Seedlings Keep Falling Over!

Hey guys, currently trying to get my outdoor grow started this season but having a problem with the seedlings.

When they start to show true leaves, the stem is weak and starts to fall over, then when i check on them hours later I see that the plant is still trying to fight gravity and shoot up but the stem is so weak it keeps falling over.

I'm not sure if its because I over germinated some of them, causing them to sprout cotyledons in the paper towel, or if my soil environment is bad. Any Advice?

Thanks

put your lights A LOT closer to your plants, especially if youre growing with CFLs. (like 3-4 inches)

fill your pots up to the top with soil to keep the stem straight.

light is your problem dude, you need a lot more. what kind of lights are you using?

oh and you shouldnt be using those clear cups either

Do you have them under a grow light, or just in the window? They look pretty stretchy, so you might want to think about buying a cfl at walmart. 42w should do nicely. When mine start getting taller, I take a small stick or even a toothpick (depending on how tall they are) and split it down the middle at the top and poke it into the dirt next to the baby plant, and prop it up, kinda like a crutch. This just gives it support until they get strong enough to pull themselves upright. Good luck and stay safe

exactly, move the light a little closer and repot those bitches. fill a new colored cup half up with soiless mix and just a liitle soil(happy frog, fox farm, not cheap) then set your root ball and dirt mass surrounding halwway down in the cup. then be really careful yo but hold the plant in the middle and fill with that mix all the way up th the bottom right before the first set of leaves. this way, you'll be good until you putem outdoor

I have a 400watt Metal Halide about 28 inches from the plants. Thing is they haven't been on a good light schedule, I figured the light was so strong that 12 hours a day would be alright.

The only reason I have em inside is because I thought they should grow for a couple weeks inside before going outside, does that make sense? Or should I just plant them outside. It's been raining and crappy weather for past few days now, so I can't imagine a tiny lil seedling surviving.

clear cups are a good idea so you can see when they're rootbound and need to be repotted- but put the clear cup inside a colored cup to keep lights off of the roots.

blah, yea I'm starting to realize that the light should have been much closer, I always think the seedlings are gonna get burned

yhea good idea and i would run at least 15 hours a day. if you got that baby, why go out with them? just asking,lol