A soil error can stop seedlings from growing well.

Many gardeners grow plants from seeds at this time of year, nurturing tiny seedlings in seed trays on their windowsill or in a greenhouse.

A gardening specialist on social media said gardeners often make a mistake when sowing seeds in trays, which can prevent plants from developing.

Toby Buckland posted a video on TikTok about the importance of having the right amount of soil in containers, saying not filling them to the top can harm seedlings.

He said to always fill pots to the top when sowing seeds.

Toby said saving money by using less soil can cause seedlings to stretch towards the light and grow unevenly, which they will not recover from.

He advised filling pots to the top and giving them a good flood of water until the soil is saturated.

Toby said to water the pot until it feels heavy, and then you won't need to water again until the seedlings come up.

Once the pot is watered, sow seeds thinly over the soil and cover with a little more soil.

Toby shared a trick for spreading the final layer of soil evenly by using a second pot as a sieve.

Now is a good time to plant bulbs to get a splash of color early in the year, with many options available from Thompson and Morgan and Gardening Express.

Viewers were grateful for Toby's guidance, but some said it came too late for their already struggling seedlings.

One viewer said the tip was great, but their seeds had already sprouted and were growing unevenly.

Another viewer said the tip was a game changer, and they were still learning after nearly 50 years of gardening.

A third viewer simply said Toby was a fountain of knowledge.