Hello, I've got 4 day old plants that look like this: (pics below) but I'd like these babies to have a nice, good root system. So I guess I'm asking what are the benefits and disadvantages of reburying your seedlings higher up the stem. Is it even safe to do so? If so, exactly how high should it be buried? (this picture is from nearly two [plant] days ago, they've gotten about an inch taller since. Thanks in advance guys, couldn't find a consistent answer within FAQs, so I figure it's worth a thread.
Burying your stem up to the cotyledon is a good idea. I would, however, wait until the plant is a little bigger and has bulked up just a bit more, because by burying more of the really young stem you risk damping off or rotting if it's overwatered. Roots will form out of that whole section up to the cotyledons (I have a plant that has an couple of inches of distance between the cotyledon and soil that has a ton of little white root nodules waiting to come out).
Man I love this community... Thanks for the informative answer, and I will be re-burying my little (hopefully) gals. +rep
Yeah I figured that bit out yesterday Transplanted 'em into actual planters, should be fine now. Thanks, though.
When plants are buried too deep, as you are proposing to do on purpose, the roots that develop above the original root flare (called adventitious roots) can girdle (choke) the plant when it becomes more mature. Since these plants will most likely not even grow that large, and since there is no bark to decay(and make sure you bury only parts that are NOT green, green color = chlorophyll cells= photosynthesis and those green parts will die) Just make sure you water the soil enough to bring the soil moisture around all of your roots to field capacity, not just those newer rootlets on top.. Also keep in mind that the leaves on the plant will now grow closer to the ground, just keep the leaves off the ground to prevent soil-borne bacterias & fungis from entering your leaf.
I am so glad I saw this. I have some stretch and I was thinking about burying them but actually leaning towards NOT doing it. Now I for sure won't!
rooting will happen eventually when done at such a young plant stage,just be protective against stem rot for a while