Leaning seedlings

Chuck721

Well-Known Member
6C86E0BC-EAD8-4886-8D0A-E231A3061F4B.jpeg My babies are leaning over and I don’t know what’s wrong. I started with led lights then switched to 100w cfl (6500k) when I saw them stretching and now this! Wtf?!
 

Beachwalker

Well-Known Member
You can use a chopstick or a small wooden barbecue skewer and attach them to it, it will hold them up straight until you figure out why its leaning ?

..it's possibly stretching because your light source is too weak and/or too far away?
 

Chuck721

Well-Known Member
I’m thinking there isn’t enough stem to hold up the foliage because it stretched under 4100K LED lights. 100w cfl should be more than sufficient at 1” away. I don’t know.
 

Dmannn

Well-Known Member
I’m thinking there isn’t enough stem to hold up the foliage because it stretched under 4100K LED lights. 100w cfl should be more than sufficient at 1” away. I don’t know.
Prop it up. Keep the CFL bulb 3-4 inches away. make sure it isn't getting above 80 deg near the plant, Make sure your soil temp is well below that. The seedlings don't like LEDS.
 

Logan Burke

Well-Known Member
Mine always seem to wanna lean a bit when they're seedlings. As Dmann said, make sure it isn't getting too hot, that cfl is awful close. One thing that seems to help my seedlings sorta stiffen up is a light breeze from a small desk fan or such. If that doesn't work, you can always use something like a tooth pick or popsickle stick, put in right next to the seedling, and use something like a twist tie from a loaf of bread (for example) to hold the seedling's stem to the stick. Just a few thoughts, definitely nothing to panic over.
 

Chuck721

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the advice guys. Any more advice is certainly welcome. I haven’t put seed to soil in a decade so I’ve gotta get back into the swing of things.
 

Joint Monster

Well-Known Member
Don't worry too Much, it's really not a big deal. As it get bigger you can then stake it or help strength it (pinching, a fan, silica, etc).

For Now:

Get a very light fan breeze just above the top of the plant, and pushing from the side it's leaning over most. (As long as your temperature remains acceptable. This will help strengthen the stem.)

When you buy an Electronic Product, they usually wrap the wire/plug in a plastic/wire-tie. Use that tie to help create a "stake".

Make sure, if you use any kind of stake, be gentle when pushing down near the base of the seedling. You do not want to damage the root.
 

Moldy

Well-Known Member
I get an old paper clip and bend it around to have a 3/4 circle that goes around the stem close to the little leaves and use the other end bent at 90 degrees in the middle of the length then going into the soil, kinda like a hangman thing. Those little bastards will tip over if you over water from the top. I always pour water in the drip tray from the bottom to water babies until I transplant at 2-3 weeks. Your pot looks too big also IMO, I use a 3x3x3 inch container which isn't perfect but it works. The depth should be double the width.
 
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