Herbs - Help with transplantation of dill seedling to slightly bigger pot

Question

I had some seeds of the dill herb which I planted in a tray with dimensions 6.5 cm x 8 cm. They sprouted successfully within 4-5 days, but started growing slanted as the sunlight was incident at an angle.

Transplantation

• After a couple of days, some of these seedlings (at the edge of the tray) started to fall out of it (probably due to the weight of the other seedlings).
• At this point, I transplanted the seedlings to a slightly bigger pot (with holes for drainage, used potting soil to fill the pot and watered the soil before moving the seedlings).
• While moving the seedlings, some of them were clumped together and were planted in the new pot in the same way (i.e., they were not separated before replanting). There were a few others which were transplanted individually (with roots and soil attached).
• After all the seedlings were moved, I placed some soil (from the original plant) on top and watered it a bit.
• It has now been 2 days and these seedlings have not become completely erect yet. I am not sure if that is okay, or do I need to fix something in the pot (either more soil or separation of seedlings, etc). I have attached a picture of how they look currently.

Growing conditions

They are being grown indoors, placed near a window sill where the sun is direct during the morning hours.

Any advise on what the next steps should be will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Answer 1

You don't say which variety of Dill you're growing, but common Dill makes a plant about 4 feet high with a spread of 2-3 feet or more if grown as a single plant. Each of your seedlings will want to grow that size, so it is obvious there are far too many seedlings in the pot, and they badly need thinning out. That means removing seedlings so that you finish with 4 inches of clear space around each one - ensure the soil in the pot is very damp before doing this. You can try just pulling out individual seedlings, otherwise, use something thin to lever out the ones you're removing without damaging the ones you're leaving. A small children's paintbrush (using the solid end) or something similar can be useful for this. Dill does not like root disturbance, so although you can attempt to replant those you sacrifice, they may not recover.

The other problem is, the seedlings are not getting enough light - it does not have to be direct sun at this stage (in fact, direct sun on seedlings is likely to kill them) but they will do much better outdoors than inside; they are leaning over to try to reach brighter daylight (not sun). However, if you want to transfer them outside after thinning out, you will need to harden them off first, which means putting them outside (not in sun) for some hours during the day, then bringing them in overnight, extending the period outdoors over a few days until they are outside all night and can stay out there. This assumes your temperatures outside are not very cold - you don't say where you are so I can't know what your weather is like.

General information on how to grow Dill from seed here https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/herbs/dill