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When You Shouldn't Feed Seedlings: 4 Cases Gardeners Need to Know
07.01.2024 20:01
In order for seedlings to thrive and grow into healthy plants, they need a lot of attention. One of the most important aspects of seedling care is watering and fertilizing.
However, did you know that there are times when you should not feed your seedlings? In this article, we will tell you when you should not feed your seedlings.
Let's turn to the recommendations of the expert of the online publication "Belnovosti" and scientist-agronomist Anastasia Kovrizhnykh.
When the seedlings are too young
Feeding seedlings too early can do more harm than good, as they are not yet able to process nutrients. At first, seedlings get their nutrients from the seed itself.
Only when the seed supply is exhausted do the seedlings require additional nutrients. This usually occurs after the first set of true leaves have emerged, which is about two to three weeks after germination.
Fertilizing seedlings too early can cause nutrient burn, or what is also known as fertilizer burn.
Nutrient burn occurs when fertilizer salts accumulate in the growing medium, causing leaves to drop or wilt.
This can cause long-term damage to your seedlings, leading to poor plant growth, susceptibility to disease, and even death. So before you feed young seedlings, make sure they are mature enough to handle the fertilizer.
When your seedlings are dormant
If you are growing seedlings indoors, you need to take seasonal changes into account. During colder times of the year, such as winter, growth rates tend to slow down and seedlings may go into dormancy. Dormancy is a state of rest where plants become inactive to conserve energy.
During the dormant period, seedlings practically do not need additional feeding, since their metabolic rate is significantly lower.
Feeding dormant seedlings can result in a buildup of unnecessary nutrients that the plants cannot use, which can lead to nutrient burn. Therefore, hold off on feeding seedlings until signs of new growth appear.
When your seedlings are under stress
Seedling stress can be caused by a variety of factors such as overwatering, underwatering, pest attacks, extreme temperatures and diseases.
If your seedlings are stressed, they may not be able to absorb and utilize fertilizers effectively. This can lead to nutrient buildup and, as a result, burn.
It is important to allow stressed seedlings to recover before feeding them with nutrients.
Proper pest control, temperature control, and disease prevention techniques can help reduce seedling stress.
Once the seedlings have recovered and are actively growing, resume feeding them with nutrients.
When your soil is already rich in nutrients
It is important to note that feeding seedlings with more nutrients than necessary will not necessarily result in better plant growth. In fact, overfeeding seedlings can cause more harm than good.
Before deciding whether or not to feed your seedlings, check the nutrient levels in your growing medium.
If your soil is already rich in nutrients, adding more may burn them out. You can test the nutrient levels in your soil with a soil testing kit.
In conclusion, it should be noted that knowing when not to feed seedlings is no less important than knowing when to feed them.
Fertilizing seedlings too early, when they are dormant, stressed, or when the soil is already rich in nutrients, can lead to nutrient burn. Make sure to consider the factors discussed in this article to ensure that your seedlings grow into healthy plants.
Earlier we wrote about why you can sow seedlings as early as January.
