Seedlings weak, falling over slowly, thin stem?

So I've had these plants growing for over a week now. And they just keep slowly falling over and the stem wont thicken. I lowered my fluorescent light to 2 inches above the plants, and added a fan with a very small breeze to help strengthen the stem, however, the plant(s) just seem to be slowly falling over even more. Any suggestions? Or will the stem just thicken over time? I've already had one plant fall over and crumble up and die due to this problem.

you have done things correctly so far by lowering light and adding a slight breeze. assuming your soil isnt too rich, the next thing i would check is that your humidity is between 60 and 80%. if it is too low, add a dome. If it is too high, (unlikely at this point) get a dehumidifier.

Growdict said:

you have done things correctly so far by lowering light and adding a slight breeze. assuming your soil isnt too rich, the next thing i would check is that your humidity is between 60 and 80%. if it is too low, add a dome. If it is too high, (unlikely at this point) get a dehumidifier.

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How should I do the dome thing? And how should I check my humidity?

I would mound some soil around the stem to give it support. When I start seedlings I always leave room in the pot to add more soil to support the seedlings if needed.

you can also check the weather channel for the local humidity at the airport. house humididty tends to be a few points higher. but a gauge is best.

Never dome seedlings, they need fresh air exchange. Domes take humidity too high which greatly increases odds of damping off. Domes are for clones, not seedlings.

Bugeye said:

Never dome seedlings, they need fresh air exchange. Domes take humidity too high which greatly increases odds of damping off. Domes are for clones, not seedlings.

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For first day or two, I do put a plastic baggie over the cup. It seems to help the emerging seedling. I also start the seedling with about an inch of space in the cup, then when it grows a couple/few inches I topfill the soil to the top of the cup. Helps support the stem.

greg nr said:

For first day or two, I do put a plastic baggie over the cup. It seems to help the emerging seedling. I also start the seedling with about an inch of space in the cup, then when it grows a couple/few inches I topfill the soil to the top of the cup. Helps support the stem.

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You don't need the plastic bag or the risk associated with using it to germ seeds.

Bugeye said:

You don't need the plastic bag or the risk associated with using it to germ seeds.

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seeds already have tails when I plant them. already germed.

greg nr said:

seeds already have tails when I plant them. already germed.

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Then you especially do not need bags over them!

greg nr said:

For first day or two, I do put a plastic baggie over the cup. It seems to help the emerging seedling. I also start the seedling with about an inch of space in the cup, then when it grows a couple/few inches I topfill the soil to the top of the cup. Helps support the stem.

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Bugeye said:

You don't need the plastic bag or the risk associated with using it to germ seeds.

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Added a few more handfuls of soil and spread it around and packed. Also put a tiny mound around the plant to help secure it. Seems to still be wobbly/shaky and thin, but if anyone has any more suggestions, let me know.

you can actually repot them and bury them with maybe a half an inch sticking out of the dirt, if they stretch after that, get a deeper pot.....

24 hour light or 16/8?

You're on the right track imho. That one pic you have a toothpick propping it up, I do something similar. I use a garbage bag tie, and form a support with a ring that the stem sits in, after a few days the stem usually won't require the support.

Woke up this morning and one of the seedlings was fallen over completely (maybe from the fan) and the other one had gradually leaned over some more. I added more soil, but they just seem to be getting thinner and thinner. Also, most of the new seeds I plant end up rising slightly above the soil, then stop growing and die. I've included more images below.

Just keep your light as close as poss and they'll be fine.. or if still stretching too quickly what i do is bend a little paper clip/garden wire etc into a U shape n pin seedlings into soil and they'll stop stretching till your happy with your stems.! Try it out it's always worked for me.. happy growing
Gaz
Ps bend them slowly...

Gaz29 said:

Just keep your light as close as poss and they'll be fine.. or if still stretching too quickly what i do is bend a little paper clip/garden wire etc into a U shape n pin seedlings into soil and they'll stop stretching till your happy with your stems.! Try it out it's always worked for me.. happy growing
Gaz
Ps bend them slowly...

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Could you explain exactly what you mean by "pin them into the soil?" I don't want to risk killing the plants or weakening the stems any further. How should I pin it in? Or could you provide a visual representation?

See your stem, get your U shaped wire or what ever and gently bend plant til level with soil and pin the stem (not too tightly) to the soil - i took a photo of a small sample for you , hopefully you understand it.. it's a simple way to get stems strong from seedling stage.
Good luck & happy growing
Gaz
Ps. I took that small cut just to show you how to do it.

Gaz29 said:

See your stem, get your U shaped wire or what ever and gently bend plant til level with soil and pin the stem (not too tightly) to the soil - i took a photo of a small sample for you , hopefully you understand it.. it's a simple way to get stems strong from seedling stage.
Good luck & happy growing
Gaz
Ps. I took that small cut just to show you how to do it.

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I went ahead and tried your suggestion. Posted more pics below. The droopy seedling seems to be getting worse and worse by the hour. The smaller seedling is doing alright, but keeps leaning over more and more. Take a look.

What soil is that?

What spectrum (Kelvin) bulbs are you using?

How hard is the fan breeze? (Do the seedlings wiggle?) You want a slight breeze but nothing thats gonna twist the stem every time it passes, when they get a little bit older you can give more breeze.

How often do you water? A shot glass should last you almost a full day under cfl's, maybe 12-16 hours in a low RH/high temp environment. I like to water a ring around the stem, atleast with my sprouts they seem to hit the second node quicker this way. If you planted it in the soil with a tap root semi-developed then you probably want to be careful with the waterings, you'll have better luck feeling the pots weight instead of using your finger to feel for moisture if thats what your doing.

If possible, grab the same pot but an empty one, fill it with dry soil and use that as a reference. Pour a shot glass of water and weigh them both with your hands or a scale. If your pot with the seedling has a big weight advantage then your probably overwatering.