Why Are My Seedlings Crooked?

Are your seedlings long, thin, and crooked (leggy)?

Do you grow your seedlings indoors?

Do you grow your seedlings under artificial lights?

Are your seedlings falling over just above the soil line?

Do you water your seedlings shallowly?

Leggy seedlings are caused by insufficient light. The plant grows towards the light and, since the light is too far away, the plant tries to accelerate its height to get as close to the light as possible. If you are growing seedlings in a window, try to grow them in a south-facing window. This will give you the best light from the sun. 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.

Leggy seedlings are caused by insufficient light. The plant grows towards the light and, since the light is too far away, the plant tries to accelerate its height to get as close to the light as possible. If you are growing your seedlings under lights (either a grow light or a fluorescent light), the best way to prevent leggy seedlings is to make sure that the lights are close enough to the seedlings. 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.

Leggy seedlings are caused by insufficient light. The plant grows towards the light and, since the light is too far away, the plant tries to accelerate its height to get as close to the light as possible. If you're growing your seedlings outside and they're getting leggy, it is because they grow in shade. Move your seedling starting tray to a more sunny location. If your seedlings are grown directly in the soil, try moving the obstacles that create shade for your seedlings, or if that's impossible, start new seedlings in a location with more light.

If your seedlings are falling over and the stems are girdled or rotted at the soil line, the most likely cause is a damping-off disease. Remove and destroy all infected plants. To prevent damping-off let the soil surface dry between waterings, thin seedlings to avoid overcrowding, and do not add nitrogen fertilizers until plants have developed leaves.

The root of the plant tends to grow where there is moisture. If you water your plants shallowly, then the root will grow only in the surface layer of the soil, which will result in unstable growth and a plant prone to bending. Start watering your plants deeper so that the roots start to grow into a deeper layer of soil. Make a garden wire support for your plant until the root gets stronger and better supports the plant.

Compacted soil prevents water from penetrating deeper layers of soil and the root of the plant tends to grow where there is moisture. Shallow root results in unstable growth and a plant prone to bending. If you have started your seedlings in compacted soil the easiest thing to do is to start over but changing your soil so it has better drainage. Commercially available soils are perfect for starting seedlings.