Never do this with seedlings! Otherwise, there will be no harvest.

Do you gently touch the stems of your seedlings to check how strong they are? Stop it!

This habit steals up to 50% of your harvest, and here's why.

The magazine Mir Sadovoda conducted an experiment: two groups of tomatoes were grown in the same conditions, but one group was touched by the stems every day.

A month later, the root system of the "touched" plants was 40% smaller, and the yield was 25% lower. Professor of the Department of Agronomy at St. Petersburg State University Sergei Petrov explained:

"Root hairs are microscopic growths that absorb water and nutrients. Any mechanical impact on the stem causes them to die. The plant spends resources on restoration, not on growth."

Elena from Kazan admitted:

"I used to check the seedlings every day until my husband locked the boxes. That year the pepper harvest was three times bigger!"

Instead, use life hacks from experts. TV presenter Andrey Tumanov advises:

"Sow in transparent cups. When the roots become visible through the walls, it's time to replant."

Another method is to carefully lift the cup: if the soil lump does not crumble, the roots are sufficiently developed.

Scientists from the Voronezh Agrarian University have proven that each touch to the stem slows down growth by 3-4 days. In a month of such checks, you lose up to 30% of the potential harvest.

But this is not the only mistake. Many gardeners plant seedlings too close to each other, thinking to save space. As a result, the plants compete for light and moisture, and their roots become intertwined.

Pomidorka magazine recommends: the distance between the cups should be at least 5 cm. If there is little space, use shelves with lighting. Another myth is abundant watering. Over-moistened soil is a paradise for fungi.

Water only when the top layer of soil dries out by 1 cm. Maria from the Moscow region wrote on the forum

"I used to overwater the seedlings until I saw the roots literally rotting before my eyes. Now I water them once every 3 days through the tray."

Tie your hands or put a sign next to the seedlings that says "Do not touch!" - and you will be surprised how quickly the plants will gain strength. Otherwise, by summer, instead of beds, you will get a cemetery of stunted sprouts.