![]() ![]() The lights should remain just a few inches (7-8 cm.) above the seedlings as long as you have them indoors, or your seedlings will get too tall. If you are growing your seedlings under lights (either a grow light or a fluorescent ligh t), the best way to prevent leggy seedlings is to make sure that the lights are close enough to the seedlings. If a south-facing window isn’t available, you may want to consider supplementing the light the seedlings are getting from the window with a small fluorescent bulb placed within a few inches of the seedlings. This will give you the best light from the sun. If you are growing seedlings in a window, try to grow them in a south-facing window. How to Prevent Leggy SeedlingsĪs discussed earlier, the best way to prevent leggy seedlings is to make sure the seedlings are getting enough light. Third, seedlings that are falling over can be more prone to disease and pests. Second, floppy seedlings have a hard time growing up to be strong plants. Because they are thin and floppy, they can’t stand up as well to natural occurrences like wind and hard rain. First, seedlings that are too tall will have problems when they are moved outdoors. Leggy seedlings are a problem for many reasons. As a result, you get long, floppy seedlings. What it gains in height, it sacrifices in the width of the stem. Unfortunately, there is only a limited amount of growth a plant can do. The plant grows towards the light and, since the light is too far away, the plant tries to accelerate its height to get close enough to the light to survive. Leggy seedlings happen for the same reason crooked houseplants happen. This happens due to the natural reaction of plants to light. Either way, the seedlings will get leggy. It could be that the window you are growing your seedlings in does not provide enough light or it could be that the lights you are using as grow lights aren’t close enough to the seedling. What Causes Leggy Seedlings?Īt the most basic level, leggy seedlings are caused by a lack of light. If you are wondering what causes leggy seedlings, and more importantly, how to prevent leggy seedlings, keep reading. We watch with excitement as the seedlings grow taller, only to realize that they have grown too tall and are now a bit floppy. It seems almost magical to place a tiny seed into some soil and watch a small seedling emerge just a short time later, but sometimes things can go wrong. Photo: Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.Seed starting is an exciting time for many gardeners. Covering the seeds with compost or Sphagnum Moss (instead of sowing mix) may also help. Sulfur powder, or a tea of Seaweed, Garlic or Chamomile has been used to treat small areas of infection and prevent it spreading. Damping Off fungi need high humidity, so thin your seedlings promptly to prevent overcrowding, avoid overwatering (especially on cool sunless days when water doesn’t evaporate quickly) and make sure there is good ventilation and air circulation. However, if your climate dictates that you start your seedlings inside then you have a potential problem. Growing your seedlings in a well ventilated, cool greenhouse will produce far fewer problems with Damping Off. Damping Off is mostly a disease of indoor seed raising. You may lose a few plants occasionally, but so what. It shouldn’t be a big problem if you take the precautions outlined below. The best defense against Damping Off is to avoid giving it the growing conditions it needs. Fortunately such techniques aren’t really necessary for the home grower. Almost all soil contains the spores of Damping Off so commercial growers often avoid soil in their mixes, or sterilize it with heat or chemicals. Other kinds of Damping Off kill the seed before it germinates, or rot the roots, causing the tops to turn yellow and die. This type of Damping Off mainly affects very small seedlings and becomes is less of a problem as they get older and their stems get tougher. These develop shrunken black stems and eventually fall over and die, though the stem may remain upright for a while afterward. ![]() ![]() The best known type of Damping Off first manifests itself as a fuzzy whitish mold on the surface of the soil and then goes on to girdle the succulent stems of newly germinated plants. This fungus disease can be the bane of the inexperienced seed starter and comes in several guises. ![]()
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