Seedlings too weak

Gameface

Member
Ive noticed that a couple of my seedlings are too weak to support their own weight. Is it normal to have to stake plants that are only 4 to 5 inches tall?
 

RIXUK

Active Member
Mine are about the same size.
You most likely never put them deep enouth in to your media.
Top up your soil to support or if hydro like me,rip strips of rockwool and pace around it to support.
Support them,in fact try put some piccys up.
 

Brick Top

New Member
Normally that is the result of inadequate lighting. The seedling stretch, the stems become long and thin and they lean, can't support the weight of the small amount of foliage and possibly end up lying on the soil.

You can replant then deeper, leaving about 1/2 inch of plant above the soil. New roots will push out of what it now stem so your root system will develop faster. Add a small fan to blow on your seedlings. The swaying lateral and back and forth motion will cause them to grow thicker stronger stems, the very same way wind in nature causes trees to grow larger stronger trunks. And it is likely that you need to increase your lighting and or lower your lighting closer to your plants.

What lighting are you using, type, wattage, if CFLs, how many and whats the wattage? How high above the top of your plants is it?
 

Dj1209

Well-Known Member
Mine are about the same size.
You most likely never put them deep enouth in to your media.
Top up your soil to support or if hydro like me,rip strips of rockwool and pace around it to support.
Support them,in fact try put some piccys up.
No your probably wrong, your plant is probably stretching to the light. What kind of light to you have an how far away is it? Also to help the plant out add more soil if you are using soil cover to an inch below the first leaves it will turn to root and be more stable also add wind to build stem strength.
 

LordWinter

New Member
I've read in a few books that an alternative to the fan/wind approach is to gently bend them back and forth several times, once or twice a day. The idea is to replicate the motion the plant would experience in the wind.
 
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