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| I am trying to grow different vegetables indoors. My tomato seedlings are leggy, I believe. They get 18 hours of light per day. I use a combination of a plant/aquarium bulb and a cool white fluorescent bulb. Should I be using a different combination? How much distance should be between the plants and the bulbs? The peppers and other plants are thriving, but the tomato seedlings are growing along the soil like they are a vine instead of straight upward. Please help. |
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| The lights should be very close to the plants.....like a couple of inches. |
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- Posted by missingtheobvious Blue Ridge 7a (My Page) on Tue, Mar 12, 13 at 13:52
| I start seedlings under cool fluorescents, which I keep ideally no more than 1-2" above the leaves. Since the tubes are cool, leaves which touch them do not burn, so it's fine that sometimes the leaves are up there with the tubes. I have no experience with other lighting, so I can't help you there. If there's too much distance between the lighting and the leaves, the seedlings will stretch to be closer to the light. That's not a good thing. The only problem I've had with that has been when the seeds have sprouted and the stems are already stretched before I get them under the lights. I don't know why your tomato seedlings would be growing sideways ... unless perhaps the root systems aren't strong. Since tomatoes will root anywhere on the stem, I'd think it's not a problem -- as long as the stem begins growing upright at some point. As far as legginess goes: what is the distance between the base of the stem (i.e. where it comes out of the ground) and the dicotyledons (the first two leaves that come out of the seed)? |
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| It sounds like you didn't plant them deep enough or maybe they need to be up-potted and transplanted deeper so the roots will get stronger. If they are in tiny cells now, transplant them to pots a little bigger and deeper. One to two inches lighting above the plant tops and mine are only on 16 hrs a day. The tomatoes are on the right. A tip: brush your hand over the tops of your plants once or twice a day to strengthen their stems. |
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