seedling

Everyday

1. A seedling is a very young plant that has just grown from a seed. tree →
2. A seedling has its first small leaves and needs light, water and care to grow strong. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons pupils grow seedlings from beans or cress to learn about germination and what plants need: water, light, warmth and soil. In gardening, seedlings are planted out when big enough. Phrases: «plant out the seedlings», «water the seedlings», «grow seedlings».

Examples

• Our bean seedlings grew two centimetres this week. tree →
• Water the seedlings gently. tree →
• The seedlings on the dark shelf were pale and thin. tree →
• We planted the tomato seedlings in the garden. tree →
• A seedling grows from a seed. tree →
• Slugs ate our lettuce seedlings overnight. tree →

Note

Countable: seedling, seedlings. «-ling» means small or young (duckling, gosling). In a science table you can record a seedling's height each day and find how much it grew: later height − earlier height.