What are tall leggy seedlings and how to fix them.

Certain seedlings don’t look very healthy when they grow. They look a bit leggy and weak. The main reason why these seedlings grow up in such a state is because they do not get enough sunlight. This happens for seeds that are grown indoors or those grown in shady locations. These thin leggy seedlings also lean a bit sideways to search for sunlight. Although these seedlings are leggy in the bottom they are heavy in the top part. This makes them more prone to wobbling or flipping over. You cannot fix leggy seedlings, the best thing to do is to prevent them from becoming even more weak and leggy.

A few ways to prevent leggy seedlings are:

• Providing ample bright light to the seedlings after they germinate. Using grow lights to provide enough light for seedlings is necessary to prevent leggy seedlings.
• If you are using any cover to help in the germination process then remove the cover after the seeds have germinated.
• If you are sowing seeds outside, then choose a sunny location to sow these seeds.

Now let’s find out how to fix leggy seedlings

Nothing can be done when the seedlings have started to grow tall and leggy, but we can prevent them from growing more weaker.

Prevent leggy seedlings from getting weaker:

1. Introducing light movement

To strengthen the seedlings, introduce light wind using an oscillating fan. Make sure there is light wind which encourages the seedling to become more tough and stronger.

2. Provide enough light

Seedlings need a minimum of 12 hours of bright light to grow into healthy saplings. Adding supplemental grow lights or upgrading to a stronger light is a way to strengthen leggy seedlings.

3. Turn the heat mat off

If you use heat mats to assist in seed germination, then make sure to turn off the heat mat after your seeds have germinated. Too much heat encourages the seedlings to grow tall and leggy.

4. Fertilize the seedlings and bury them deeper

Once your seedlings are 2 to 3 weeks old, feed them with liquid fertiliser. Make sure to dilute the fertiliser. When leggy seedlings are buried deeper in a sunny location they can grow into healthy plants with stronger stems.

5. Pinch growing tip

Removing the second or the third set of true leaves encourages a more dense and bushy growth of the plant. When a seed germinates the first seed of leaves that appear are called the cotyledon leaves. The next set of leaves that appear are called the plant’s true leaves. The first true leaves should not be pinched. The second set of leaves can be pinched which encourages a dense growth of the plant.

You cannot pinch plants that grow only a single stem. Examples are sunflowers, corn etc.