Leggy seedlings can't hold themselves up

[WalterGamer8]

these are pics of my 2 seedlings. Im really scared. It took me 3 months of germinating seeds to finally get a sprout. At first when they sprouting they were fine, but they became leggy to the point they cant even hold themself up. What should I do???? Originally they were under a led light and then they became leggy so I put
them under a 600whps and it didnt help. Im so scared that theyre gonna die. I havent been over watering them ive been doing everything right. I dont know why theyre like this. Its 80 degrees with 40% humidity. I also have a carbon filter and ac on. I dont know what to do, should I just wait it out? If I wait it out, when they get older will they be messed up or will they die. Im so scared because they cant even hold themselves up.

 

[greenjeans]

I have the same problem - don't know if it's genetics or what - these last 6 where in full sun right from the get go and still 3 - 4 " of stem. So it's not light. I just put a stick in either side and maybe an elastic band between the sticks to corral it. When you up pot you can bury it up to the first leaves. But they sure look spindly until you get to that point and they look as fragile as hell. Maybe someone with more experience can tell you more. I know nothing about lights.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Usually (but not always) ends up being not enough light, apparently about 95% of the time the issue presents itself - so they "stretch" to reach it, don't have enough light-energy to build a strong stem and, well...

Bury most of it. It'll grow roots from the buried portion of the stem. Next time, grab a 23-watt CFL or two, that's all they need at that stage - but get it close, about an inch away. Have a fan blowing gently across it. An oscillating fan is probably best, so that the "wind" varies a bit.

By the way, too much red light in relation to the amount of blue light can also cause this (and/or make it worse). So can too much ammoniacal nitrogen in relation to the amount of nitrate. That's one of the reasons I never cared for the blue granular Miracle Gro product (although it has been years since I even looked at a box of the stuff, so I suppose it's possible that the company has adjusted that, IDK).

Oh, and it's not so much a factor at this point, because we all know what a too-tall seedling that fell over looks like - but, in the future, if/when you have an issue and post a picture as part of the process of asking for help, turn off the blurple and use something that approaches normal light and allows us to see the plant(s) in something approaching its/their actual coloration. Most people just get annoyed at blurple-lit pictures, lol, but those of us with a certain type of color blindness find pictures like those next to useless.

 

[Backlipslide]

You can take a twist tie. Stick one end in the medium, and twist the other end around the stem of the plant higher up on the stalk helping it stand up right. Help strengthen it by have a fan blowing on it. Like it was mentioned above, when they’re ready for transplanting, burry the stem to the desired height to help it as well.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I meant bury it now. But propping it up or splinting it would work, too. Main thing is to ensure enough light that the condition doesn't occur again. I have even used a length of drinking straw, slit lengthwise. I can't really recommend that, though, because it can be a RPITA to get it around the stem without causing damage.