Every stage of a plant's life cycle is an opportunity for growth and learning for both the plant and the cultivator. The journey is filled with challenges and rewards from seed to harvest. But what happens when, early in this journey, the optimistic green tips of your tender young cannabis seedlings start to droop and eventually topple over? It's not the latest trend in plant yoga, that's for sure! Drooping and falling over are common seedling problems.
If you’ve experienced this phenomenon and don’t know why it happens, what to do, or how to avoid it, this article aims to shed some light on the subject. With a bit of know-how, you can dodge this bullet with relative ease.
The Vulnerability of Cannabis Seedlings
In the plant world, the seedling stage is equivalent to the toddler stage in humans. It's a crucial period where the seedlings are transitioning from tiny, fragile beings, reliant on the nutrients stored in their seeds, to stronger, more robust plants that can gather solar energy and soil nutrients. It's also a stage where they are particularly vulnerable to environmental stressors, pests, and diseases.
Given the weak nature of the developing plant, it doesn’t take too much to derail growth. The good news is that plants can be surprisingly resilient in the face of mishaps, and proper care and intervention can save your seedlings from succumbing to inevitable snags.
Why Proper Care for Seedlings is Crucial
Just as a human child's growth and development can be influenced by the care and nurture they receive, the same is true for plant seedlings. Once germination has occurred and your plants enter the seedling stage, you must be ready to become hands-on. This phase sets the foundation for the overall health and productivity of the plant. Thus, understanding and catering to the needs of cannabis seedlings can significantly affect the success of your cultivation endeavour.
Why Do Cannabis Seedlings Fall?
There are several reasons why your cannabis seedlings may be leaning more towards a dramatic Shakespearean death scene than standing tall like the Eiffel Tower. We’ll look at common causes and discuss preventative measures and troubleshooting solutions.
Toppling and leggy seedlings are a sign of plant stress and should be taken seriously. When you see that tell-tale droop, it indicates that the plant is either getting too much or not enough of something. But how do you tell precisely what? Running a series of environmental checks is the best way to get to the root (sorry) of the problem.
Overwatering
In a well-intended act of love and attention, many novice cannabis cultivators tend to overwater their seedlings. Remember, while water is crucial for plants, too much love can drown your little green friends. Overwatering can result in waterlogged soil and poor oxygenation, causing the roots to suffocate and rot, leading to a weak and limp plant.
Insufficient Light
Light is essential to plant growth, so seedlings crave it. But a lack of light can result in "stretching," where the seedlings grow tall and spindly as they reach for the light source. While stretching is a desirable part of vegetative growth, experiencing this during the seedling stage is far more problematic. This kind of sprouting results in weak, unstable stems that are more likely to fall over, in other words, toppled plants.
It occurs as part of the plant’s natural defence system. When the seedling senses there’s not enough light, it will use much of its energy to stretch to find it. It’s as if the plant is trying to out-compete surrounding plants to become tall enough to win first place in the fight for survival – even though there may be no surrounding plants to vie with. This brings us nicely to our second potential cause for toppling seedlings.
Incorrect Plant Spacing
You don’t want to get spaced out until after harvest, but your plants want to get spaced out from the seedling stage! If you situate your plants too close to each other, they may begin the competitive stretching mentioned above as they fight for supremacy. Plants are surprisingly intelligent, and if they sense the presence of other leaves in their space, they’ll start to hustle for that all-important light.
Temperature Issues
While it’s true cannabis plants thrive in warm conditions, too much heat can be detrimental. The higher the temperature, the longer the stems. For example, once your environment hits around 80F, seedlings will begin stretching and falling over, and you may notice leaves curling up at the edges.
Poor Soil Structure
The soil is not just a place for the plant to stand; it's also a source of nutrients and a home for beneficial microbes. Poor soil structure can lead to compacted soil that restricts root growth and limits the amount of water and nutrients the plant can access. This can result in weak, undernourished seedlings more likely to topple over.
The Wrong Nitrogen
It’s common knowledge among experienced cannabis growers that nitrogen is one of the essential nutrients for plants. However, not all nitrogen is created equally. Nitrate-derived nitrogen will help plants grow bushy, but ammoniacal nitrogen is harder for roots to absorb. This can lead to a lack of sturdiness in your plants, which can, in turn, cause seedlings to fall over.
While it’s true that plants in the seedling stage don’t need much by way of nutrients, if they can’t properly access the moderate doses of nutes they receive, it can trigger the kind of stress response that leads to weakened stems and drooping.
Solutions to Prevent Cannabis Plant Seedling Collapse
Fortunately, the case of the toppling seedlings is not an unsolvable mystery. Here are some preventative measures to ensure your seedlings stand tall and proud.
Water Wisely
Goldilocks had it right when it came to porridge, and she wouldn’t have made a bad gardener either. The amount of water your seedlings need is not too little, not too much, but just right. Ensure the soil is moist but not waterlogged, and always check the top layer before watering again.
Allow Fans To Attend
Air circulation is essential for cannabis plants, even at the seedling stage. Introduce one or two small fans to facilitate good circulation, strengthen stems, and allow thicker growth.
Light it Right
The issue of drooping seedlings is generally more of a problem for indoor growers. Growing outdoors in direct sunlight tends to be less problematic in terms of toppling seedlings unless you’re growing at the wrong time of year with short daylight hours.
Provide your seedlings with enough artificial light without burning them. If you're growing indoors, consider using full-spectrum grow lights. They provide the full range of light plants need to grow and should be placed close enough to prevent the seedlings from stretching but not so close that they burn the plants. Start with low lights between five to seven inches above your plants, and monitor daily for signs of light burn. If you see any indications of this, raise the lights slightly.
You also have to strike the right balance with hours of light, as too much can also stress your seedlings. Resist the temptation to put your seedlings into 24 hours of light, and instead opt for a healthier 16 hours, giving them some important nap time.
Quality Soil For Strong Seedlings
Invest in high-quality potting soil with good drainage and packed with nutrients (or make your own from these recipes). Your plants will thank you for it by growing strong and healthy. After all, a good home is the first step to a good life, and for healthy seedlings, that home is the potting soil.
Avoid Damping Off
Damping off is a fungal disease caused by several pathogens, such as pythium and fusarium. These can weaken young plants and may even lead to seedlings dying. To prevent damping off, start your seeds in a sterile seed starting mix, and make sure your containers have good drainage. Keeping a good airflow around your seedlings can also prevent the conditions that cause damping off.
Raise The Stakes
Providing a little plant support is helpful, even at this stage. You can DIY some home-make seedlings stakes using something as simple as drinking straws or even pencils.
While seeing your cannabis seedlings fall over can be disheartening, understanding why it happens and knowing how to prevent this and other common problems can make all the difference. Remember, every good cultivator has had their fair share of plant dramas. So don’t worry if you stumble (or topple over) on your path to cultivating success. Just stand back up, dust off the soil, and keep growing!
While seeing your cannabis seedlings fall over can be disheartening, understanding why it happens and knowing how to prevent this and other common problems can make all the difference. Remember, every good cultivator has had their fair share of plant dramas. So don’t worry if you stumble (or topple over) on your path to cultivating success. Just stand back up, dust off the soil, and keep growing!
