Sounds like they were just taking their time 😄🥒
Light green + slow growth is usually stress (cold soil, transplant shock, or a bit of nutrient shortage). And yeah, watering only in small pits can keep roots lazy instead of spreading out.
Your new plan is good 👍 Water the surrounding soil too and they should start picking up fast. They often go from “nothing is happening” to “why are these exploding now” pretty suddenly 🌱💚
