seedling stretch?

[smd1973]

I've got my first grow started and have 4 seedlings going. 2 are looking pretty good. They do seem to be fairly tall so Im wondering if they are stretching for light. I've got 2 40w CFLs on them now and the lights are about 6" from the seedlings.

I've also got 2 seedlings that don't look so hot. They are kind folded over and the stems look to have collapsed. They have leaves that look healthy, but the seed shell pieces are still on them. They just don't appear to be able to stand on their own. Photos attached. any opinions on the stretching and the other 2 seedlings that don't appear able to stand up? Thank you!

[SoOrbudgal]

Howdy smd1973 i'd chuck that one laying over she has dampened off no longer good. Now you need to put those about 2-3inches from the light once they pop from earth. That other one in the second pic could be saved but it's gotta be real gentle lift it out with a spoon repot it deeper and keep that light close to seedlings. Put drops of water and I mean drops onto the head of that seed and allow it to soften and leaf opens easy and shucks the shell. Good luck

[smd1973]

SoOrbudgal Thank you. I just made the changes and hopefully can save he struggling seedling. Thanks for the advice!

[Sledrock]

smd1973 I agree with SoOrbudgal: They look to be starving for Light. Move it closer.

[smd1973]

I’ve got a 400w MH. Should i switch to that bulb or is it too soon with the seedlings still being so small?

[Sledrock]

You can still use your CFL lights, just put them closer or use higher watt bulbs. I have even used my 450 watt LED but kept it at least 30" above the seedlings. But I think it would be safer using CFL (or T5'S) while they're "babies." I have no experience with MH lights, so can't help you there. My first grow, I used ALL CFLs (and a lot of them), some with double fixtures and sometimes 4-ways) and kept them an inch or two from the plants. I got descent yields, but not great and I was constantly (sometimes daily) adjusting them. I had clamp-on for the sides and small chains for hanging from above. (It was a pain in the ass, but it worked.) There are a lot more experienced growers on here than I, perhaps some will chime in. Good Luck, stay with it, keep learning!

[Rwise]

You can get (3) Y adapters and make a 4 way with them, the plants can grow up and even touch the CFLs with little damage. The 4 way encourages limb growth without topping as the plant gets light from all angles. My indoor grow was 1500 actual watts of CFLs,,,cant wait for better lights!

[JoeBlow]

I use 400w mh. I use it the entire veg stage from seed, no other lights. My ballast has a power % knob for 50, 75, and 100%. For seedlings I set it on 50% power with the 400w bulb. I put my seedlings in solo cups and then a plastic sandwich bag over the top of the cup to make a little humidity biodome. I move the light fixture so the glass on the bottom of the fixture is touching the top of the sandwich bag biodome. After about a week I remove the biodome. It seems like its too close to the light, but it works fine. I keep the glass on the bottom of the light fixture an inch above the seedling tops. I transplant into 3 gallon smart pots 2-3 weeks after planting the germinated seeds. A day after transplant I kick the ballast up to 100% and move the light to 12 inches above the plant tops.

Sometimes the seedlings stretch (they are too far from the light) and if they start flopping over I rig a makeshift stick & garden tie holder to keep them standing upright. An oscillating fan also helps them build strength in the stems. I also rotate the cups daily so they don't grow at an angle. I do manifolding so I think it's important to grow as straight and even as possible.

[smd1973]

Thanks for the advice all. I got some 100W CFLs and added 2 more for a total of 4 100W bulbs on the seedlings. Hopefully I can stop the stretching. Ive got some fans going to help strengthen the stems. Hopefully I can salvage these girls but I'll certainly know better for next time. Thank you all!

[billyboy]

You can have a great grow with those seedlings. Let them get to a 7th or 8th node and then top to the 3rd of 4th to get a nice even base for your canopy.

[smd1973]

Hi All, thanks for all the advice and encouragement. It seems that I just want to mess these little seedlings up no matter what. I put some 100W CFLs on them and moved them closer. Now I fear that I have burned them up a bit. Please see the attached photos. Would love any advice you kind folks can offer. they were both a beautiful vibrant green and now one has burn edges and the other has turned a dull green. Anyone have any suggestions? I moved the lights a little bit further away. Any other ideas to save these seedlings?

[JoeBlow]

I'm not sure this is light related. From the pictures, the soil looks bone dry. I would humidity dome them, as I do for all young seedlings for the first few days after emergence. Half a plastic bottle or use sandwhich bags to trap moisture, as seedlings prefer a more humid environment if I remember right. How long ago was the last watering?

[FunkyButtLovin]

I use a single 14w curly cfl in an old desk lamp to bring up 5-6 seedlings at a time for about 10-12 days until they're ready to transplant. The only reason I move them to a bigger light after that is because the half dozen 1-2 gal pots grouped together now makes the single cfl very ineffective at getting light to more than 1 of them since the bulb has to be 2-4 inches away from the tops. You don't need more than few watts until they have about 3 nodes and the leaves are getting big enough to actually use more light. Unless it's cold in that room, you don't need the heat mat anymore, the gentle warmth of the cfl is enough. I've raised them in a room that dips down to low 60s under that weak little cfl bulb without problems. Even the humidity should be a non issue as long as it's around 40% or so in the room and I've brought them up with no dome or anything in 20% humidity as well. I think your problems are due to lighting and watering which is likely being affected by your lighting and heat mat. When it's cool to cold with around 40% humidity, and they're under the cfl I only have to water them about 2-3x a week.

I'm not saying what I do is ideal in any way, just showing you that things don't have to be perfect and they don't need much at all except a tiny bit of light and some damp soil.

[smd1973]

Thank you both for the further input. I have read that overwatering is a common mistake so I probably have erred on the side of not watering enough. I was giving them about a shot glass or two of water every 2-3 days. I just gave them a good drink and made sure the soil was fully saturated.

The heating pad is actually not plugged in. Its just there from when the seedlings were germinating and I didn't remove it. I'm going to try doming them as well to see if I can get them back to healthy. Everyone else makes this look so easy. From what I've learned so far, I still have a lot to learn. Thanks again.