You're Probably Underwatering Your Seedlings—How Often You Should Actually Water Them (2024)

FAQs

How often should I water my seedlings? ›

Most seedlings require water every day or every other day. First, check the soil moisture using your finger by checking the soil color near the drainage hole. If the soil feels or appears dry or brittle, irrigate thoroughly until water pours out of the bottom of the tray, then stop.

Keep your soil moist, but try to avoid soaking it. As your plants' root systems develop, they will take up more water each day. Your potting mixture will also determine how well water drains from your system. Overwatering can also create soil conditions where small insects like fungus gnats thrive.

Discolored Leaves

Take a close look at the lower leaves on your plant. If your plant is under watered, the leaves will turn yellow then begin to curl around the edges. The edges will start to feel dry and brittle before falling off of your plant.

We recommend filling with enough water to cover the entire bottom of the tray with about a 1/2 inch, ideally in the morning when lights are in use. Return and check trays mid-afternoon until your plant's water needs are dialed in. If you completely overdid it, remove the top tray and drain out the excess.

Watering at night is not the best for your plants' leaves or overall health. Here's why. After a night time soak, leaves can stay wet for a pretty long time since they don't have the sun to dry them off. Because of this, damp leaves become extra vulnerable to fungal development.

The “water from below” method

Water is placed in the plastic or metal tray that the seed containers are sitting in. The water is soaked up through the bottom holes and into the soil mix. In my experience, you only need to fill the tray about a quarter to a third full of water.

Underwatered plants exhibit more distressing and pronounced symptoms than overwatering plants, such as drooping, yellow leaves, and dry foliage.

To determine if you are watering your seedlings enough, regularly check the moisture level of the soil. The soil should be consistently moist but not waterlogged.

Purplish or reddish leaves and stalled growth

Cause: Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for root development and when it is in short supply, the seedlings' growth stops and the veins in leaves can look like they are tinted purple or red.

The stems of leggy seedlings are typically pale and fragile.

These unhealthy seedlings have long, thin stems without much leaf growth. Healthy seedlings will be more sturdy with a deeper green color and bigger leaf development. Leggy seedlings are a sign that something isn't right.

Can dehydrated seedlings recover? ›

If the wilting is mild and caught early, your plant may start showing signs of recovery within a few days to a week after proper care is provided. This could include new growth, improved turgidity, and fewer signs of distress.

When plants are under watered, they can usually recover within a few hours after receiving water. If they are overwatered, this can cause roots to rot, and the recovery process will take much longer. If the plant leaves are wilting and still soft, they will likely recover after watering.

Seedlings need to be watered once a day, but that rule isn't written in stone. Depending on the growing conditions, some seedlings need a light spritz twice a day while others are fine being watered every other day. Overwatering, however, is just as detrimental to seedling health as lack of water.

While newly planted seeds can survive for one day without water, it's best to maintain a regular watering schedule to ensure optimal germination and growth.

Step 1: Irrigate the soil daily, at least twice a day, but possibly more. Try not to let the soil completely dry out. If your seed is planted in bare soil, do not soak or flood your lawn. When watering a new lawn, use just enough water to keep the soil moist at seed depth.

Many seed starters cover the container to keep soil moist until seeds germinate. Once seeds sprout, do not miss a watering. Unlike established plants, seedlings do not have an extensive root system they can rely on for vital moisture. At the same time, it is important not to overwater and let seedlings sit in water.

Too much water

While water is necessary for plants to survive, most plants prefer to have an opportunity to dry out their roots in between watering. Too much water leads to root rot, fungus and mold issues. Tender baby plants don't have very many roots or leaves, so a little rot can be devastating.

However, they are very sensitive and susceptible to extreme temperatures, light, and heat. Therefore, a seedling must be acclimatized properly before transferring into the open field or in direct sunlight. Hence, it can be said that direct sunlight can kill or destroy seedlings and it is advisable to avoid doing it.

While newly planted seeds can survive for one day without water, it's best to maintain a regular watering schedule to ensure optimal germination and growth.