My seedlings are far too Spindly..

[murihikukid]

Hi...I wonder what the secret is to growing strong seedlings with a thick stem ...after visiting a local gardening centre and seeing the young plants and how strong they looked I must be doing something wrong....My seeds go in a Parasene self watering (by capillary cloth) propagator and once i see the first set of true leaves I transplant into a bigger container....I am using a Peat moss base with Perlite mixed with a seed raising mix and a teaspoon of lime ...I am using CFL lights and this may be the problem...

Any help would be appreciated..Thanks Ron

[ginger2778]

To put it simply, you guessed at the problem correctly. Spindly means not enough light, they are stretching to try to get some more light.
There are many threads here about good lighting.
Good luck.

[amideutch]

Ron, check out the sticky this forum concerning the Cold Treatment.

Ami

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=13171

[Worth1]

CFL lights aren't the problem that is too broad a statement.
It is the wattage that it being used and or how far they are from the plants.

Worth

[dmforcier]

Also remember that moving air encourages thick stems. Do you have a fan on your plants?

[maxjohnson]

Originally Posted by dmforcier

Also remember that moving air encourages thick stems. Do you have a fan on your plants?

Hmm, I didn't know that, maybe I should invest in one.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by maxjohnson

Hmm, I didn't know that, maybe I should invest in one.

This is also the reason new young trees planted and tied down with guy wires for support have lollipop trunks.
They need to be removed after a year at the very longest depending on the tree and where it came from.
Many times they dont need the support anyway.

Worth

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by maxjohnson

Hmm, I didn't know that, maybe I should invest in one.

You definitely should. A fan us very cheap, and the stems get way stronger, plus the circulating air keeps damp rot away. You can't go wrong putting a stream of fan air on your seedlings.

The stem thickening in response to air is called thigmomorphogenesis.

[Patihum]

While all the above suggestions are great there's something else to be considered when comparing your seedlings to the plants at a garden center - the use of growth hormones - which is something most all of us don't use but the commercial growers do.

[Father'sDaughter]

My personal experience agrees with ALL of the above advice -- the correct wattage of lights kept an inch above the plants, cooler temps, a fan for a few hours a day, and a regular watering and feeding schedule will result in healthy, thick stemmed, bushy plants. No growth hormones needed.

[Cole_Robbie]

Good advice so far in this thread.

I would add, by the time I sell a seedling in a 4" pot, it has been transplanted twice. If it is leggy, I stuff it down into the media when transplanting, burying the excess stem.

[dmforcier]

Wow! Good word.


Don't be afraid to see those little leaves flutter. Not only can they take it, they like it. Thigmomorphogenephila!

[Grandpa1943]

Light source should be no more than 2 inches from top of plant. I have my lights on a chain which allows me to adjust the height via bent metal coat hangers.

[dmforcier]

Thigmomorphogenephilia

Geez, can't even spell my own made-up word.