Getting strong seedlings that transition well to outside and transplant well into the garden can be tricky. Here are a few tips I use to grow strong seedlings.
Don’t Over Water Seedlings
Overwatering plants can cause them to be very weak. Plants need roots to be strong and hold them into the ground, if a plant doesn’t have strong roots it will be hard for it to survive.
Only water the plants when the dirt is dry, but not desert dry. Make sure more than just the top layer of dirt is dry though. You want the roots to have to grow to reach water and if you always keep the dirt wet they will have no reason to grow further.
Overwatering seedlings also promotes diseases and causes the seedlings not to be able to get all the oxygen they need because the dirt is too wet for them to breathe.
When you do water your seedlings, give them a good soaking. Water them a couple of times if you need to, to get the dirt good and wet.
To Grow Strong Seedlings They Need Light
Seedlings need light to grow, without adequate light they will grow very slowly, or even not at all. They also may be very pale in color and grow tall, but not very strong.
Keeping seedlings by a sunny window is best for them. If you don’t have a sunny window, putting them under a grow light can help, but artificial light is never as good as sunlight. Get them outside on warm sunny days when you can to help them get the light they need.
Get The Seedlings Outside
If you are starting your seeds indoors it is important to make sure they get outside to grow strong seedlings. Especially in the last few weeks before you transplant them.
Putting your seedlings outside helps get them used to the sun and wind which makes them a lot stronger. Even if you have your plants by a sunny window and have a fan on them sometimes it is not the same as being outside. The sun outside is stronger and more beneficial for them outside than it is through a window.
On warm days with a slight breeze put your seedlings in a safe place out in the sun for a few hours. You will not want to leave them outside all day at first as that will likely shock them and kill them. Always bring them in before it gets cold in the evenings.
Take your seedlings outside every day for the last few weeks before you transplant them to the garden and leave them out there for longer every day. After they have been out for several days in a row all day, leave them out overnight.
Always make sure that the plants are in a safe place, especially if you have free-range animals on your property. Once I thought I had my seedlings high enough so my geese couldn’t get them, but I did not. The geese ate all but 4 of my seedlings and it was too late to replant so I had to buy all my plants after doing all the work to grow them.
Transplant Them As The Seedlings Grow
In order to grow strong seedlings you will need to transplant them. Keeping plants in containers that are too small for them will prevent them from growing much at all.
If your plants look too big for their pots and aren’t really growing, they probably are too big and should be transplanted. Move them to a larger pot and they will likely start growing again.
I often plant two or more seeds (depending on the size of my pot in each cell when I plant them. Then several weeks later I will go back through and separate them into larger pots to give them more room to grow.
Make Sure They Have Air Circulation
Air circulation is important to grow strong seedlings. This is especially important if you keep them in a closed room or greenhouse inside. Air circulation helps to prevent fungal infections and rot and helps them to grow strong.
If the seedlings are by a window and it’s breezy opening it for at least a few hours a day can be helpful.
If you don’t have a window to open or it is too cold out, putting an oscillating fan by them for a few hours a day will work as well.
The air movement from the fan or window will help to strengthen the stems and roots of the seedlings, helping to prepare them for the wind outside.
Other Things To Note To Grow Strong Seedlings
Sometimes even making sure the plants have everything they need isn’t enough. Sometimes for some unexplained reason, they won’t grow or thrive and you end up having to start all over again or buying plants anyway.
This year (2024) for some reason my lettuce, and some tomatoes grow great till a certain point and then just fall over and die. I can’t figure out why, my peppers are growing great and not a single one has died, but the rest of the plants are having problems.
What tricks do you use to grow strong seedlings? Let me know in the comments below!
Leave a Reply