Moving seedlings on: how to adjust your watering as plants grow
May is when the greenhouse truly gets busy. Seeds sown in March and April are through their most vulnerable stage, and many are ready to move on – from tray to pot, from the propagator to the staging, or from inside to out. With each of these changes, their watering needs to adapt too.
Getting the delivery right at each stage is less about following a fixed rule, and more about understanding what’s changed in the soil and the roots beneath it.
Learn how to best water your seedlings through all their growth stages below.
Watering seeds and early seedlings
In this earliest growing stage, the soil you are watering is open and fine, and there is very little root development to anchor anything in place. A concentrated stream of water, direct from a spout or a coarse rose, will disturb the surface, displace seeds, and damage emerging stems. The correct watering technique at this stage is using an extra-fine spray, or even a spritzer, which deliver water as small droplets with low enough impact to leave the surface undisturbed. 
Haws tip: Starting and stopping your pour over the tray risks flooding one end or area. Start to pour as you approach the seed tray, and water across in a sweeping movement for the most even coverage.
Watering young plants in small pots
Once seedlings are potted on, their needs change slightly. There is now a greater volume of potting mix, a developing root system, and a slightly more resilient plant above the surface.
A fine spray rather than extra-fine is more appropriate here, and Individual pots suit a round rose better than an oval at this stage. Coverage is focused rather than broad, and you can direct water to the soil surface around the plant without saturating everything nearby.
Equally, if the pots in a tray, using a downspout to water directly into the tray or the soil surface in the pots is extremely efficient, ensures no water is wasted, and avoids getting foliage wet.
Plants at this stage can dry out very quickly, especially with the rapidly changing greenhouse conditions May can bring about. A mild morning can become a hot afternoon, so don't just stick to a fixed schedule. Check on your plants daily, and press a finger into the potting mix to around five centimetres before reaching for the watering can, because what you see on the surface often isn't the full picture. 
Watering established plants
By the time plants are established with well-developed roots, strong growth and compacted soil through regular watering, your watering can shift again.
A coarser spray, a downspout, or in some cases, a direct pour from the spout are all appropriate now. The soil is less vulnerable to disturbance, and the priority becomes moving enough water to the root zone efficiently, rather than protecting the surface or tender growth.
A larger capacity can earns its place at this stage. Established greenhouse plants in warm conditions can get through significant water, and frequent refilling of a smaller can will slow you down. 
Should the rose face up or down?
Both oval and round roses can be fitted either way, but it changes how the water behaves. Face up, the spray arches upward before falling, dispersing over a wider area – useful for seed trays where broad, even coverage matters.
Face down, it falls more directly and stays contained, which suits pots, containers, and more established plants where you want the water to land in a specific spot. The difference is most pronounced on an oval rose, where switching orientation produces a very noticeable change. On a round rose, the face angle is shallower, so the effect is more subtle, whichever way you fit it.
The right tools for the job
The right delivery at each stage makes a real difference to how seedlings establish and grow. If you're not sure which rose or can suits where you are in the season, the links below are a good place to start.
Shop watering cans and accessories for the greenhouse