Leggy Tomato and Chili Pepper Seedlings

According to my research, these seedlings are leggy because of either too little light or too much heat. In my case, I suspect it may be both. These little guys popped up before I had the flourescent light set up and I had placed an isulation mat under the heat mat. So I replaced the foam insulated mat with a bath towel and [finally] got DH to help me suspend the flourescent light from the ceiling. It has 4 - 48" tubes, 2 blue light and 2 red light, alternated and is placed just a few inches from the tops of these very leggy seedlings.

My question: Is there anything I could or should do about it? Or just leave 'em alone? Here's a couple of pics.

Another shot. This tray is mostly heirloom seeds from Baker Creek.

Cypress vine starts - soooo leggy.

If the lights are just a few inches above the tops of the seedlings then that's where they ought to be, but if you didn't have the lights there right away when they germinated that definitely could have made them leggy. The part I'm not sure about is the red and blue lights...I always use plain old fluorescents and so do most people, so if all you have is red and blue I wonder if there's some part of the light spectrum that your seedlings need but aren't getting. As far as the heat--as soon as my seeds have germinated, I take them off the heat mat, the heat helps with germination, but after that unless you're growing them in a really chilly room/shed/greenhouse you don't need them.

Once they've gotten leggy, you can't really fix them, all you can do is correct the conditions so that they don't get even leggier, and it sounds like you've done that.

Thanks ecrane3, appreciate the feedback.

Mary I do know that once they reach the point of being transplanted, for the tomatoes seedlings you can bury some of that long stem, so they won't be so leggy. I'm not sure if you can do the same with the others.

MaryMcP, I just received a heat mat. You mentioned that you used a towel under your mat. Mine is not getting as warm as I expected it to get, but the instructions didn't mention anything about putting something under it. Right now, it's on a cool tile floor. Should I place something under the mat? I didn't purchase a thermostat with it.

Sharkey, Yes, you need to put something under the mat. All the heat is going down, into the tiles. Something to insulate the heat mat from those tiles. A folded towel should do the trick. Good luck.

I put each tomato variety in a tray of 6 cells. This sometimes means that one might germinate a couple of days earlier then the rest, meaning that I always have a couple of leggy tomatoes in a tray or two.

My general strategy is to get them under the light once everyone has germinated and keep a small oscillating fan running in the room with the lights for a week or so. This has always worked fine for me.

As one poster alludes to above, a tomato stem will root at any point on its length. When you plant them in the ground, you just plant up to the first set of leaves or thereabouts and you will actually get a stronger plant (with a stronger root system.)

I personally think you're fine.

Thanks for the feedback. Yesterday the seedlings got transplanted from the seed tray to a 4" pot. All seem to be doing well. Yippeeee.

... I just let them be leggy. When I transplant into 4.5" pots, I plant them a little deeper. And when I transplant to the garden, I snip off the bottom few leaves and trench them anyway, so... it doesn't matter how long the stem is, to me. :)

Uh, trenching being 'dig a trench, lay the whole stem in it up to the leaves you left on, and bury the whole shebang'. I don't know if it _really_ helps, but they certainly don't fall to wind and rain as easily. :)

-Sev
Roomfuls of leggy tomatoes are fun.

May Princess Kathy have plenty of baby plants soon!

When I start my trays, the lights are just barely above the tray itself. As they germinate and grow, I keep the lights just above their heads.

Thank Melissa. I'll try to remember that for next time. :~} I transplanted half of the batch up to 4" pots last weekend and will do the rest this weekend. All seem to be happy plants!

I just started tomato seeds today, so to my understanding, its better to have the lights right over them from the very beginning to prevent legginess?

yes pumpkinfreak

Thank you Melissa

:) glad I could help. Just don't forget to monitor closely and move the lights up as they grow. :)

This message was edited Mar 8, 2008 1:18 AM

Melissa, how long does it generally take for a tomato seed to germinate? I just started them yesterday. I started some Roma V, sky rockets and Rutgers.

Just a few days if that. Some take longer than others, but most are up within a week anyway.

I will make sure to keep a close eye on them to see if they have germinated in a few days. Can I keep the light over them about 2 inches and then move the light up over time?

If you plant leggy seedlings at an angle so that they are lying somewhat on their sides (about 45 degrees from roots to where they "break through" the soil just under their first set of leaves), they develop roots along the portion that is sort of on its side. I think you get stronger plants this way - much the same as Sev mentioned above. I don't worry about tomatoes or peppers that get a little bit leggy. Good luck with your babies!!

Thanks. The last of them got potted up to the 4" pot today and I did put some of them in length-wise. Thanks to all who contributed. I'll post a pic when things are looking good. :>}

Pumpkinfreak, The Roma tomato seeds I planted sprouted within a couple of days. However, the Better Boy seeds took a couple of weeks. I was just about to give up on them. They were all planted in the same tray of peat pellets at the same time. I don't know why the others took so long under the same conditions. I have to learn to be more patient.

Thank you Sharkey