3 Reasons Your Seedlings Are Flopping Over

You walk into your basement seed starting operation and those heirloom tomato and green bell pepper seedlings you have such high hopes for are sickly and drooping over. It’s not for lack of effort that your seedlings are failing. You’ve got the right gear, the right soil, and the right grow lights. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much to throw your indoor seeding operation off the rails. Here are the most common reasons your seedlings are flopping over and how to diagnose and fix each one. 

Related: Coated Grass Seed Sounds Better—But Is It?

They’re Starving for Light

• The Diagnosis: Tall, thin, spindly stems that are too weak to hold up the tiny plant head. Like an awkward adolescent, they look disproportionate with long bodies and tiny heads.
  
• The Cause: The light source is too far away, causing the seedlings to use all of their energy to grow towards the light, a sure death sentence. Seedlings need a good 14 to 16 hours of bright direct sunlight each day to thrive.
  
• The Fix: Adopt the 2-inch rule and stick to it. I set up my fluorescent shop lights so they hover no more than 2 inches above the canopy of my seedlings, bathing them in enriching “sunlight.” 

Damping Off

• The Diagnosis: Seemingly healthy seedlings that suddenly turn brown, dry and shrivel at the soil line, causing them to topple over like a felled tree. Further inspection reveals a white fuzzy mold around the soil surface and roots that are brown and rotting.
  
• The Cause: Your seedlings are the victim of a common fungal disease called damping off that’s caused by overwatering and poor air flow. This colorfully named seedling killer is the number one cause of death in indoor seedlings,
  
• The Fix: You’re probably top down watering. Don’t feel bad. We’re taught to water plants by pouring water over them. The problem with this practice is it makes the soil surface wet and prone to mold, especially when growing indoors. Switch to bottom up watering by pouring water into the tray. This method forces the roots to pull water up, keeping the soil surface dry and fungi free. 

Pro Tip: If you are watering correctly, then the problem could be cross contamination. The pathogens that cause damping can end up in our soil from infected pots, trays and tools. Thoroughly clean and disinfect any tools you use to pot and tend to your seedlings before introducing them to your indoor seeding operation. 

Related: Before You Buy Grass Seed, Check This First

Weak Stems

• The Diagnosis: The stems look proportionate, healthy and green but the stems are like a limp noodle that can’t hold up the heads.
  
• The Cause: There’s no airflow in your basement or garage, so the plant isn’t producing something called lignin, a structural part of the plant’s cell walls that give it strength.
  
• The Fix: In short, your seedlings need a workout. Simulate the wind by setting up a small fan to oscillate over the canopy for a few hours a day. There are a few stipulations when doing this. Don’t point the fan directly at the plants and use a low setting. The idea is to blow a gentle breeze over them to spur lignin production, not mow them down with gale force winds.