Most of the time, if you sow seeds and give them reasonable growing conditions, you’ll end up with quite decent results. On the other hand, when things go wrong, they usually do so very quickly, so always keep a close eye on your seedlings, ready to give them a helping hand at a moment’s notice.

Here are some situations you may encounter with young seedlings along with an explanation of what to do to help them recover.

Problem	Explanation	Solution
Poor or no germination.	Seeds unviable or of poor quality; poor growing conditions; soil allowed to fully dry out	Buy fresh seeds; improve conditions; keep soil evenly moist during whole germination process
Seedlings wilt, soil dry	Lack of water	Water gently, but deeply; if seedlings recover, keep soil moist in the future; if not, resow
Seedlings wilt, pinched at the base	Damping off (fungal disease)	Use fresh seedling mix; avoid soil from garden for indoor sowing; improve ventilation
Indoor seedlings leggy and pale green	Lack of light	Give seedlings better light: sunny window or artificial lighting
Indoor seedlings leggy and dark green	Too hot	Reduce night temperature
Small black flies present	Fungus gnats	Rarely cause much damage, but can carry diseases. Allowing soil to dry a little longer between waterings will kill larvae
Outdoor seedlings cut off at the base	Cutworms	Insert tin can with bottom removed around unaffected seedlings to serve as a barrier; harvest cutworm by hand (will be hiding in the ground at the base of its victims)
Leaves eaten on seedlings outdoors	Various insects, slugs, etc.	Hand pick slugs or apply slug bait; treat insects with insecticidal soap. Sometimes you have to resow
Seedlings blackened after a cold night	Frost damage	Resow