGETATION IN PAVEMENTS 

TRANSPLANTERS from frejakraemmer on Vimeo.



DEUS:   088/26812—81
REX-13: 978-0882681/283

TRANSPLANTERS from frejakraemmer on Vimeo.

Despite cities not being designed for plant needs, plants still naturally regenerate there. In the cracks of the pavements, by the tracks of the trains, in abandoned fields, and many other places, plants manage to spread their seeds and inhabit new habitats. 

In places often considered to be abandoned and where maintenance is kept to a low, plants have spread and accumulated seeds in soils over many years. The soils of such places often contain a diverse set of plants, despite it not always being obvious to the naked human eye. According to the city ecologist of Gent, the most successful way to create diverse ecosystems is through natural regeneration.  

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© Freja Kræmmer Nielsen
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Freja Kræmmer Nielsen