Seedlings growing too fast???

[mpdjulie]

I planted alot of seeds on the 25th Feb.  Broccoli, tomatoes, cucumber, marigolds, brussels and lettuce have all sprouted.  The broccoli in particular seems to be growing abnormally fast.  Yesterday I checked it morning, noon and night and it had grown from about half an inch to 3 inches in a day.  They are spindly with 2 leaves on top.  They are in an unheated propagator in my dining room.  Is this growth normal and should I take the lid off now?
Thanks
??? ??? ???

[mpdjulie]

[saddad]

I'd take the lid off asap, yesterday would have been good... can put it back on at night if room unheated...  :)

[Bjerreby]

I've had that problem with sweet peas, summer savoury and parsnips. I rather think the main problem I have is too little light. What's more, it is still a bit early to slow some of this stuff, and maybe when they germinate at indoor temperatures they think summer is going on, and that they are late. Maybe that's why they grow so spindly.

Anyway, I hope I have learned my lesson, and from now on, whenever I germinate stuff in the house, it will be moved straight into the cold frame the moment it pops up out of the soil. :)

[Tee Gee]

They are spindly with 2 leaves

Sounds like they are ready for pricking out;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Pricking%20out/Pricking%20out/pricking%20out.html

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Pricking%20out/Pricking%20Out.htm

[Fork]

They have become "spindly" because they have not had enough light and have been "reaching" for it.

If they are really bad I would start again.Plenty of time for you to reset all thouse seeds again.

[mpdjulie]

They are spindly with 2 leaves

Sounds like they are ready for pricking out;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Pricking%20out/Pricking%20out/pricking%20out.html

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Pricking%20out/Pricking%20Out.htm

My seedlings look nothing like that apart from the stalk.  The leaves are really small and there are no true leaves.

[mpdjulie]

This is what they look like

[saddad]

Unless it is something like lobelia, where you want a clump, I'd pick the worst ones out of each cell... and keep the lid off, if you are able to air them, IE take them out side in the middle of the day for an hour or two that can help slow them down...  :)

[ManicComposter]

They do look to be quite "leggy". I have made this mistake in the past by leaving the propergator lid on to long and not giving them enough light. I recommend taking the lid of asap when the weather is warmer, if it gets cold just put it back on again :)

Its normal to experience things like this, I am still very much a novice also :)

[shaun01]

to be frank i would bin them and leave it for a few weeks no point in growing forced plants they never recover fully and you will end up with a bad crop

[Tee Gee]

They are in an unheated propagator in my dining room.

They have been too warm and had insufficient light in my opinion!

I would like to make a suggestion to you and those people who have similar facilities when it comes to vegetable sowing.

In the main most vegetables are 'hardy' and as such do not need high temperatures to germinate.

I would say as a 'rule of thumb' that when it says on the packet something like;

Sow in month x at a temperature of x° or alternatively sow directly out doors at such and such a time

The key word is 'outdoors'

This says; that these seeds will germinate at much lower temperatures than in say what you would expect on the lounge or dining room window cill.

Just think of it when it says ; sow outdoors this immediately tells you that temperatures of around 10°C (50°F) is sufficient in most cases.

So in my opinion particularly if you don't have facilities to grow them on in until planting out time is; sow later or at much lower temperatures to lengthen the time to germinate.

Then when about 40-50% of the seedlings emerge from the compost reduce the temperature again by about  5°C /10°F and put them in maximum light, even if this means putting them outdoors during the day and fetching them back in at night.

I hope this helps!

In your case Julie I think I would try pricking some of them out into 3" pots and as back up sow a few more (if you have some seed) and try it the way I suggested above.

ps this is why I won't be sowing my brassicas for at least another three to four weeks yet. If I sowed today I would put them in the cold frame to germinate but as I will grow them fast I will start off under heat and prick them usually 5-6 days after sowing.

So play it cool!! 8)

[caroline7758]

Great advice as always, TeeGee. I think I'm going to only use my heated prop for non-edibles in future, if at all. The only place I can plug it in is near a window,so the temp gets far too high when the sun shines and then they don't get enough light when the sun moves round so they all end up leggy. Just means I'll have to be more patient waiting formy seeds to germinate. ;)

[Tee Gee]

Was in the greenhouse and I noticed my tomatoes have germinated four days after sowing.

I immediately took the propagator cover off them and left them in full light with a little bottom heat to keep them going.

This is how I have left them;



I sowed 12 seeds per section (all my own seed) and it looks like I have got a near perfect germination rate which pleases me.