8 Signs Your Seedlings Are In Trouble

In many ways, nurturing seedlings is a lot like parenting. It requires love, attentiveness, and lots of patience (a good sense of humor doesn't hurt either). To keep your seedlings healthy, you need to learn to recognize when they are sick. Here are eight signs your seeds are in trouble and what may be causing it.

1. Seeds fail to germinate.

Possible Causes:

• Temperature is too hot or too cold.
• Seeds are planted too deeply or not deeply enough (they may need more contact with soil).
• Your growing medium was allowed to dry out.
• The seeds are old or improperly stored.
• Damping off disease (seeds rotted in soil).
• Improper light (some seeds require light or darkness to germinate).

2. Seedlings fall over or start to decay at soil level.

This may be a sign of damping off disease (organisms attacking seeds and young plants). Once plants have been afflicted, reviving them is not possible.

Possible Causes:

• Soil not sterilized.
• Dirty growing containers.
• Improperly spaced seedlings.
• Poor air circulation.
• Excessive moisture.
• Stress from low light or cool temperatures.

3. Leaves start to curl under.

Possible Causes:

• Too much light.
• Over fertilization.

4. Growth appears stunted or dwarfed.

Possible Causes:

• Poor soil fertility.
• Low temperatures.

5. Seedlings have pale, or discolored leaves.

Possible Causes:

• Insufficient lighting.
• Fertilizer burn.
• Excessive watering.
• Nutrient deficiency (nitrogen and phosphorus)

6. Seedlings have leggy, spindly growth.

Possible Causes:

• Insufficient light.
• Overcrowding of seedlings.
• Too much fertilizer.
• Temperatures too high.
• Excessive watering.

7. Seedlings have poorly developed roots (as seen when transplanting).

Possible Causes:

• Poor drainage.
• Low soil fertility.
• Damage from fertilizer salts.
• Low temperatures.
• Compacted soil (lack of air space in growing medium).

8. Moss or mold is taking over your growing medium.

Possible Causes:

• Lack of air circulation.
• Excessive moisture.