Very helpful video; thank you! I didn't even know my seedlings weren't supposed to be so leggy; I thought they were growing great but I knew they never looked like the great seedlings shown in the catalogs and other videos. Now I know better and can work to grow them better. Thank you.
Thanks so much for your comment, and I’m so happy that my video helped. You’ll be on the right track now, but please let me know if you have any questions as you go!
this made me laugh. im in the same situation. got excited my first seedlings were growing so well until youtube told me its leggy and not getting enough sunlight
@@NowGardening hi Valerie! I’m growing eggplant from seeds. They germinated and were growing but now growth seems to have stopped and leaves are turning light green. Any insight as to what I can do? With unseasonably warm weather this week (80F, sunny) I left them outside and we’ll watered. Besides losing green-ness, one of the seedlings fell flat.. any suggestion would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks, Kristen. I appreciate your comment because that’s exactly what I try to do: deliver useful info without wasting my viewers time! Have a great weekend 😊 Valerie
Hi Joan, thank you so much for your message. In all my videos I only teach what I’ve tried and has worked for me, so I’m super pleased that it was helpful to you as well. Best wishes for healthy seedlings and a bountiful harvest.
I have zinnia flower seedlings that are already 5cm tall and still only have the baby leaves. I just moved them into better lighting. Thank you for the tips in this video!
Yes, a gentle sweep of the hand a couple times a day as you walk past them. Works great. I've done it for years... creates more interaction with your plants allowing you to catch any problems sooner then later.
Good fix. As a GENERAL rule annual plants can be planted deeper in the soil at any age as their stem will eventually root out. I never tried with seedlings before though so thanks for the education.
A light fan on the seedlings can help also. Air movement helps build a stronger stem from all the bouncing around and keeps the soil from being boggy at the surface. You briefly touched on it at the end. Love your videos!
Good point. I didn't think to mention it but you're right, and a fan can actually be much easier for some people than opening a window each day. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. I'll be sure to add that if I do another video on seedlings 👍🏻 Enjoy your weekend!
My pleasure, Amanda. Best of luck getting them into shape! By the way, South Africa is on my top 5 countries ever visited. I can’t wait to plan another trip there 😊 Valerie
Thank you for your very informative video. I have tomato seedlings that grew leggy in peat pots which you don't recommend either. I will be transferring them to yogurt cups which I had the foresight to save. Your videos are among the best and I'll be looking forward to the next one.
Thank you. Great idea to transfer them out of the peat pots. They’ll thank you for it. Don’t forget to put a few holes in your yogurt containers for drainage. I only say that because I used to forget it sometimes!
One other thing that will really help is to put a grow light directly over (and close) to the seedlings. If you move the light up as the plants grow, they will thrive. By close, I mean just about 2-3 inches about the leaves.
Great advice. This video is older and there are so many things I wish I could go back and add-this being one of them. I do this with my seedlings but it’s too bad I forgot to mention it in the video. Thanks for adding to the comments
Awesome! Blessings to everyone, if you haven't yet repented and accepted christ Jesus as your lord and savior, please do so before it's too late it's not God"s will for none to perish. Acts 2vs 38 John 3vs 16 Romans 10 vs 13
1:22 That light is way to high and the reason seedlings get leggy in the first place. Grow light need to be 2 inches above the plants when they first germinate.
Great tips thanks for sharing. With tomatoes what I find works is grabbing the plant by the main stem and vigorously shaking it from side to side or gently bending the whole plant in different directions daily. Over a few days/weeks the stem gets really wide and strong as the plant heals the minor damage that you inflict on it. You basically imitate what strong winds would do naturally.
Instead of repotting the seedlings, can I just add soil to the existing container? I use cups for my seedlings and I have a lot of space left to add more soil.
Hi Nan, yes that will work although I'd recommend that you repot the first few to check the root development. If you see that your seedlings have good roots, then just add soil. If you see that they aren't developing strong roots, then you'd want to re-evaluate how (and how much) you're watering them in addition to just adding more soil. I like to use repotting as a time to do a plant health check!
Thank you so much, you solve my problem, I'm beginner, I was so excited when my zucchini, spinach and lettuce had germinated but they didn't grow like as I expected and I don't know how to fix them, it's a blessing that I found your video, thanks again and I SUBSCRIBED it.
Thank you. I'm so happy to hear that this video helped you and hope you have a wonderful harvest this year. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions in your new gardening adventure!
It's also good to give seedlings a brush with your hands daily or put a fan on them - this will help keep stockier and prevent them from getting so leggy! :)
Thank you for this! My new tomato seedlings look exactly like your leggy example :( Do I need to re-pot them immediately to fix them? They’re indoors next to a window. Apparently with not enough light? Do I need one of those grow lights now? I thought it was exciting how they were growing too, but now I know it’s not :( I knew nothing about gardening when I put 5 little seeds in one little pot and 6 in the other. They’ve all started out leggy! I guess I should have used only 1 seed at a time. Per pot! Do I need 10-12 pots now to transfer each one to? Do they each have to have their own pot? Can I put the new little babies into just potting soil now or do I need to make a special mixture? Oh nooo, I really wanted to do a good job at this. I feel sad :( I would love any advice. Please. Thank you so much.
No worries. If the seedling are getting leggy in the window, you’ll definitely need a grow light to help them get stronger. I would get the lamp & then replant into their own tiny pot. Give them 1 day before you turn the light on them. From that point, keep the light on at least 12 hours a day. When the weather warms up, get them out to the garden as soon as they have a few leaves. They should grow quickly then. Good luck!
You need good lighting conditions either from the sun or grow lights. The best cheapest grow ledpanels you get from Bonzai Hero and they work great for tomatoes. I have 24 plants going on my windowsill with a cheaper led panel hanging over and they also get natural light and still they grow tall. In my growing box with a Bonzai Hero panel I have another 12 tomato plants going and they are much shorter. I poked a hole in one Picolini tomato and squesed out 42 seeds on a paper towel and then I placed the seeds on small Rockwool cubes and everyone of them is growing. so there is no need to buy seeds just use what ever tomato you got in the fridge.
Awesome!!! So, basically, get way more sunshine, and pull their pants up so their stems ain't all hanging out so much. I think we could all benefit from this treatment. HAHA. ;)
Very neat trick, I've only done this with tomatoes. I'm doubtful this will work with leafy greens, but night shades and cucurbits seem to like it fine. Thanks for the content!
You’re right. Leafy greens like lettuce aren’t great candidates for this method and are easier to just put under a grow light and let them strengthen or start over.
Hi, Judy. You can do the same process as for tomatoes. Tomatoes and peppers both have adventitious roots, which in simple terms means they are able to develop roots all along their stems. So don't hesitate to bury the leggy bit. It's a sure win.
This only works with vines like cucumbers or tomatoes. If you try to bury the stem of most plants like that it will definitely cause crown rot and the plant will suffer. Something to keep in mind.
I’m sorry that’s been your experience. My experience has been that tomatoes are amazingly resilient. I rarely have any that die and always end up having more seedlings than I have room to transplant in the garden.
I had been told to never bury the stem on most plants, but it looks like I was ill-advised. So, repot, checking the root growth/health, bury much of the stem & water them from below (carefully as to the amount), is that right? A friend of a friend has started Nasturtium (Idk which variety) & Sweet Peas as indoor plants, in a tray, & I don't think I've ever seen such leggy seedlings :( I believe it's their 1st time growing anything & I'm being asked for help. If they transfer a few plants to a regular pot & keep in a sunny window, brushing the tops every so often to simulate wind, & water from below, is that the best course of action? I'm not sure what to tell them. Am I correct that the Sweet Pea will need to be pinched quite a bit & probably need support, possibly a small trellis? Thanks so much to anyone who helps!!!
I wouldn't say ill-advised since some plants are more delicate and don't respond well to the "stem-burying" method. If I haven't tried a particular plant before, I will try it with half of the seedlings and see how they turn out before doing it with the entire bunch. I have never sown nasturtium and sweet peas inside, only direct sown outside, but your plan sounds like the best one available considering the state of your friend's seedlings. Good luck!
@@NowGardening Thanks so much for the reply & advice; it's much appreciated! I'll let them know & direct them here as well. (I've already sent one of your videos.) Wishing you extra luck with this year's gardening!
Cucumbers will « fall over » once they get to a certain size since they are vining plants. Do they look healthy otherwise or are the leaves wilting? Are the roots still covered?
This is great for tomatoes, but zucchini and cucumbers grow extremely fast and do not like to be transplanted, so for me personally, I would direct sow Zucchini and cucumber after last frost. The times that I have direct sowed these plants they by far out performed the seedling starts. Good luck all! 👍
Hi Kelly. I have to agree on that point. I wish I had said that in this video. I've done both ways but prefer direct sowing whenever possible too. Thanks for adding your tip to the comments!
Hi Mary. If they’re growing together, you have 2 options. Personally, I gently divide them (pull them apart and replant them individually). If you have too many, you can simply pinch off the extra seedlings at soil level and leave 1 good seedling intact. Honestly, my experience has been that tomato seedlings are amazingly resilient. I plant several in a yogurt container, let them grow a bit, and then divide them out. Hope this helps
When do you water the re- potted leggy seedlings? And how much? I re-potted my spinach, lettuce, romaine and tomato this morning. All leggy and greens looking pale green. Developed white mold in greens. Soil was surprisingly very wet still in spite of not watering for a week. Thanks so much for your guidance!
I water about every 3 days for seedlings in regular soil. I've found that seedlings growing in coir and some other growing mediums hold water and are hard to judge as easily. Could this be your issue? Your soil shouldn't be wet after a week, and it needs to dry out enough between watering for the roots to start looking for water, which helps them develop and grow. Good luck getting your seedlings back on track!
@@NowGardening I am unfortunately only able to do a container garden since I live in apartment. The greens I direct planted using coast of maine potting soil/ compost mixture for container plants. At the 3 week mark, I added fertilizer, again a coast of maine product, but it stated to water well prior to adding and tilling the soil. That's when things went bad. The tomatoes I planted in small containers to eventually move to 5 gallon buckets. I put them outside (on the roof of my car!) until the sun goes down.
Unfortunately, south facing windows are no longer adequate - due to low E glass - which blocks UV light. It's okay to get things sprouting, but they then need to be moved under a grow light.
Exactly, I started to mention windows coatings, but didn’t feel qualified enough to talk about them. I can see a difference in my seedlings even when I simply slide open the glass door on a sunny day. Amazing. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
@@NowGardening 18 years as a general contractor, so I'll be glad to field it. Those coatings are meant to filter out both UVA and UVB light, which fade fabric, but what is bad to us is necessary for plants. Also regarding raised beds if you ever talk about them, pressure treated lumber has been safe to use since 2002. It no longer contains arsenic, but salts and borates that prevent bacterial growth and wood decay instead (at least here in the US).
@@UrbanGardeningWithD.A.Hanks14 Interesting! I had no idea about how they pressure treat wood now. I used to work in a home improvement store in the US, but that was the mid-90s. I generally rely on France to have stringent environmental laws about such things, but I admit I'm relieved to learn this since I just used scrap treated 2x6s to revamp my no-dig area.
@@NowGardening Yes, they are fine. I just caution people to avoid used/old PTL from neighbors, as that is most likely toxic. All of my raised beds are PTL from the Big Orange, so that the wood color matches as I add tiers.
In my experience, cilantro is too weak for this. Unfortunately, it’s best to start over but my advice is to grow it directly outside. It takes longer to germinate but is much healthier and never leggy!
Nooo! Prick out the leggy seedlings by the cotyledons, not the stems! You are likely to break them. To prevent leggy seedlings, put them in better light with a reflective panel behind them. Whatever, nice vid, thanks.
Tomato seedlings typically aren’t super fragile. I’ve never broken a stem and my plants produce abundantly. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Thanks
Ok, so now I know how to fix leggy seedlings. But prevention is better than cure, so it would be more helpful for me to know how to prevent them from getting leggy in the first place. Any advice?
Hi Badger. I have several videos that address this and other seedling problems. In short, the most frequent cause of leggy seedlings is not enough light. Seedlings need an average of 14-16 hrs per day. However, there are many other potential pitfalls so feel free to check out my other videos and let me know if you have any questions.
Sorry I haven’t tried this for cabbages. Whenever I try a new technique, I try it on half of my seedlings and leave the other half untouched. That’s what I’d recommend doing. But overall, depending on how bad the seedlings are, this has worked for everything I’ve tried except herbs like coriander or parsley. Hope this helps
Hi Steve. Good question. I have done this on lettuce before, but the best candidates are tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants because they adventitious roots (meaning they easily grow new roots on the stem). Even though the lettuce survived, I felt like it was weaker once I planted it outside than it normally is. I hope this helps
Did you repot them? If they don’t get enough light indoors, they’ll get leggy again. How warm is it there? If over 50°F I would go ahead and put them outside for a little during the warm part of the day to make sure they get some sun. The wind will take the place of the fan. But be careful and don’t expose them to too much too fast. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!
Hi Markiel. I'm glad this was helpful, and the good news is that tomatoes are easy to save! Good luck with your seedlings. I hope you have lots of healthy tomato plants this year 😊
Thank you. I have very leggy broccoli but no true leaves yet so I've been waiting to transplant. Now I'm going to transplant them so they have a chance. Thank you so much for saving my broccoli crop!
You might want to watch my other leggy seedling video where I expose them only to more light. They partially recover but the group with the repotted stem turns out stronger in the end.
Thank you for your sharing of this very helpful advice. My cucumbers popped up within 2 days. I was panicking as to how to handle this situation. Your instructions were simple and to the point. The photos were awesome. Thank you so much!🤗
Perfect! Thank you for the information! I´ll try it with my mints because they have gotten WAY too leggy and tall.. One is even like 30 cms tall but there is plenty of space under in the pot. I´ll do my best given that I live in a really cold place right now. Greetings from Sweden :)
Hi Beatriz, be aware that if your mint is already a full-grown plant and no longer a seedling, you can simply cut it back and it will regrow. I have tons of established mint growing & when it starts to get tall and shabby, i just cut it to about 1-2cm tall & it regrows beautifully!
I turn mine on for a few hours each day, but I think your way works just as well. I hate that I forgot to mention it in the this video. I have other video that talk about it, but this seems to be the one everyone watches.
Best option is if they stretch just add some cool white lights . You can also increase the power of lights by buying new or lower them to increase intensity , but dont go to close so you dont stunt the growth.
Thanks. When I transplant to the ground I was told I can't cover stem with soil for cucumber plant. So it's ok for indoor? I am having bateria wilt on cucumbers plants for last 2 years. By mid July all my cuke plants die from bateria wilt. I must have done something wrong. Do you prune them? What fertilizer do you used? Sorry asking too many questions. We love cucumbers
Hi Chris. For cucumbers, they can be a little tricky because of their susceptibility to different diseases. You can certainly direct sow them in the garden and avoid transplanting them altogether. Otherwise, if you're sowing indoors just try to keep a good light and some air on them as soon as they germinate so that the seedlings are strong. The technique I used in this video works for indoors because you can water from the bottom & encourage the roots to search deep for it. This doesn't work as well outside because you'll water from above the ground, and your stem will rot if its wet. Does that make sense? As for fertilizer, I don't use anything particular. Last year, I think I used a universal fertilizer once during the growing season. No pruning at all, at least not for the varieties I grow. One important point, avoid getting the leaves wet when watering as much as you can & especially dirt splashing up on the leaves b/c both encourage diseases. I hope this helps!
@@NowGardening how much water do you pour the water? How long do let the cup sit before throwing out the excess? Do you do it daily? My tomatoes plants are leggy
@@chrischen9589 Hi Chris, I water until about 1cm up on the container, then let it soak for 1/2 hour & throw away any water left. I don't water every day. I'd say every 2-3 days or when the top of soil is dry about 1cm down. Hope this helps. For those leggy tomatoes, don't hesitate to replant them up to the leaves & get them under a grow light afterwards to avoid future legginess. Hope this helps! Valerie
@@chrischen9589 Hi Chris, so sorry I didn't see this message until now. No, I haven't sown them in winter. I don't have as much garden space as I'd like, so I usually only sow for the current season.
thank you for sharing. But I have been told when repotting like this to hold the plant by the leaf instead of the stem as the stem may suffer in the pinching or it. I also find it easier to use deeper pots so the roots can grow down sooner. stay well and keep growing.
Do you have to start seedlings inside if you live in the 10 zone I live in Southern California and sometimes it gets 50° at night now in the spring but during the day basically right now in the 70s or 80s. My second question is do you use up grow light on seeds that like shade? I will be growing mint and basil since some of my balcony is in partial shade
That is a great question, and you absolutely don’t have to. There are 2 main reasons to sow seeds inside: to get a head start before you are able to plant outside or to help susceptible seedlings get an easy start in protected environment indoors away from insects, weather, etc. I always plant directly outside when I can because I find that the plants are more hardy overall. Also, to answer your question directly, my dad is in zone 10 near the Gulf of Mexico and he has never started seedlings inside. I hope this helps and I wish you lots of luck with your garden!
@@NowGardening Thank you for answering my questions promptly. I really appreciate your advice. Sometimes you don’t think you can do new things you are afraid it won’t work out. Really helps to have expert advice it gives you confidence. Thanks again!
@@echo8931 It's truly my pleasure to help. I've learned so much over time from more experienced gardeners, so it's my turn to pass it on! Don't hesitate to reach out any time 😊
Very helpful video; thank you! I didn't even know my seedlings weren't supposed to be so leggy; I thought they were growing great but I knew they never looked like the great seedlings shown in the catalogs and other videos. Now I know better and can work to grow them better. Thank you.
Thanks so much for your comment, and I’m so happy that my video helped. You’ll be on the right track now, but please let me know if you have any questions as you go!
Same
this made me laugh. im in the same situation. got excited my first seedlings were growing so well until youtube told me its leggy and not getting enough sunlight
Me too.. when you know better, you do better. Thank so much for this vital information about growing seeds.😊
@@NowGardening hi Valerie! I’m growing eggplant from seeds. They germinated and were growing but now growth seems to have stopped and leaves are turning light green. Any insight as to what I can do? With unseasonably warm weather this week (80F, sunny) I left them outside and we’ll watered. Besides losing green-ness, one of the seedlings fell flat.. any suggestion would be greatly appreciated!
First video I have ever seen where leggy seedlings get saved! So great, cucumber is my favorite.
This video has given me so much hope 😭 Thank you so much!
That makes me so happy! Wishing you all the best 😍
Excellent video! Short and sweet and to the point.
Thanks, Kristen. I appreciate your comment because that’s exactly what I try to do: deliver useful info without wasting my viewers time! Have a great weekend 😊 Valerie
I have watched several videos on how to fix leggy seedlingsand yours is the best. Thank you so much
Hi Joan, thank you so much for your message. In all my videos I only teach what I’ve tried and has worked for me, so I’m super pleased that it was helpful to you as well. Best wishes for healthy seedlings and a bountiful harvest.
I have zinnia flower seedlings that are already 5cm tall and still only have the baby leaves. I just moved them into better lighting. Thank you for the tips in this video!
You’re welcome. I hope they recover and get strong.
@@NowGardening thank you! ☺️🌸
Pro tip. Use a small fan, the gentle motion will strengthen baby plant stems and help keep bugs off.
Yes, that’s a great tip that I mention in another video but forgot to here. Thank you
@Rafael you can gently sweep your hand across the tops of the plants several times a day.
@Rafael
Just curious, why wouldn’t you be allowed to buy one?
Did you mean your parents won’t buy it for you?
@Rafael oh, ok lol
Yes, a gentle sweep of the hand a couple times a day as you walk past them. Works great. I've done it for years... creates more interaction with your plants allowing you to catch any problems sooner then later.
Good fix. As a GENERAL rule annual plants can be planted deeper in the soil at any age as their stem will eventually root out. I never tried with seedlings before though so thanks for the education.
Thanks for your comment 😊
I do this. Nice video. Got me excited for the spring. Still a bit cold in the UK right now.
We’ve been having a lot cold spells in France too this year. I had to make a trip to Texas for some really warm weather 😉
Thank YOU SO MUCH my tomatoes, collard greens was leggy I was going to do exactly what you just did glad I found this video😘
Glad I could help! Have a great weekend
A light fan on the seedlings can help also. Air movement helps build a stronger stem from all the bouncing around and keeps the soil from being boggy at the surface. You briefly touched on it at the end. Love your videos!
Good point. I didn't think to mention it but you're right, and a fan can actually be much easier for some people than opening a window each day. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. I'll be sure to add that if I do another video on seedlings 👍🏻 Enjoy your weekend!
love the (re)use of yoghurt pots and old water bottles excellent and useful guidence for the forthcoming growing year
Glad it was helpful. Thank you!
Such great tips - thank you so much! Going to try this next year for sure!
I hope you don't even need it next year but if you do, it really works great!
Thank you very much. This video really help me with my seedlings.
I'm so happy to hear it helped you. You're welcome & thank you for taking the time to tell me.
Thank you! I'm in south africa and my seedlings have gone leggy, going to replant tomorrow 😊
My pleasure, Amanda. Best of luck getting them into shape! By the way, South Africa is on my top 5 countries ever visited. I can’t wait to plan another trip there 😊 Valerie
Oh wow!!! I am so glad you loved visiting here, it is truly beautiful 😍
I did my replant today, everyone is on my covered balcony that gets sun usually in the morning. Hopefully they all survive the transplant 😊
@@MsMandsa I'm so happy to hear back from you, Amanda. I'll be crossing my fingers for you and for your seedlings!
Thank you , going to work on my leggy seedli ngs asap
You're welcome and good luck with your seedlings, Nancy!
Thank you for your very informative video. I have tomato seedlings that grew leggy in peat pots which you don't recommend either. I will be transferring them to yogurt cups which I had the foresight to save. Your videos are among the best and I'll be looking forward to the next one.
Thank you. Great idea to transfer them out of the peat pots. They’ll thank you for it. Don’t forget to put a few holes in your yogurt containers for drainage. I only say that because I used to forget it sometimes!
Good solution.
Thank you. Good luck with your seedlings. Here's to a great harvest this year!
One other thing that will really help is to put a grow light directly over (and close) to the seedlings. If you move the light up as the plants grow, they will thrive. By close, I mean just about 2-3 inches about the leaves.
Great advice. This video is older and there are so many things I wish I could go back and add-this being one of them. I do this with my seedlings but it’s too bad I forgot to mention it in the video. Thanks for adding to the comments
Your grow light is way far away
huh! I am going to try this on my avocado seedling as well....I always get a very long stem with 2 or 3 leaves at the top.
Would love to hear if it works. I’ve never tried it on a avocado before. Good luck!
@@NowGardening will do! :)
I will give this a try. Thx
Good luck getting your seedlings back in shape.
Very good idea
Thank you. I hope it helps you grow healthy plants!
Great video, thank you!
My pleasure. Glad it was helpful!
Never pick up by stem. Gently use the leaf. You can grow more leaves but not another stem. cheers
Thanks for adding your tips 👍🏻
This isn’t a tip, it’s horticultural good practice
I cringed as the plant was picked up by the stem 😞
the whole post is not rocket science..im surprised there's a post about this at all!!
I cringed reading all your cringey comments.
Awesome! Blessings to everyone, if you haven't yet repented and accepted christ Jesus as your lord and savior, please do so before it's too late it's not God"s will for none to perish. Acts 2vs 38 John 3vs 16 Romans 10 vs 13
🙂 thank you for the information .
My pleasure. Thanks for watching.
Excellent video and explanation. Clear, to the point and short. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you
Very good
Thank you
1:22 That light is way to high and the reason seedlings get leggy in the first place. Grow light need to be 2 inches above the plants when they first germinate.
Very helpful.
Thank you. Good luck with your seedlings
Great video thanks!😊💜✌️
You are so welcome, Jamie. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Cool I do this good on ya!!!
Brilliant! Thank you 😊
Great tips thanks for sharing. With tomatoes what I find works is grabbing the plant by the main stem and vigorously shaking it from side to side or gently bending the whole plant in different directions daily. Over a few days/weeks the stem gets really wide and strong as the plant heals the minor damage that you inflict on it. You basically imitate what strong winds would do naturally.
Great tip, thank you. I'm hoping to run more experiments this year and will be sure to try this!
Yes it's called stressing the stems a gental few flicks also has the same effect!😁✌️
better to handle seedlings by the leaf so as not to crush he stem.
Thanks for sharing your tips, Tony.
Instead of repotting the seedlings, can I just add soil to the existing container? I use cups for my seedlings and I have a lot of space left to add more soil.
Hi Nan, yes that will work although I'd recommend that you repot the first few to check the root development. If you see that your seedlings have good roots, then just add soil. If you see that they aren't developing strong roots, then you'd want to re-evaluate how (and how much) you're watering them in addition to just adding more soil. I like to use repotting as a time to do a plant health check!
Love the simplicity thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Glad it was helpful. Good luck with your seedlings!
Best seedling tip ive ever got!
Thanks from Sweden
Thank you. Best of luck getting your leggy seedlings back in shape!
Thank you so much, you solve my problem, I'm beginner, I was so excited when my zucchini, spinach and lettuce had germinated but they didn't grow like as I expected and I don't know how to fix them, it's a blessing that I found your video, thanks again and I SUBSCRIBED it.
Thank you. I'm so happy to hear that this video helped you and hope you have a wonderful harvest this year. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions in your new gardening adventure!
It's also good to give seedlings a brush with your hands daily or put a fan on them - this will help keep stockier and prevent them from getting so leggy! :)
Good tip. I’ve got a fan on mine as we speak 😊
Thank you for this! My new tomato seedlings look exactly like your leggy example :( Do I need to re-pot them immediately to fix them? They’re indoors next to a window. Apparently with not enough light? Do I need one of those grow lights now? I thought it was exciting how they were growing too, but now I know it’s not :( I knew nothing about gardening when I put 5 little seeds in one little pot and 6 in the other. They’ve all started out leggy! I guess I should have used only 1 seed at a time. Per pot! Do I need 10-12 pots now to transfer each one to? Do they each have to have their own pot? Can I put the new little babies into just potting soil now or do I need to make a special mixture? Oh nooo, I really wanted to do a good job at this. I feel sad :( I would love any advice. Please. Thank you so much.
No worries. If the seedling are getting leggy in the window, you’ll definitely need a grow light to help them get stronger. I would get the lamp & then replant into their own tiny pot. Give them 1 day before you turn the light on them. From that point, keep the light on at least 12 hours a day. When the weather warms up, get them out to the garden as soon as they have a few leaves. They should grow quickly then. Good luck!
You need good lighting conditions either from the sun or grow lights. The best cheapest grow ledpanels you get from Bonzai Hero and they work great for tomatoes. I have 24 plants going on my windowsill with a cheaper led panel hanging over and they also get natural light and still they grow tall. In my growing box with a Bonzai Hero panel I have another 12 tomato plants going and they are much shorter. I poked a hole in one Picolini tomato and squesed out 42 seeds on a paper towel and then I placed the seeds on small Rockwool cubes and everyone of them is growing. so there is no need to buy seeds just use what ever tomato you got in the fridge.
Awesome tips Valerie! This surely happened to me many times . Good to know!
Thanks for watching, Nanay 😊 Even the most experienced gardeners end up with leggy plants sometimes! Have a great weekend
Awesome!!! So, basically, get way more sunshine, and pull their pants up so their stems ain't all hanging out so much. I think we could all benefit from this treatment. HAHA. ;)
Haha I couldn't have said it better! I'll be thinking of that the next time I pot up my tomato plants :)
they just need more light. you are welcome..
Very neat trick, I've only done this with tomatoes.
I'm doubtful this will work with leafy greens, but night shades and cucurbits seem to like it fine.
Thanks for the content!
You’re right. Leafy greens like lettuce aren’t great candidates for this method and are easier to just put under a grow light and let them strengthen or start over.
@Now Gardening, what do you do with leggy bell peppers ?
Hi, Judy. You can do the same process as for tomatoes. Tomatoes and peppers both have adventitious roots, which in simple terms means they are able to develop roots all along their stems. So don't hesitate to bury the leggy bit. It's a sure win.
@@NowGardening Thank you for the answer on the peppers. Are there any seedlings you CANNOT do that with ?
Thanks so much, my plants are getting leggy, so I will be putting your great tips to work!
Wonderful! I wish you the best with your seedlings and I hope you have an abundant harvest this year 💚
How they're doing?!@
They are doing Soooo much better now! Thanks again!
@@sharonjialanella8273 Hi Sharon. You made my day with this update. I'm so happy to hear your seedlings are now growing strong for you!
Best video I have seen on this topic! You actually showed pictures of the seedlings after replanting, also short, sweet and simple🤗
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for your kind comment.
This only works with vines like cucumbers or tomatoes. If you try to bury the stem of most plants like that it will definitely cause crown rot and the plant will suffer. Something to keep in mind.
I leave the tomato alone, why, they go in to Shock and die if attempt to fix
I’m sorry that’s been your experience. My experience has been that tomatoes are amazingly resilient. I rarely have any that die and always end up having more seedlings than I have room to transplant in the garden.
I had been told to never bury the stem on most plants, but it looks like I was ill-advised. So, repot, checking the root growth/health, bury much of the stem & water them from below (carefully as to the amount), is that right?
A friend of a friend has started Nasturtium (Idk which variety) & Sweet Peas as indoor plants, in a tray, & I don't think I've ever seen such leggy seedlings :( I believe it's their 1st time growing anything & I'm being asked for help.
If they transfer a few plants to a regular pot & keep in a sunny window, brushing the tops every so often to simulate wind, & water from below, is that the best course of action? I'm not sure what to tell them.
Am I correct that the Sweet Pea will need to be pinched quite a bit & probably need support, possibly a small trellis?
Thanks so much to anyone who helps!!!
I wouldn't say ill-advised since some plants are more delicate and don't respond well to the "stem-burying" method. If I haven't tried a particular plant before, I will try it with half of the seedlings and see how they turn out before doing it with the entire bunch. I have never sown nasturtium and sweet peas inside, only direct sown outside, but your plan sounds like the best one available considering the state of your friend's seedlings. Good luck!
@@NowGardening Thanks so much for the reply & advice; it's much appreciated! I'll let them know & direct them here as well. (I've already sent one of your videos.)
Wishing you extra luck with this year's gardening!
My cucumbers were doing good but as soon as i replanted them into a bigger box from their grow bags i got them in they all fell over.
Cucumbers will « fall over » once they get to a certain size since they are vining plants. Do they look healthy otherwise or are the leaves wilting? Are the roots still covered?
This is great for tomatoes, but zucchini and cucumbers grow extremely fast and do not like to be transplanted, so for me personally, I would direct sow Zucchini and cucumber after last frost. The times that I have direct sowed these plants they by far out performed the seedling starts. Good luck all! 👍
Hi Kelly. I have to agree on that point. I wish I had said that in this video. I've done both ways but prefer direct sowing whenever possible too. Thanks for adding your tip to the comments!
Ok,what if the tomato seedlings are together,what would you do ? 😐😐😐
Hi Mary. If they’re growing together, you have 2 options. Personally, I gently divide them (pull them apart and replant them individually). If you have too many, you can simply pinch off the extra seedlings at soil level and leave 1 good seedling intact. Honestly, my experience has been that tomato seedlings are amazingly resilient. I plant several in a yogurt container, let them grow a bit, and then divide them out. Hope this helps
Great video, Val! Was dealing with some leggy seedlings just the other day.
Thanks Adrian. Leggy seedlings and March go hand in hand
When do you water the re- potted leggy seedlings? And how much? I re-potted my spinach, lettuce, romaine and tomato this morning. All leggy and greens looking pale green. Developed white mold in greens. Soil was surprisingly very wet still in spite of not watering for a week. Thanks so much for your guidance!
I water about every 3 days for seedlings in regular soil. I've found that seedlings growing in coir and some other growing mediums hold water and are hard to judge as easily. Could this be your issue? Your soil shouldn't be wet after a week, and it needs to dry out enough between watering for the roots to start looking for water, which helps them develop and grow. Good luck getting your seedlings back on track!
@@NowGardening I am unfortunately only able to do a container garden since I live in apartment. The greens I direct planted using coast of maine potting soil/ compost mixture for container plants. At the 3 week mark, I added fertilizer, again a coast of maine product, but it stated to water well prior to adding and tilling the soil. That's when things went bad. The tomatoes I planted in small containers to eventually move to 5 gallon buckets. I put them outside (on the roof of my car!) until the sun goes down.
I've been looking for answers on how to avoid stem rot when replanting stretchy seedlings. Thank you so much!
Wonderful! So happy I could help. Watering from the bottom and not overwatering are the keys 👍🏻 Good luck!
Thanks I’ll try it.
Hello i will try this because i loose lots of seedlings, thank you
You’re welcome. I hope this helps you save them. Here’s to lots of healthy seedlings for you!
Great and helpful video!! Thank you!! Now I gotta go save my plants
Wishing you a great harvest ahead once those seedlings are back in shape!
Great video. Really helpful for me 😇
Love from India ❤️
I'm so glad it was helpful. And thanks for being the first viewer from India to leave a comment here 😊
Unfortunately, south facing windows are no longer adequate - due to low E glass - which blocks UV light. It's okay to get things sprouting, but they then need to be moved under a grow light.
Exactly, I started to mention windows coatings, but didn’t feel qualified enough to talk about them. I can see a difference in my seedlings even when I simply slide open the glass door on a sunny day. Amazing. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
@@NowGardening 18 years as a general contractor, so I'll be glad to field it. Those coatings are meant to filter out both UVA and UVB light, which fade fabric, but what is bad to us is necessary for plants. Also regarding raised beds if you ever talk about them, pressure treated lumber has been safe to use since 2002. It no longer contains arsenic, but salts and borates that prevent bacterial growth and wood decay instead (at least here in the US).
@@UrbanGardeningWithD.A.Hanks14 Interesting! I had no idea about how they pressure treat wood now. I used to work in a home improvement store in the US, but that was the mid-90s. I generally rely on France to have stringent environmental laws about such things, but I admit I'm relieved to learn this since I just used scrap treated 2x6s to revamp my no-dig area.
@@NowGardening Yes, they are fine. I just caution people to avoid used/old PTL from neighbors, as that is most likely toxic. All of my raised beds are PTL from the Big Orange, so that the wood color matches as I add tiers.
They need to be in sunlight in order not to get so tall and weak
Sunlight or grow lights. Grow lights are relatively inexpensive if you don’t get a enough sunlight though
Thank you, very informative. Going to try this.
Can I do this with cilantro ?
In my experience, cilantro is too weak for this. Unfortunately, it’s best to start over but my advice is to grow it directly outside. It takes longer to germinate but is much healthier and never leggy!
Dang, I thought I was doing something with my okra plant!! 😅😂😂 I'll replant it tomorrow in a see through plastic container.
You had me at okra. Can’t wait to grow those this summer, but I have a while to go. They won’t produce until late July where I live.
Nooo! Prick out the leggy seedlings by the cotyledons, not the stems! You are likely to break them. To prevent leggy seedlings, put them in better light with a reflective panel behind them. Whatever, nice vid, thanks.
Tomato seedlings typically aren’t super fragile. I’ve never broken a stem and my plants produce abundantly. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Thanks
Ok, so now I know how to fix leggy seedlings. But prevention is better than cure, so it would be more helpful for me to know how to prevent them from getting leggy in the first place. Any advice?
Hi Badger. I have several videos that address this and other seedling problems. In short, the most frequent cause of leggy seedlings is not enough light. Seedlings need an average of 14-16 hrs per day. However, there are many other potential pitfalls so feel free to check out my other videos and let me know if you have any questions.
Simply, brilliant info and solution
Thank you
Thank you!
Very, very timely video! Thanks!
Great! Thank you for your message!
Thank you for this video. I had a bunch of leggy fall seedling about 3 weeks ago. I replanted them and now they are all very strong.
I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks for sharing your success story with me.
I was just looking at my poor lanky seedlings. So..... I thank you very very much.
I’m glad you found my video and thanks for taking the time to leave me a message. Good luck getting your seedlings in shape!
Grateful for this... Have only heard "throw it out and start over." Thank you!!
Thanks and best of luck to your struggling seedlings. I hope you get lots of good harvesting from them this year.
I add light before sun goes down and add a extra small usb fan to blow over them to strengthen stock.
Perfect 👍🏻
You can do this with any seedlings .
Turnips kale radish salads and beats onions ect tomatoes qre best buried deep as they will yeald more fruit
Thanks for your comment 👍🏻
Thank you helped a lot !! getting ready for spring! happy growing! 🌱🌱🌿
Happy Gardening! I'm so happy to hear the video was helpful. Best of luck getting your seedlings in shape & having a wonderful growing season!
What about leggy cabbages?...does this same principle apply?
Sorry I haven’t tried this for cabbages. Whenever I try a new technique, I try it on half of my seedlings and leave the other half untouched. That’s what I’d recommend doing. But overall, depending on how bad the seedlings are, this has worked for everything I’ve tried except herbs like coriander or parsley. Hope this helps
Lots of info I did not know
Well done thanks a million
Thanks Rudy. Have a great weekend and I hope you harvest a good harvest this year.
Great video, do you know if it works on lettuce?
Any veggies you believe it shouldn't be tried on?
Hi Steve. Good question. I have done this on lettuce before, but the best candidates are tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants because they adventitious roots (meaning they easily grow new roots on the stem). Even though the lettuce survived, I felt like it was weaker once I planted it outside than it normally is. I hope this helps
i don’t have an artificial light, could i put them under the fan for a few days and then put their containers outside to harden?
Did you repot them? If they don’t get enough light indoors, they’ll get leggy again. How warm is it there? If over 50°F I would go ahead and put them outside for a little during the warm part of the day to make sure they get some sun. The wind will take the place of the fan. But be careful and don’t expose them to too much too fast. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!
Thank you for this I have some tomato that was looking like this I AM going do this in the morning
Hi Karen, so happy it helped. Hope you get loads of tomatoes this year!
I wish I came to your page sooner. I didn't realize There was other ways to save tomato plants by placing one with another pot.
Hi Markiel. I'm glad this was helpful, and the good news is that tomatoes are easy to save! Good luck with your seedlings. I hope you have lots of healthy tomato plants this year 😊
Hi! Can this be done with watermelon seedlings?
Thank you. I have very leggy broccoli but no true leaves yet so I've been waiting to transplant. Now I'm going to transplant them so they have a chance. Thank you so much for saving my broccoli crop!
You’re welcome! I hope you have a great broccoli harvest this year!
@NowGardening Thank you. I ended up transplanting 99 seedlings. It took a few hours but so far they look pretty good.
Try moving the grow light closer to the seedlings. Not buring the so root are at bottom of pot
You might want to watch my other leggy seedling video where I expose them only to more light. They partially recover but the group with the repotted stem turns out stronger in the end.
Thank you for your sharing of this very helpful advice. My cucumbers popped up within 2 days. I was panicking as to how to handle this situation. Your instructions were simple and to the point. The photos were awesome. Thank you so much!🤗
Glad it helped! Best of luck to you and your seedlings.
Perfect! Thank you for the information! I´ll try it with my mints because they have gotten WAY too leggy and tall.. One is even like 30 cms tall but there is plenty of space under in the pot. I´ll do my best given that I live in a really cold place right now.
Greetings from Sweden :)
Hi Beatriz, be aware that if your mint is already a full-grown plant and no longer a seedling, you can simply cut it back and it will regrow. I have tons of established mint growing & when it starts to get tall and shabby, i just cut it to about 1-2cm tall & it regrows beautifully!
👍👍
Thank you for the tips. I am going to replant my tomatoes today
Awesome! I’m so glad this helped.
Sprinkle cinnamon around the seedling to,prevent mild and rot
Thanks, Sean
Use a fan every other day!@
I turn mine on for a few hours each day, but I think your way works just as well. I hate that I forgot to mention it in the this video. I have other video that talk about it, but this seems to be the one everyone watches.
Thank you so much!!
You’re welcome !
Dont put it on the radiator in the first place,to much heat.
Best option is if they stretch just add some cool white lights . You can also increase the power of lights by buying new or lower them to increase intensity , but dont go to close so you dont stunt the growth.
Thanks for sharing 👍🏻
Really useful video thank you, i have 5 day leggy cucumber seeds and this has answered all my questions :)
Wonderful. I’m so happy to hear that 😊 Best of luck for your garden this year!
Thanks. When I transplant to the ground I was told I can't cover stem with soil for cucumber plant. So it's ok for indoor? I am having bateria wilt on cucumbers plants for last 2 years. By mid July all my cuke plants die from bateria wilt. I must have done something wrong. Do you prune them? What fertilizer do you used? Sorry asking too many questions. We love cucumbers
Hi Chris. For cucumbers, they can be a little tricky because of their susceptibility to different diseases. You can certainly direct sow them in the garden and avoid transplanting them altogether. Otherwise, if you're sowing indoors just try to keep a good light and some air on them as soon as they germinate so that the seedlings are strong. The technique I used in this video works for indoors because you can water from the bottom & encourage the roots to search deep for it. This doesn't work as well outside because you'll water from above the ground, and your stem will rot if its wet. Does that make sense? As for fertilizer, I don't use anything particular. Last year, I think I used a universal fertilizer once during the growing season. No pruning at all, at least not for the varieties I grow. One important point, avoid getting the leaves wet when watering as much as you can & especially dirt splashing up on the leaves b/c both encourage diseases. I hope this helps!
@@NowGardening ohhh. Ic. Have you tried winter sowing cucumber? I learned WS make strong roots
@@NowGardening how much water do you pour the water? How long do let the cup sit before throwing out the excess? Do you do it daily? My tomatoes plants are leggy
@@chrischen9589 Hi Chris, I water until about 1cm up on the container, then let it soak for 1/2 hour & throw away any water left. I don't water every day. I'd say every 2-3 days or when the top of soil is dry about 1cm down. Hope this helps. For those leggy tomatoes, don't hesitate to replant them up to the leaves & get them under a grow light afterwards to avoid future legginess. Hope this helps! Valerie
@@chrischen9589 Hi Chris, so sorry I didn't see this message until now. No, I haven't sown them in winter. I don't have as much garden space as I'd like, so I usually only sow for the current season.
Nice Valerie 😊👍
Thanks so much, Julie 😊
thank you for sharing. But I have been told when repotting like this to hold the plant by the leaf instead of the stem as the stem may suffer in the pinching or it. I also find it easier to use deeper pots so the roots can grow down sooner. stay well and keep growing.
Hi, thanks for sharing your tips. Wishing you lots of bountiful harvests this year
@@NowGardening Happy Gardening to you as well.
Do you have to start seedlings inside if you live in the 10 zone I live in Southern California and sometimes it gets 50° at night now in the spring but during the day basically right now in the 70s or 80s. My second question is do you use up grow light on seeds that like shade? I will be growing mint and basil since some of my balcony is in partial shade
That is a great question, and you absolutely don’t have to. There are 2 main reasons to sow seeds inside: to get a head start before you are able to plant outside or to help susceptible seedlings get an easy start in protected environment indoors away from insects, weather, etc. I always plant directly outside when I can because I find that the plants are more hardy overall. Also, to answer your question directly, my dad is in zone 10 near the Gulf of Mexico and he has never started seedlings inside. I hope this helps and I wish you lots of luck with your garden!
@@NowGardening Thank you for answering my questions promptly. I really appreciate your advice. Sometimes you don’t think you can do new things you are afraid it won’t work out. Really helps to have expert advice it gives you confidence. Thanks again!
@@echo8931 It's truly my pleasure to help. I've learned so much over time from more experienced gardeners, so it's my turn to pass it on! Don't hesitate to reach out any time 😊