Mini Greenhouse

I just bought a small greenhouse on ebay. I've got it set just inside the back double-doors (it gets the early morning-midafternoon sun). I started some seeds in it, and they popped up over the last few days. Is it common for sprouts to be . . . skinny? I can't put the greenhouse outside - I have absolutely no shade anywhere, and the wind can be strong. So, they would either burn or get blown away. Is there anything I can do to have the spouts not be skinny?

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

Nichole

Sounds like they need more light--if you can't get them real sunlight then you should buy some grow lights and hang them a few inches above the seedlings. If you've got the greenhouse inside and the sunlight has to come through your house windows and then through the greenhouse glass/plastic, it's probably lost too much of its strength by the time it gets to your seedlings. Seedlings need pretty strong light, usually over ~14 hrs a day or so in order to not get leggy like is happening to yours.

I agree with ecraine3, more light. flourescents an inch or 2 above the seedlings. Sounds like they are stretching for light.

Tom

I set up a portable lamp w/a plant bulb in it. I'll turn that on for a few hours a day and see what happens.

Thanks for the advice.

Nichole

Another thought is to try a fan, if not now, maybe later when the plants get a little bigger. Movement of plants with a fan can improve the strength of the stem and make plants stockier.

What kind of "plant bulb"? How many watts? What spectrum? How far from the plants is it?

"A few hours a day" could be anywhere from 8-18 hours, depending on the plant and/or it's size. Less than 8 hours is pretty much a waste of energy.