Quick start, then stall

[ginger2778]

I have seen peppers take a month!

If some things have germinated under the dome, you really need to remove it even if the other things haven't. Also if you see the little seeding elbow coming up, that is the time to get it under light.
Too long by even a day under the dome = damping off. Word to the wise.

[mobiledynamics]

I'm no matoville guru, but I would let the soil dry out a bit, narrow item to help life the plant out, dibbler, plant that deeper and get those lights closer. You've got at least 3 inches you can bury back down.

[loulac]

Tvilers are very courteous people, when they say seedlings look leggy to them they mean they are VERY leggy. If they had been sown in smaller pots it would have been easier to plant them in bigger pots burying more than half of the stems. It can still be done if the roots have not filled the bottom of the pot. It should be done as soon as possible.
Next point: lighting needs attention. Plenty of useful threads on the site. Test the temperature on the surface of the pot with a thermometer, then raise or lower the lighting. Give them the right proportion of light, heat and water and they will grow nicely.

[enchant]

Originally Posted by loulac

Test the temperature on the surface of the pot with a thermometer, then raise or lower the lighting.

Sorry, I'm a little confused by this. What is "the pot"? Are you referring to the individual plastic seedling cells? And the surface being the soil at the top? And once I do this, what temperature dictates if the lighting should be raised or lowered?

[mobiledynamics]

Looking from afar - aka, the internet, If your ruler is showing 3 inches....your plastic seedling cell in which they are currently planted is like 4 inches deep ? If you root mass allows you to, remove said plant, plant the stem as deep within means within your existing pot. It will give you a bigger root system, less chance of your plant toppling over as it grows bigger with a long lank stem that you show in ur pic.

I can't tell from the pic if ur lamp has a plastic cover diffuser or if it's just the output of the light making it look as such. Either way the top leaves should be closer to the lap. The reason why they are so leggy is that they are stretching - reaching for the light. Drop the light lower is what the posters are advising

[enchant]

Originally Posted by mobiledynamics

Looking from afar - aka, the internet, If your ruler is showing 3 inches....your plastic seedling cell in which they are currently planted is like 4 inches deep ?

No, 2 inches.

I can't tell from the pic if ur lamp has a plastic cover diffuser or if it's just the output of the light making it look as such.

No diffuser. Just the bare bulb in a holder.

Either way the top leaves should be closer to the lap. The reason why they are so leggy is that they are stretching - reaching for the light. Drop the light lower is what the posters are advising

Closer than in the photo? They're only about 1.5" away as it is.

[oakley]

I don't think I would pot any up yet. Just get them closer to your light. Unless you have
enough to experiment.

Use flat boxes, books, big boxes, anything to raise up the shorter 6 pack cells. Your light has
a diffuser it looks like. They will not burn. No need to build anything, or raise/lower your fixed
light.

I have a variety of Amazon boxes, all sizes, to just raise up the tray needing height. And
some wood batten cut in 12" lengths to raise up just a 2" bit when needed.

[mobiledynamics]

If the OP does not pot deeper or go into a larger vessel, won't his new leaves just topple the long lanky stem ? They're sorta toppling already in the pics ?

[oakley]

(posting simultaneously)

A weak light? If that leggy they can go a bit further up.
Don't worry too much about leggy. Once a bit further along and potting up, you
can get them deep in your next pots.

[mobiledynamics]

OP ,

On pic # 7 of the snapshot. IMO you got half leggy ones, half not so leggy. The really leggy ones, personally, I would dig them out, put them deeper (within however deep your current plug pack allows and the existing roots), just so it won't be so leggy. New leaves will make the top heavier. Consider it mitigation I suppose. Why wait for it to topple over when you have the opportunity to bury it deeper

[Koala Doug]

The plant tops appear to be too far away from the actual light tube (and I can't tell exactly where in that plastic cover the tube is). On top of that, I would also assume that the light is too weak. If it is an old fluorescent tube (more than three years old), it likely has weakened enough that you need a new one. The old tube can then be used for typical household uses as humans don't perceive the reduction in intensity as much as the plants.

[mobiledynamics]

enchant. just wondering. when did you remove the domes off. IME, they get leggy the minute they sprout. In a literall sense, if you were to observe 2 of the same, one with lights on it since sprouting, and one with lights on it 2 days later, the one that had lights on it since germ. will be shorter

[greenthumbomaha]

If you don't have empty shipping boxes or paperback books as oakely suggested, put an empty egg carton or cereal box under the seedlings. In the example of the jalapeno, you might tape your labels to the side of the pot so the plants can get loser to the light. The pepper is far too low to receive adequate light.

- Lisa

[loulac]

Originally Posted by enchant

Sorry, I'm a little confused by this. What is "the pot"? Are you referring to the individual plastic seedling cells? And the surface being the soil at the top? And once I do this, what temperature dictates if the lighting should be raised or lowered?

I should have looked at your picture more closely, you sowed your seedlings in cells, not in pots. I stand corrected.

By the way you could start with much smaller cells and gradually increase their size. Professionals don't have time to do it but you will be able to correct legginess sooner, sow more seeds, have a safety margin and give seedlings to friends.

Personnally I choose a temperature of 25° - 27°C (77° - 80°F) to start germination, then drop to 20° - 22° C (68° - 72°F) or less if I want growth to slow down, but never below 15°C (60°F).
I place a thermometer on the mix till the seedlings are too big, then I hold it just above / against the top leaves, electronic thermometers are really fast.

You may find interesting posts on "How close is too close" http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...993#post691993

[enchant]

Originally Posted by mobiledynamics

enchant. just wondering. when did you remove the domes off. IME, they get leggy the minute they sprout.

The problem is that they sprout at different times. They start in 3x3 cells. So on the morning of day three, 2 seedlings have sprouted. By evening, 3 more have sprouted and the first are now an inch tall. On the following morning, the first two are 2" tall, a few are 1" tall, a couple more have just broken the surface, and a couple cells are still just dirt.

I really don't want to cut them all into individual cells based on their exact height. Once the majority have sprouted I take them out from the dome and put them under a light. I also don't want to micro-manage the height of each individual plant, coming up with a stand that is 1/2" shorter because a seedling has grown 1/2" taller. I can't believe that nature is that finicky. Every year my seedlings start out this leggy, and every year I wind up with thick stalks that are 8-9' tall delivering great fruit.

That said, I *do* appreciate all of the advice given, and I'm wiser thanks to that. I plan on keeping the seedlings closer to the light and I'm going to go out today and buy new lights, since the ones I have are at least 10 years old and probably aren't delivering sufficient illumination.