transplant shock ... ????

putting them in the sun after messing with the roots...

not many facts here ...

how did you transplant.. and what did you do with them after

ken

i did put them in a place which gets morning sun for 1-2 hrs.
it came in a black plastic cover. i cut the cover with a scissor and removed the root ball along with the soil. there were 4-5 stems coming from the soil alomst from the same place. i loosened the soil and repotted it in a home-steriled soil in a washed container.
it was ok for the first few days. but one day, i saw some slimy liquid on top of it. the next day i saw a slug on another plant and i removed it. after that, there was no slimy liquid on it. but it did have some mealy bugs. i carefully removed them with a small brush.
but still they are turning brown.
I just don't know what is wrong with it and how to save it?

Cosmos don't like their roots disturbed. It sounds like they were dreadfully crowded in the pot too. Add slug eggs, and you have a disaster. Try starting your own transplants from seed. Plant only one or two seeds per cell (in a 6 pack). Once they have 3 to 5 sets of leaves, harden them off and then gently set them into the WARM ground and water immediately. I have started a couple flats of them this year outside. By watering daily, they came right up and won't require hardening off before setting out.