Why Do Our Plants Look Like This?!

What causes seedlings to become leggy? Is it light, temperature, water, or a combination of all three? We've recently experienced leggy seedlings with our fall seed starting and now we have to determine whether we should scratch them or try to save them. Join us as we explain what happened here and what we can do to help!
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[@nathanbannister8502]

Travis, instead of repotting them deeper, I just transplant them deeper in the garden early, picking the day when it's not too hot and sunny. It usually doesn't take long at that stage for them to get established and start to take off.They don't all survive, but the vast majority do. My problem is using up all my seedlings, so if i have a few holes, I'll just transplant an extra survivor from somewhere else in the garden to fill the gap.

[@DavidBrown-vx6fb]

Travis, thanks for the video! I often have trouble with leggyness in the fall! I do fine in the spring. I feel the extreme heat in the fall causes my plants to be leggy.

[@slr4172]

Same problem here. Thank you for the video.

[@geraldphillips1533]

I garden in the Houston TX area. On August 13, I planted cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower in starter seed trays inside under a grow light where the ambient temperature stayed in the low seventies. Outside the mid day temperatures stayed in the high nineties. After the seeds sprouted I started setting the trays out in the morning for a couple hours under a shade cloth. I would bring them in before it got too hot. As the seedlings got bigger, I would leave them out longer but I continued to bring them in at night so they could cool down. They did all right and did not get leggy when I transplanted them. That’s how I solved the problem of giving them plenty of direct sunlight but not letting the get too hot under the Texas sun.

[@slr4172]

Thank you for the seedling info. I also am in Houston. Are your recently planted transplants handling our heat? I am concerned about planting now.

[@D4ni3773]

Thanks for sharing! Great video!

[@804Jester]

Hey Trav, I was taught when seedlings start to get leggy to put an oscillating fan on low and aim it at the seed tray,in theory it slows the growth,strengthens the stem and encourages more root growth..my uncle showed me this method years ago and I use this method every year on tomato seedlings. Crazy talk? IDK,but it works for me.😊

[@Maria-ql3fc]

Fortunately I've had mine inside with grow lights and I'm happy with their growth. I've started fertilizing mine and have already planted some out. I think I'm going to have more plants than space for them, but I have friends that can use the extra..

[@aaronschultz7290]

We don’t live in the same growing zone but I still find helpful tips in your videos, thank you

[@Forevertrue]

Excellent Travis. I have this problem almost every year. I have some friends who plant leggy Brussel sprouts all the way up to the leaves and get good growth. I am in 9b in East Texas and I am much hotter than you throughout the summer though, so my fall plants are really important to me. Great sequence of fall videos. Thanks for this.

[@meharris0925]

I have always struggled with this until this year. This year I left the seed trays inside at 72 degrees in a dark room. As soon as they sprouted I placed them outside under the picnic table where they only got 3 hours of direct morning sun. I watered them every day (sometimes twice) and after two weeks moved them out so they got more sun, but afternoon shade. Then when they were 6 weeks, they were ready and not leggy. First time ever growing some good plant starts! I also have a ton of celery started and my onions look great!

[@MissPeachCobbler]

Thanks 👍🏽 Trav

[@csimmons3717]

All of mine were so leggy also and they were outside. It was hot and we had quite a few cloudy rainy days. I had to plant them deep and they are doing well now. The Curly Kale didn’t get leggy but everything else did. Thanks for the tips. I’ll remember all of these for next year.

[@SandraGwin]

Thanks, I was wondering if I could save my lettuce. I don't have but 12, so I am going to give it a try!

[@RiverCrockett-in7bg]

Same here, I had to pot mine up last week. Looks like it's still going to be hot here through all of September, so I may just have to pick the leaves and eat them on a salad this year.

[@davidwho8215]

I get leggy seedlings in Florida 9B if I plant when it’s too hot, and when they are too big for their trays, as they dry out in the hot days. I’ve found potting up almost always saves them. I get them out by using a wide letter opener to pull them out. I use the proptech 162 trays. I use 3 1/5 round pots in a 15-pack tray, and fill all the pots up, then use my fingers to make a hole that fits the transplants.

[@aliceleishman5596]

Cool. I use a plastic knife to scoop out seedlings. 😊

[@LoveTractorFarm]

The heat has caused us many problems with this year fall seedlings, got terrible germination on our cabbage, cauliflower and broc. although none got leggy. Our collard, turnip, and mustard(Savanna) only the collards got leggy, but wasn't sure of why the legginess happened until this. Thanks.

[@farmermarshall]

I've had a bunch of leggy seedlings this season also. I had them inside under grow lights so that's a little disappointing. I'm starting to up pot them. They'll be okay!

[@suemerritt1679]

Here in Warner Robins, GA. ours did the same thing. We are having to re-plant🥰

[@shirleyn4677]

Wow, south central Texas got hot and humid after overcast summer before August. They were doing well until it was hardening off time under shade cloth. I kept them fairly well watered but they are starting to look like yours. I was contemplating resowing but glad you did this video (comments also confirm that brassicas do not like heat even the heat tolerant ones). I’m having low germination on the Timon onion seeds that are indoors (got them last year) so that’s another headache for this fall. I have my brassicas in bigger trays than you but there are roots sprouting from the bottom. What’s next? Thanks, Travis for the timely video.❤😊

[@bigtitan27]

My fall seedlings always get leggy from the heat. I just plant them in the ground deep and after they take root, they are fine.

[@gregatee1]

The first year I used my greenhouse, I put up a 40 percent shade cloth in mid summer to protect my fall seedlings, or so I thought. I had leggy plants like I had never seen. Pulled it off, problem solved.

[@gregatee1]

Also, the plants leaned toward the side where there was no shade cloth just like yours did.

[@christianspain3015]

Any discount codes for the Lazy Dog Farm shop this time of year?

[@patmiller7045]

What kinda watering nozzle is that. I really like it 😊

[@LazyDogFarm]

Dramm

[@patmiller7045]

@@LazyDogFarm thank you!

[@JohnDeWeese-lq4pf]

Travis, why do you lop off the side growth on your longhorn okra? I noticed you grow them like a palm tree. Just keeping the top producing. No side growth. I planted just Longhorn okra from seeds I got for you and they are doing a great job of producing okra. Have enough to pickle and fry up. Thanks for the videos.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Just makes them easier to harvest. It does sacrifice some production, but I'd rather just plant more plants.

[@JohnDeWeese-lq4pf]

@@LazyDogFarm Thank you!

[@patriciamathis7042]

Hey Travis, what is going on with your high tunnel?

[@LazyDogFarm]

Supposed to finally get it wired this week. Fingers crossed. I'll give an update once that happens.

[@Ntsu345]

I've got onion seeds coming today do I have to put them under a grow light I've never planted from seed before also I have a Texas longhorn bucket that might be better than your Georgia bucket excuse me you're bulldog bucket I'm in zone 8B North Texas area

[@JohnDeWeese-lq4pf]

Truth on the TEXAS bucket, but that's only because you got a Manning for a back-up! Just watch out for Tennessee this year. Nico, "the throwin' Samoan" Iamaleava just might upset everybody this year.

[@justinarnold7725]

I think a lot of the time it's too much nitrogen and inconsistent artificial light causes legging seedlinga

[@murdok1100]

Mine are doing the same thing im rotating my trays everyday it helps

[@mutantryeff]

!!!