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It’s officially one week after your seed germinated! It’s the seedling stage, and your seed is well on its way to growing into a healthy cannabis plant! Proper care for your seedling during the first week is critical. It’s the delicate phase when it explores its growing environment for nutrients and resources, but too much or too little of it can quickly make your seedling die off before it starts growing. Finding the right balance will help you transition your seedling from self-sustained to an environment optimized for growth. Here’s what to expect during the seedling’s first week and proper care for it at this stage.

What You’ll See in the Seedling’s First Week

The seedling stage is the second stage in the plant’s growth cycle. The germination stage comes before and can take up to 10 days. You’re already at least one week into the growing process by the time you’re managing your seedling during its first week. The seedling phase lasts approximately 1-2 weeks. It’s key to establish good growing habits and the right environment for the seed during this brief period. It determines the success of your cultivation as it continues to the vegetative stage.

How do you know your cannabis seed has reached the seedling stage? It’s when you’ll start to see the actual plant growing, so visual cues are important to ensure your seedling is growing correctly. A healthy seedling is:

• Measures a few centimeters tall and is emerging from the soil
• Vibrant green color
• Strong stem
• A set of cotyledon leaves (pre-leaves)

Earlier in the week, you may see the seedling with the seed shell still attached to the top. As it progresses, the first two cannabis leaves will begin to develop. If you’re growing popular autoflower strains like our White Choco Autoflower and Exotic Purple Autoflower, these seed types grow faster and may already begin showing signs of growing leaves.

Caring for your Week-Old Seedling

Now that you know what your tiny cannabis plant looks like during its first week as a seedling, it’s time to make sure you’re giving it the proper care to keep growing. Treat your cannabis plant like a newborn. It’s fragile, requires attention, is dependent, and is like a sponge for everything that comes around it. Growers must be aware of the growing environment and what they give the plant for healthy growing. Here’s how to optimize both.

Replanting your seedling

The seedling’s roots begin developing during the seedling phase. By this point, your seedling should already be in a growing medium—starter plugs or a smaller cup separate from your main growing pot. For autoflower seeds, the fast-growing roots are better suited for the main pot, even just a week into the seedling phase. It allows the roots more space to grow to support the growing plant.

Set the right climate

Seedlings like a warm, humid climate around 20-25°C (68-77°F). It’s slightly cooler than the germination stage, so be prepared to lower the temperature a notch at the first sign of your seedling. Humidity should remain between 60% and 70% to keep the air and soil moist enough.

The best lighting practices for a seedling

Light plays several roles for the seedling. For indoor growers, your grow lights must mimic the effects of the sun to provide:

• Warmth – heat from your lights contributes to the overall temperature in your growing tent
• Orientation – seedlings orient themselves in the ground for the roots to grow downward based on the light source.
• Optimal growing light schedule – Hardening off is the process of gradually phasing your seedling to the 18 hours/6 hours dark schedule using incremental changes over several days
• Climate control – Warm lights help dry the soil to avoid staying too damp

To match the sun’s light intensity, your grow lights should be set to a PPFD range of 200-400. Physically raising and lowering the lights also affects the intensity.

Watering your seedling plant

Be gentle with watering a young seedling. After one week, the roots are still very early in developing and don’t need much water. Spray a light mist of water onto the topsoil. Spray around the seedling to avoid damaging the fragile plant with water pressure. It also trains the roots to begin growing outward. Alternatively, use the bottom-up method for absorbing water from a drainage tray. Clean, distilled water with a pH of 7 is recommended.

Signs of an Unhealthy Seedling

Carefully monitor your seedling plant during the first week to ensure it’s growing correctly. Early changes in growth patterns can affect the plant’s health as it matures. Here are some common signs to look for that may signal an unhappy, unhealthy seedling:

The seedling is bent over – the stem is weak, and the seedling isn’t getting enough resources to grow. It may be suffering from underwatering.

Slow growth – If your seedling is stuck in its tiny form and the leaves haven’t developed yet, there may be an issue with the roots. Root rot is caused by overwatering and overly damp soil.

Stretching – the seedling is stretching towards the grow lights to receive more light. Solve this issue by physically lowering your grow lights. A comfortable height is 15 to 25 centimeters (6 to 10 inches) above the top of the seedling. Learn more about seedling stretch prevention.

AG cannabis seeds have a reputation for sprouting healthy seedlings. Use these tips for caring for the seedling during the first week and stay on track for a healthy cannabis plant.