Starting seeds indoors - they grow too tall & fall over.?

Question

I'm growing many different types of seeds in trays & flats, but most of them shot up real tall then tipped over. Are they growing too fast? How do I slow it down? How do I make them look like the flats you buy at the greenhouse?

Answer 1

They are not getting enough sun. This time of year they need to be outside. Nursery flowers are grown in greenhouses that get enough sun and are very warm inside. They also pinch the plants back to make them fuller.

Answer 2

You need to buy a couple of shop light fixtures and the florescent bulbs to go in them plus 4 5' lengths of light weight dog chain to hang the fixtures on (2 pieces per light fixture). This will cost you about $20 to $30. You do not need to buy "grow lights" such as grow lux. A 10 year study by the Rodale Institute proved that plain florescent lights work just as well.

You will need to drill a couple of holes in your ceiling and install "S" hooks to hang the chains off the ceiling over the area where you start seeds. Attach the light fixture to the chains with the "S" hooks that should come with them. Position the fixture(s) so they are no more than 1" above the tops of the seedlings and you will have no more problems with legginess. As the plants grow adjust he lights by moving the "S" hooks on the fixtures up the chains.

An easier but much more expensive way to do this is by a light stand sold in many gardening catalogs for several hundred dollars for a small one up to several thousand bucks for a large stand

Answer 3

Browneyedgirl is right on the money. New seedlings will grow tall and stringy unless they have a direct source of light over them. An inexpensive grow light suspended over the flats will cure the problem.

It's the same concept you see when you place a plant near a window. Notice how all the leaves turn toward the light side ?

Answer 4

All of the above are correct as far as light, but ventilation is a very important facet too. Use a fan at least part of the day to blow air around your seedlings, once they have a couple of sets of leaves. This strengthens the stems and helps them acclimate better when you put them outside.

Answer 5

They need more light. They are getting rangy because they are searching for the sun. Try geting a grow-light to give them what they are searching for. I had the same problem until a master gardener told me what I was doing wrong.

Answer 6

It's time to transplant them outside in the bright warm sun. Let mother nature take over now!

Answer 7

comprehensive easy isn't unavoidably direct sunlight. My kitchen faces south and its window is a sliding glass door. basically the area in front of the door could be seen direct sunlight (in my estimation). definite - they could freeze in case you're taking them outdoors until eventually now could fifteenth.

Answer 8

Exactly what browneyedgirl said. They need more light.