Does your seedling have true leaves?

Find the new leaves, then check what your seedling needs next.

Broadleaf seedling schematic. Leaf shape and seed-leaf count vary by plant.

What can you see?

Keep watching the new growth

The first leaves are cotyledons, or seed leaves. Look for the next leaves above or between them. Keep the mix moist and give the seedlings suitable light.

Use the plant's seed-packet guidance too. A leaf count alone does not decide when to plant outdoors.

Before you pot up

For seedlings that need their own container or more growing room:

I can see true leaves above or between the seed leaves. I have checked whether this crop tolerates moving; its packet takes priority. The new container is clean and has open drainage holes. The fresh potting mix is moistened, with room for the roots. I can lift the roots from below without gripping the stem. I have a plant label and a suitable place for the seedling afterward.

Print this page for a paper checklist. These boxes are not saved.

Seed leaves and true leaves: what changes?

Seed leaves are already part of the seed. On many familiar broadleaf seedlings, they appear first as a pair of simple leaves. True leaves grow afterward and begin to resemble the mature plant's foliage. Look at where a leaf grows as well as its shape: new leaves appear above or between the earlier seed leaves.

The first pair is not a reliable plant-identification test. Different plants can have similar seed leaves. Grasses and other plants with one seed leaf do not look like the diagram. Use a labelled seed tray and the plant's own growth pattern when deciding what you are looking at. Maryland Extension explains the seed-leaf and true-leaf stages.

If you see only seed leaves

Keep watching the growing point. Do not count days alone: species, temperature and growing conditions affect how fast seedlings develop. Supply suitable light, keep the growing medium from drying out, and let extra water drain. A permanently wet tray is not a shortcut to stronger roots.

If true leaves have appeared

Check space and roots. Seedlings sown together in a flat may need separate containers as the first true leaves appear. A plant already alone in a roomy cell may not need a move yet. Avoid waiting until roots are tightly tangled. Some crops are sensitive to root disturbance, so follow crop-specific instructions rather than using this stage as an automatic transplant order.

If several seedlings share a cell

Thinning and potting up are different jobs. Thinning reduces the number competing in one space. Potting up moves a seedling to a new container. For seedlings sharing a cell, Minnesota Extension recommends cutting unwanted seedlings at soil level once true leaves develop. Pulling them out can disturb the roots of the plant you keep.

Move a seedling without crushing its stem

Prepare a clean container with drainage and moist growing mix. Make a hole for the roots.
Loosen the seedling from below with a small tool. Support the roots and their mix.
If you need to steady it from above, gently hold a leaf. Avoid squeezing the stem or growing point.
Place the roots in the hole and bring the mix around them. Follow the crop's planting-depth guidance.
Water gently, let excess water escape, and label the pot. Watch it after the move.

For a crowded flat, the goal is to separate seedlings while they are small enough to handle with little root damage. Maryland's transplanting guide shows the process.

What if seedlings are stretching or falling over?

Long, leaning stems call for a light check. A collapsed stem at the mix surface can indicate damping-off rather than a leaf-stage problem. Clean containers, a suitable well-drained medium and careful watering help reduce the conditions associated with damping-off. Read Iowa State's seedling troubleshooting guide before treating a symptom as a fertilizer shortage.

Does the first true leaf mean it is time to feed?

Check the mix label before adding fertilizer. Some mixes already contain it. Maryland notes that many potting mixes can feed seedlings for several weeks, so the first leaf is not a universal signal to add more. Use the crop's instructions and the product label; this checklist does not calculate a feed rate.

True leaves and microgreens

Microgreens are grown for a different finish from garden transplants. Iowa State describes harvesting as the first true leaves develop. The crop and the grower's intended texture affect the chosen harvest stage. Follow instructions for the seed sold for that purpose, rather than applying a transplant checklist to every tray.

For the next container

Use a growing medium meant for containers rather than assuming garden soil will drain the same way in a small pot. Our garden soil and potting soil guide explains the difference. For an established plant moving to a larger pot, the pot-volume estimator can help estimate how much mix the container holds.

This checklist combines the linked extension guidance for home seed trays. The diagram is a simplified drawing, not a photograph of a particular species.