You got the seeds to germinate and have been fussing over those seedlings for weeks. Keeping them from drying out or getting too wet, as well as from curious pets and “helpful” kids. Now it’s time to plant those plant babies. !.
This post will tell you everything you need to know to move your seedlings without them missing a beat!
It can be disheartening when seedlings you’ve lovingly raised indoors or in the greenhouse start falling over after being transplanted outside. The tiny plants you nurtured for weeks are suddenly limp, floppy and prostrate just when they should be taking off in their new home.
If your seedlings are collapsing and laying over after transplant, don’t give up hope. There are several potential causes and solutions to revive your fallen seedlings and get them growing strong.
Why Are My Transplanted Seedlings Falling Over?
There are a few key reasons tender young seedlings may fail to stand upright and start falling over after being moved from indoors or the greenhouse to outdoor garden soil:
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Cold temperature shock – If transplanted too early when soil is still cold sensitive seedling roots can be damaged causing stunting and collapse.
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Lack of hardening off – Seedlings grown indoors need gradual acclimation to sun, wind and temperature changes before transplanting.
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Disturbed roots – Carefully handled root balls are less likely to fall over Roots broken and damaged during transplant are vulnerable
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Leggy growth – Seedlings grown in low light conditions can become tall and leggy with weak stems unable to support the top heavy plant.
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Fast growing crops – Quickly growing vegetables like tomatoes and squash are prone to temporary floppiness until establishing stronger stems
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Pests or disease – Root rot, stem rot, cutworms, slugs and other pests can attack seedling stems and roots, causing collapse.
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Under or overwatering – Too much or too little moisture right after transplant can shock roots and cause seedling wilt.
How To Fix Flopped Over Seedlings
Don’t give up on your toppled over veggie seedlings. With some TLC, they can recover and grow strong. Follow these tips:
Check For Pests and Disease
Rule out any visible insect, slug or cutworm damage. Check roots and stems for signs of rot or other disease and treat if found. Remove any visibly damaged parts.
Protect From Cold and Wind
Shield tender seedlings from temperature extremes and wind with cloches, row covers or garden fabric. Provide afternoon shade if hot.
Water Thoroughly
Gently soak the root zone after transplant and provide consistent moisture. Don’t overwater or roots may rot.
Stake For Support
Use bamboo stakes, twigs or toothpicks to prop up collapsed seedlings and give stems a chance to strengthen.
Prune As Needed
Carefully prune off any broken, severely damaged or extra leafy parts to reduce stress on the stem.
Treat With Seaweed Extract
Watering with diluted seaweed extract provides nutrients and compounds that help reduce transplant shock.
Allow Time To Adjust
Wait 1-2 weeks before intervening. Many seedlings need time to overcome shock and establish new roots before regaining vigor.
With proper aftercare, your little plants should perk back up within a couple weeks as the roots recover and adjust to their new environment. Don’t be surprised if you lose some – transplanting is stressful. But the majority of healthy seedlings will power through with time.
Why Seedling Stems Weaken After Transplanting
Understanding why seedlings often have trouble standing tall right after being moved outside can help you prevent and treat the issue. Here are some key reasons tender young transplants are prone to flopping over:
Temperature Shock
Seedlings grown indoors or in greenhouses experience warm, stable temperatures. Moving outside – even if hardened off – exposes them to variable day/night temps and potential cold shock from frost or cold snaps. If roots suffer cold damage, the plant will wilt and stems weaken.
Disturbed Roots
Carefully digging up and transplanting seedlings tries to preserve the root ball. But some root damage is inevitable. Broken and disturbed roots have trouble taking up moisture and nutrients, causing stress.
Loss Of Humidity
Indoors and greenhouse air stays warmer and more humid than outdoor conditions. The lower humidity outside causes faster moisture loss from leaves, which can overwhelm damaged roots.
Acclimation To Sun
Even when hardened off, seedlings struggle to adjust to full, direct sun. Stressed plants temporarily lose rigidity until adapting to the harsher light levels.
Rapid Growth
Fast-growing vegetables like tomatoes, squash and cucumbers outpace the strengthening of their stems. Their heavy foliage and rapid growth after transplanting makes them prone to temporary floppiness.
Immature Plant Structure
Most seedlings are small and lack well-developed stems and strong roots needed to physically support themselves before transplant shock. This changes as they establish and mature.
With extra care immediately after transplanting, the majority of your seedlings should gain strength in their stems and stand tall again within 1-2 weeks.
How To Prevent Seedlings From Falling Over After Transplanting
While some post-transplant floppiness is often unavoidable, you can take key steps during seed starting and the hardening off process to give your seedlings their best chance of staying upright after going in the ground:
Start with high quality seeds – Healthy seeds from reputable sources produce robust seedlings. Old, cheap seeds often grow weak, prone to disease.
Follow optimal growing conditions – Provide consistent moisture, temperatures, light and nutrition to grow strong seedlings.
Allow adequate spacing – Avoid overcrowding which causes leggy, etiolated seedlings lacking sturdy stems.
Use grow lights – If starting indoors, LED grow lights provide better quality light than a sunny window alone.
Harden off properly – Gradually expose seedlings to outdoor conditions over 7-10 days before transplanting.
Time it right – Wait to transplant until after your last frost date when soil has warmed.
Water well after transplant – Soak the root zone thoroughly immediately after transplant and as needed the first week.
Protect from wind and sun – Use cloches, cold frames or fabric row covers to shield seedlings after transplanting.
Handle roots gently – Avoid disturbing roots during transplant. Water plants well before removing from trays.
Plant a little deep – Set seedlings slightly deeper than they were growing to help support stems.
Use seaweed fertilizer – Diluted seaweed extract strengthens cell structure and helps reduce shock.
Be patient – Allow 1-2 weeks for recovery and new growth before taking drastic measures with a struggling seedling.
Staking Flopped Seedlings For Recovery
If your seedlings are already laid over but still alive, provide mechanical support to get them back on their feet. Here are some options:
Toothpicks – Use 2 toothpicks per seedling placed on either side of the stem to prop it up.
Chopsticks – Mini bamboo plant stakes are perfect for staking small seedlings.
Twigs or sticks – Look for sturdy but slender sticks that can be pushed into the ground on either side of the seedling.
Plastic or bamboo plant stakes – These wider stakes help hold up larger transplants like tomato seedlings.
String or garden twine – Make a criss-cross net between short stakes to support collapsed seedlings.
Wire hoops and row cover – Create a covered tunnel to support seedlings using hoops and fabric row cover.
Cut drinking straws – Slit drinking straws lengthwise to make soft mini plant ties that won’t damage tender stems.
Remove stakes once seedlings regain their strength and stand tall on their own in 1-3 weeks. The protection and support provided by staking gives struggling transplants time to recover without breaking or suffering further damage.
Be Patient With Stressed Seedlings
It’s worrying to see your once thriving little seedlings collapse and flop over when you transplant them from the comfortable indoor environment to the harsh realities of the great outdoors.
But resist the urge to constantly intervene or make extreme changes trying to revive them. Most vegetable and flower seedlings simply need 1-2 weeks to adjust to their new soil environment before they start actively growing again.
Keep your foliage pruning and other interventions minimal. Avoid applying strong fertilizer as it can damage tender roots. Focus on maintaining moist soil, protection from sun/wind, and general plant health.
With a little time and TLC, you should see most toppled over seedlings regain their vigor. Just have patience – transplanting is a shock, but with proper aftercare, most young plants will recover and thrive. The ones that continue declining likely had underlying issues and would not have survived long anyway.
Have hope for your floppy transplants, and they’ll reward you with stronger stems and healthy plants established in their permanent garden space. Pay close attention next year during seed starting and hardening off to raise even more robust, resilient seedlings.
T-Stick and String Line
For the first couple of seasons on our new property, we were still setting up irrigation and opening up growing beds. That time of year, planting season, would come while my husband was busy with taxes. I had to plant plants and fill orders.
We had to compormise.
A T-stick and string line were not ideal, but they let us plant with or without drip irrigation in place. If the drip tape wasn’t put down, the plants were placed so that they wouldn’t get in the way of easily putting it down afterward.
The “T-Stick” is made up of two pieces of scrap wood. The widest part of the T is the growing bed, and that’s where we marked our spacing. Then, we put baling twin across the middle of the row to keep the T-Stick in the middle. We had a measuring tape along the edge of the growing bed so that we could space out the seedlings.
Now, this method worked in a pinch. One bad thing is that setting up the center string line to start planting can take a while. Another problem is that the line moves when the wind picks up, which can make it hard to keep the T-Stick in the middle.
Seedling Size for Transplant
There is not a technical “best size” for transplant.
The seedling size being able to handle transplanting will depend on:
- Variety needs
- Weed and Pest Pressure
- Soil Type and Watering Infrastructure
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FAQ
Do seedlings recover from transplant shock?
Is it normal for plants to droop after transplant?
How do you fix limp seedlings?
Do seedlings Wilt after transplanting?
Most seedlings will wilt after transplanting, and that’s entirely normal. If you see your small plants wilting or yellowing, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve done something wrong. What’s important is that they pull through. Most plants will recover from transplant shock, and the main sign of recovery is new growth.
Are some plants more prone to transplant shock?
Some plants are more prone to transplant shock than others. Plants get transplant shock when the roots are disturbed in the transplanting process, causing stress to the seedling. Don’t start these plants indoors. Instead, direct seed them in the garden. Be sure they are not in danger.
What should I do if my seedlings Wilt after a transplant?
If at any point during the transplant, the plant’s roots become dry, it will cause major wilting and shock. Immediately after transplanting, give your seedlings a good drink of water and continue to water them throughout the first week. Watering your seedlings is the single best thing you could do to ease the transplant shock.
Can transplant shock kill off seedlings?
Transplant shock may be unavoidable, but it doesn’t have to get very dramatic. There are plenty of things you could do to prevent transplant shock from killing off your seedlings entirely. Pay attention to how you handle your plants from their life indoors or in the greenhouse to their new home outside. 1. Don’t skip hardening off
Can seedlings be transplanted too early?
However, seedlings can also be transplanted too early. Generally, you’ll want seedlings to have at least two pairs of true leaves before transplanting outside. The first leaves to appear when a seed germinates are called cotyledons or seed leaves and typically don’t resemble normal leaves of the plant.
Should I transplant seedlings before the first frost?
You don’t want to transplant seedlings ahead of the first frost if they are cold-sensitive, and you don’t want to plant cool-season crops just as the weather warms up. Another factor to consider is whether you want to place them outdoors or into a container indoors. Let’s cover a few tips to help you determine if the time is right.