My entire batch of heirloom tomato seedlings got leggy and fell over last week after I left them on a shaded windowsill for too long.

I propped them up with some chopsticks and moved them under a grow light for 14 hours a day, and they've actually started to thicken up a bit... has anyone else managed to save leggy starts this way, or is it usually a lost cause?

3 comments

3 Comments

miller.paul1mo agoMost Upvoted

Wait, you used chopsticks? That's actually genius, I never would have thought of that. I've tried popsicle sticks and they always snap. My leggy peppers last year were a total loss, just flopped over and died no matter what I did. If yours are thickening up already, you might have actually pulled it off.

riley5951mo ago

You said they started to thicken up... did the stems get stronger right below the leaves, or is it more like new growth at the top? I'm trying to figure out if the plant can actually fix the weak part or if it just grows past it.

susan_henderson1mo ago

Honestly, @riley595 has a good point about where the stem thickens. In my experience, the weak part never really gets strong, but the plant can grow a thicker stem right above it if the light is good. I've buried leggy tomato stems deep when I repot them, and they'll put out roots all along the buried part.