Leggy Seedlings

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Spyguy Pike Road, AL Mar 23, 2013

Hello, I am starting seedlings in a pro-hex by Jiffy with a grow light over head (one side does get more light so I try to rotate it) and the seedlings are still leggy! What can I do to save them? Do I need to do anything? (There is an eight inch gap from seeds to light)

I the seeds Im starting that are leggy are
Russian mammoth sunflower
An several tomatoes
Also ornamental sunflowers
Zinnias

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stephanietx Fort Worth, TX(Zone 8a) Mar 23, 2013

Lower the lights or raise the tray. The light should be just above the seedlings, maybe just 1" - 2" clearance.

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Seedfork Enterprise, AL(Zone 8b) Mar 23, 2013

I agree with stephanietx , you need to get the light source and the plants closer together. I don't really know about the sunflowers, this is my first year growing them, but the Zinnias and the tomatoes can for sure be saved. You may know this and you may not, but Zinnias and the tomatoes can be planted very deeply and that will help a lot with the problem with being lanky when you start to plant them in the garden.I am not sure about the sunflowers, but I suspect that they could be also. I have a few Russian Mammoths I let get lanky, I planted them a little deeper than normal and it did not seem to bother them, but I did not plant them as deeply as I would have for lanky tomatoes and zinnias. If you have a lot of them (I only had two) you might try planting a couple of them really deep and see how they do? Then let us know. I do plan on planting more directly in the garden, but I got bored one day and needed something to plant.

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Spyguy Pike Road, AL Mar 23, 2013

Thanks, I raised the tray and will bury zinnias and tomatoes @ planting time! I'll post again when they're in the ground.

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HoneybeeNC Charlotte, NC(Zone 7b) Mar 23, 2013

I keep shop lights almost, but not quite, touching the seedlings.

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