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Advice needed on how to avoid the 'leggy seedling syndrome'

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  • #1

    Advice needed on how to avoid the 'leggy seedling syndrome'

    The title of the post says it all, really. I sowed some Tomato seeds a couple of weeks ago, and now have them at the stage shown in the accompanying photos. All seems fine just now, but I'm really keen to avoid the seedlings going all 'leggy' and could do with a bit of advice on how to prevent that tricky problem.

    The seedlings are currently sat on my bedroom windowsill, and I realise we're fast approaching that tricky little stage when things start going wrong, and the plants go a bit barmy and try to run before they can walk.

    Could anyone advise me, please, on the best way to care for the seedlings for these important next few weeks?

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  • #2
    They get leggy because they are stretching for the light, mine are like that now. I have some cheap LED lights which help a bit as the light is then directly overhead and they don't have to buckle and bend for the light from the window (even the sunniest window will still have them stretching)

    I just bury the leggy stem when I re-pot them to give a longer root area.

    New all singing all dancing blog - Jasons Jungle

    �I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb."
    ― Thomas A. Edison

    �Negative results are just what I want. They�re just as valuable to me as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best until I find the ones that don�t.�
    ― Thomas A. Edison

    - I must be a Nutter,VC says so -

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Jay-ell View Post
      They get leggy because they are stretching for the light, mine are like that now. I have some cheap LED lights which help a bit as the light is then directly overhead and they don't have to buckle and bend for the light from the window (even the sunniest window will still have them stretching)

      I just bury the leggy stem when I re-pot them to give a longer root area.
      Many thanks for that, Jay-Ell. I'll pot them on as you describe as soon as they get a true leaf, but I hope they'll have calmed down a bit by then and won't be carrying on as they are now!

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      • #4
        A sheet of tinfoil or white card propped behind the seedlings will reflect light and help prevent legginess. Plus the burying deep on repotting helps a lot too.
        http://mudandgluts.com - growing fruit and veg in suburbia

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        • #5
          Even when I pot them into the last pot I may take off the bottom leaves and plant them deeply.

          The way I pot them up is that every time I go up a pot size, I put only a small amount of compost in the new pot, put in the root ball from the current pot so it's down in the pot and top up with compost covering some of the stem each time (after removing the leaves).

          This gives the toms a nice healthy root system.

          New all singing all dancing blog - Jasons Jungle

          �I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb."
          ― Thomas A. Edison

          �Negative results are just what I want. They�re just as valuable to me as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best until I find the ones that don�t.�
          ― Thomas A. Edison

          - I must be a Nutter,VC says so -

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Jay-ell View Post
            Even when I pot them into the last pot I may take off the bottom leaves and plant them deeply.

            The way I pot them up is that every time I go up a pot size, I put only a small amount of compost in the new pot, put in the root ball from the current pot so it's down in the pot and top up with compost covering some of the stem each time (after removing the leaves).

            This gives the toms a nice healthy root system.
            I'll try that one too, Jay-Ell. Many thanks!
            Last edited by Herbsandveg; 11-04-2017, 06:36 PM.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by sparrow100 View Post
              A sheet of tinfoil or white card propped behind the seedlings will reflect light and help prevent legginess. Plus the burying deep on repotting helps a lot too.
              I also stand foil card behind my seedlings to seem to work well for me.
              Location....East Midlands.

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              • #8
                As has been said, lack of light is the cause of long legs
                Also start to reduce the heat slowly.
                Feed the soil, not the plants.
                (helps if you have cluckies)

                Man v Squirrels, pigeons & Ants
                Bob

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                • #9
                  Thank you to all...

                  Many thanks again to all who helped me with this enquiry yesterday. I took up the suggestion of putting up a sheet a tin foil on the non-window side of the seedlings, and came home to find the vast majority of the standing up straight in the trays rather than leaning towards the sunlight. I'm really, really happy to have found an answer to this problem, so there's a pint down at my local for all my helped me with this one!...

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