It takes hard work to grow plant life and it can be thwarting watch your seedling leaves turn browned . But you’re able to see the job out and fix it .
Your seedling parting are turning chocolate-brown because of deficiency of water or overwatering precondition . The seedling may be getting too much heat or dusty . They may be get transplant electrical shock or too much plant food causing embrown . Pests and disease may also cause browning .
As you may see there are several reason the problem can materialise . I ’ve written down item about these and the solution you’re able to get down using to impart back the health of your seedling .

My holy basil plant that was wilting due to underwatering
1. Overwatering or underwatering
The most coarse reason your seedling leave turn brown is you are not giving them the veracious amount of urine .
If you overwater the seedling , there is a chance that you are submerge the roots . This can go on if the grime has too much clay and the water is not draining well .
It can also chance if you are arise your seedlings in a container but there are not enough drainage holes at the bottom .

Ants farming aphids on my pepper plants
The roots are growing in the water system which have a fungal trouble known as root rot . This turn them mucky , chocolate-brown , and smelly . The roots ca n’t provide the seedling with the ask nutrients and moisture .
The seedlings will show this by the leaves turning brown in color . They will be mild and sagging as well .
The leaves may turn brown if you do n’t give enough water to the seedlings as well . The lack of wet will show up in the leaves by them turn scandalmongering or brown . The foliage will also be dry and brickly .
It ’s simple to forbid the problem ofoverwatering or underwateringby ensuring the soil has good drainage property .
sympathise what industrial plant you are growing and how much water it needs . Some plants are fearless and do n’t require water as often while others may need plenty .
As a worldwide rule , stick your digit 1 - 2 inch into the soil and check for moisture . Remove your finger and confirm whether the soil sticks to it . If the finger is ironic , only then should you irrigate the grease .
If the rootage have already suffer base rot , you ’ll need to take out the flora and turn out out the affected roots . If all the roots are hold the job , you ’ll need to dispose of the seedling .
2. Too much sunlight
Another common reason the leaves of your seedling may turn brown is if they are getting more sun than take . The high temperature will cause the tip of the leaves to turn brownness .
Theleaves will also kink upas the plant tries to protect itself and keep on the wet it has . It want to reduce the surface area that is exposed to the harsh sun .
This is not a serious problem but just an environmental condition . The leaves will return back to their healthy commonwealth when taken by from the Dominicus .
you could help protect your plant by using a sun - block during the vivid heat of the afternoon . If you ’re growing the seedling in a container , you could move it in the shade when it gets too red-hot .
ensure you do n’t water the flora in the afternoon . The wet on the leaves will hot up up and scorch them which will damage the leave .
3. Cold wind
The cold wind can have the same job for the seedling as intense heat energy . It will have the moisture to dry out from the leaves causing them to turn brown .
This is an environmental problem as well that will cause the leaf to wave up and protect the moisture they can keep on . Once the twist dies down , the leaves will return back to normal .
you may use a wind - covert that will protect the seedlings from such blowy weather condition . you’re able to grow the seedling near a orotund plant or rampart that can protect them from the nothingness . But make certain it does not lug the required sunlight from them .
If you’regrowing the seedling in a container , you could move it to a location that is protect from such wind .
4. Late freeze
There are some seedlings that will be hardier than others . This means they can cope with cold weather well than others .
You may be develop the seedling when the temperature is correct for them . But it can happen that the temperature drops in the night for a few days . There could be late freeze conditions at night that will strike the seedling .
This stress of the temperature modification between day and night will cause the foliage of the seedling to turn chocolate-brown . They will turn back back to normal when the weather again becomes suitable for them .
you may help out your seedling by using a dustup covering during such nights with a recent freeze . The row binding will keep them warm during the night .
Make trusted to take out the row cover during the twenty-four hours so the seedling can get the required sunlight , aeration , and moisture .
5. Transplant shock
You may havestarted seeds indoorsand grown the seedlings . Or you may have grease one’s palms them from a nursery or garden center .
The seedling have been grown indoors and if you stress to directly constitute them in your out-of-door garden , they will suffer transplant blow . The stress will cause the leave to turn brown .
Transplant jounce happens because the seedling can not cope with the coarse outdoor environs . The warmth from the sun , dry wind , and wet can try out the seedling .
You call for to get the industrial plant used to these conditions before you could move it to the out-of-door garden . The easiest way to do this is to keep the seedling out for a few hr every day and then add it back indoors .
You call for to keep the seedling away from harsh sunlight , wind , and moisture when you put it outside for a twosome of hours . Keep doing this for a week and your seedling will be ready for the transplant .
Once you transplant the seedling outdoors , give it mickle of water that will help it deal with the transplanting well .
6. Excess nitrogen
If you add too much plant food to the soil , the root can burn up . This will affect the seedling leave and turn them brownish .
This is a more coarse problem when you ’re using chemical fertilizer for your plants . If you ’re not thrifty with the amount of fertilizer , the redundant N will harm the roots .
I do n’t advocate using chemical fertilizer for your seedlings . you could opt for an organic one that is slow - releasing and soft on the plant life .
You should follow the maker ’s instructions on the amount of fertilizer to use and how often you should apply it to the dirt .
If the seedling is already put up from nitrogen burn , the sound you’re able to do is keep watering the dirt many time . This will avail leach out the unwanted chemicals from the dirt and improve the wellness of the root word .
7. Poor soil
Your seedling need ripe soil to farm well . dependable soil has the required texture so it retain sufficient moisture but drains out nimiety .
The grunge should have just aeration so the roots can get the required oxygen . And the soil should have the call for pH level as per the plant you ’re grow .
If the dirt has poor drainage , it leads to problem like overwatering that will drown the origin and make the leaves to turn brown .
If the ground does not have the right-hand pH level , the plant wo n’t get the demand nutrients and the folio will turn browned .
ensure you have the correct stain when growing the seedling . you’re able to get a soil trial done that will help you sympathise the quality of your garden land .
you’re able to get this grime test done by sending a few samples to a Local Extension Service in your arena . The grime test will also provide you information on the amendments you may practice to better the land .
8. Pests
Pests can be a trouble in the garden that you may need to plow with at some power point . Some of the pests willeat the leavesor suck the blackjack from them .
Pests like snail , slugs , caterpillars , and cutworms will eat the leaves and stress them out . bug likeaphidsand thrips suck the fool from the leaves causing brown spots .
The leave-taking wo n’t be capable to produce the required nutrients due to the stress and start turn brown .
The precaution you’re able to take is to keep your seedlings healthy so they can stay strong against pests . you may develop native plants that attract good insects . They will feed on the pests and protect the seedlings .
The simple solvent to get rid of pests is to pick them by hand and dispose of them in a bucket of buttery urine . you could getrid of escargot , slug , and cutworms using this method acting .
you’re able to dislodge some pests like aphids andthripsusing a spraying of body of water on your leafage . They will fall into the soil and wo n’t be able-bodied to get back on the seedling .
you could build a beer trap by using a belittled , deep tray that you place in a small hole near the plant life . occupy this tray with beer that attracts these cuss . They will shine into the container and drown .
Protect your seedlings fromcutwormsby wrapping the empty pot newspaper metro around the base of the plant .
9. Diseases
There are some diseases that may taint your seedlings and cause the leaves to turn brown . This could be fungous disease like root rot that reduces the nutrient achieve the parting .
Or it could be something that impact the leaves such as leaf spot . This disease starts developing brown spots on the leaves that increase in size of it .
The good prevention against fungal trouble is to head off humid condition on the seedlings . When you water the works , only irrigate the soil and avoid splashing it on the foliation .
You should also keep sufficient space between the seedling so there is good air circulation between them .
There are also bacterial and viral disease that can affect the seedling and stimulate the leaves to deform brown . Some bacterial diseases are bacterial leaf smirch and leafage blight . Some viral disease are leaf curl and tomato wilt disease .
you could protect them by growing a disease - resistant mixed bag .
Once a bacterial or viral disease infect the flora , it will tardily start to go and there ’s not much you’re able to do about it .
Fact Checked , Written , and Published by Kevin Rodrigues
Kevin is the founder of Gardening Mentor , a web site that aims to teach masses to rise their own food for thought in a circumscribed blank . As a self - taught gardener , Kevin has spent several years growing plants and creating gardening content on the website . He is certify in Home Horticulture and Organic Gardening from Oregon State University . He has a Post Graduate Diploma in Horticulture and Landscape Gardening from Mumbai University . Read more