The problem of what to do with seedlings is typical for a beginner. This is almost always the result of several classic mistakes, which can be successfully resolved with advice from experienced summer residents. Changing the watering regime, the length of daylight hours and some tricks will correct the situation.
Cucumber seedlings have become very elongated - what to do?
Many crops are successfully grown by gardening professionals, but are difficult for beginners to grow. These include cucumbers. Growing seedlings becomes a difficult task, because the slightest deviations will lead to rotting or stretching of the sprouts. To understand how to save stretched cucumber seedlings, you should familiarize yourself with typical mistakes.
Why do cucumber seedlings stretch - how to fix it?
Incorrect watering regime, short daylight hours and other mistakes of a novice gardener make the sprouts weak. If they don’t have enough light or are too warm, the stem begins to stretch higher to make up for the lack. The answer to the question of why cucumber seedlings stretch may lie underground. When the seedlings are too crowded, the root system develops slowly, but the stem is active. For this reason, experienced gardeners prefer planting in separate cups.
Less commonly, the cause is incorrect selection of soil composition. Soil acidity directly affects seed growth. Only neutral soil is suitable for cucumber crops. Often a seedling is pulled out due to improper complex cultivation, when a beginner has to choose a way to solve the problem by elimination.
Is it possible to bury elongated cucumber seedlings?
When the cucumber seedlings have stretched out, the first thing to do is to deepen the stem. But this can only be done with dry and well-warmed soil. It will not allow moisture to linger and lead to rotting, and will become an additional layer of thermal insulation. Adding warm soil will slow down the stretching a little and help the seedling take root better.
However, when cucumber seedlings are very stretched, this method may not help, because the main cause of the problem will not be eliminated. Raising the soil level, but not checking the correct maintenance is obviously a losing proposition.
How to water cucumber seedlings to prevent them from stretching?
You can do medicinal watering with additives. These can be either ready-made industrial preparations or tricks from experienced summer residents.
- When pulled out, the seedlings become faded and lethargic. Although the seedling has grown high, it is weakened. You can make liquid fertilizer from an infusion of green grass and strengthen the seedlings.
- If the cucumber seedlings have noticeably stretched out, the root system remains weakened and underdeveloped. Watering with yeast water will activate root formation, make the above-ground part stronger and stop its growth.
- Ampoules with the “ ” solution are intended for watering at the root and spraying. After treatment, the product works for a week, after repeated treatment the problem can be solved.
How to pick cucumbers if the seedlings have stretched out?
Cucumbers don't like to be disturbed; they do it solely to save her. It is considered optimal to plant in separate cups and raise the soil level by adding warm, loose soil. If the cucumber seedlings are very elongated, this method will force them to put their energy into rooting again. If individual cups are not an option, spacious drawers will do. It is important to transplant according to a pattern of at least 8x8.
How to plant elongated cucumber seedlings?
When planting in the ground, you can use deepening of seedlings to the cotyledons. The main advice on how to plant elongated cucumber seedlings in the ground is the correct depth and very well-warmed soil. If warm days arrive much later in the region, weakened stems may die. A little trick will help save them: cover the ground around the plantings with a dark perforated film so that it accumulates solar heat. This way the seedlings will take root, will not rot, and the root system will become stronger.
The question is whether the situation can be corrected or everything is already lost. We hasten to reassure: if things haven't gone very far, then you can still fix it. First you need to find out the cause, and then calmly, without panic, begin to eliminate it.
This can be a daunting experience, especially for those doing it for the first time, but don't give up. And remember: a good harvest starts with the right one.
REFERENCE! The reasons why cucumber seedlings stretch are actually not as many as it might seem at first glance. Another thing is that they cannot be immediately identified. They belong to one large group: the influence of external environmental factors.
Harmful insects do not affect stretching; they can cause other harm, but this is not the topic of our article. , including fungal ones, also do not affect stretching.
But the conditions under which it occurs can cause a number of diseases, in particular root rot and.
High-quality and healthy cucumber seedlings look squat and strong. Since the plant is delicate, it instantly responds to external growing conditions. If the conditions are good, then the seedlings will be healthy; if they are incorrect, then they will begin to get sick.
Pulling is one of the many problems new gardeners face. This is not a disease, but such a reaction of cucumber seedlings entails the most unpleasant consequences and you could lose your entire harvest.
The first reason why seedlings stretch is lack of light and increased temperature. This is a completely natural reaction of the plant to such environmental conditions. Under the influence of heat, it grows and reaches for the light. This is the most common reason, so if this happens, then you need to adjust the light regime for the plants in the greenhouse.
The second reason is wrong mode. Most likely it is too rich. It is from overwatering that young cucumber seedlings usually suffer.
Another reason why cucumber seedlings can stretch is cramped pots in which it grows. Since the root system grows in breadth, it becomes limited in space and this affects the seedling itself. To avoid such a problem, you need to select in advance a more spacious container for growing cucumber seedlings, thereby you will avoid many troubles, including this one.
Also among the reasons may be soil quality. It may be too acidic, in which case neutral soils are best suited. This is the rarest reason for seedlings to stretch.
Do not forget that there may be not just one reason, but a whole complex and several problems will have to be solved at once. Next, we will describe what to do if cucumber seedlings stretch out?
What to do and how to help young plants?
IMPORTANT! To prevent young bushes from stretching out, it is necessary to provide them with comfortable conditions. Cucumber in general is a capricious crop, especially its seedlings. The optimal temperature for it will be +20-22 degrees, at night 18-20.
But if the seedlings have become very elongated, the temperature can be lowered to 15-18 degrees and must be maintained around the clock. It is also necessary to observe the lighting mode; it should be moderate, or even better, enhanced.
Too much light is not as bad as too little light. When there is a lack of sunlight, the sprouts naturally gravitate toward it. Therefore, you need to arrange the light yourself. You can install an ultraviolet lamp, but you need to know that it cannot be used for more than 7-9 hours.
You can install a mirror so that sunlight enters constantly. Such measures will help stop the excessive growth of shoots, and the problem of lack of light will be solved.
If the seedlings stretch out because they are cramped, then you will have to. Despite the fact that cucumbers really don’t like being disturbed. But this will save the plant, and in the future your harvest. During seedling growth, also The plant needs complex fertilizers, this will serve to strengthen the roots and the correct formation of the future trunk.
If, after all, the cucumber seedlings have stretched out, what to do? It is necessary to add more soil, preferably well-warmed and dry. This will help prevent excess moisture from retaining and serve as an additional thermal insulator.
This way, the plant will take root better and the stretching can be stopped. In this way, you will save the harvest, and all your efforts and expectations will not be in vain.
Very pinching is an effective method, that is, removal of the growth bud above the second true leaf. This simple procedure will stop the stretching. This method especially often brings the desired effect for short-fruited cucumbers.
How to properly grow cucumber seedlings so that they do not stretch out?
In order to prevent many problems when growing cucumber seedlings, including stretching, it is necessary to carefully observe the light, temperature conditions and watering regime of young shoots.
Pots for growing cucumber seedlings must be spacious, this will help the proper development of the root system and the formation of the entire bush as a whole. Don't forget about timely fertilizing and weeding.
ATTENTION! When, whether unprotected or in a greenhouse shelter, special attention should be paid to planting density. Too close a position of young bushes can also cause stretching.
This happens due to the fact that plants block each other's access to light. When plants become adults, this can cause unnecessary problems, such as diseases and accelerate the spread of harmful insects.
This is not an easy task; the most unexpected obstacles can stand in the way. But, as they say, if there is a desire, any problems can be solved. Good luck to you and good harvests.
So, we answered the following questions: why did the cucumber seedlings stretch out so much, how to grow cucumber seedlings at home so as not to stretch out? Described measures to combat stretching.
Cucumber seedlings are stretched if their comfortable conditions are disturbed or there are errors in care. It's not scary at first, but the situation needs to be corrected immediately. As they stretch out, the sprouts weaken, and therefore take root less well, form fewer ovaries, and are not resistant to diseases.
Cucumber seedlings are most defenseless during the period from germination to the first true leaves. It is especially difficult to create ideal conditions when growing seedlings at home.
The reason for the pulling of cucumber seedlings can be individual negative factors, but most often it is a combination of them. An important role is also played by the fact that in early spring, when seeds are sown, cloudy weather prevails over sunny weather.
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Explanation |
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| Insufficient lighting | For full photosynthesis, cucumbers require a lot of light. It is desirable that it be solar light or artificial light as close as possible to it in spectrum and intensity. |
| Unbalanced watering | Cucumbers require a lot of water, but at the same time they do not tolerate overwatering. Therefore, seedlings stretch both when the soil is dry and when it is too wet. The combination of high humidity and poor lighting is especially unfavorable. |
| Incorrect temperature | Cucumber seedlings love warmth and do not grow in cold temperatures below +15 0 C: at this temperature, their roots are unable to receive nutrition from the soil. And if you allow the temperature to rise to +42 0 C, it will burn. For cucumbers, it is advisable to maintain a narrow range between +20 - +26 0 C. |
| Tight dishes | The roots of cucumber seedlings are located shallowly and stretch horizontally. Therefore, when the crops are dense, the sprouts begin to interfere with each other, taking away nutrition. This can also happen when planting seeds separately, but in a pot with a volume of less than 0.5 liters. |
| Soil quality | Cucumber seedlings are stretched due to lack, as well as through excess nutrition. This vegetable requires light, loose, well-fertilized and warm neutral soil. You need to be especially careful about saturating the soil with nitrogen. |
Seedlings are pulled out if the slightest balance in any of the requirements for their growing conditions is disturbed. But everything can be corrected at the first signs of disturbances, when the seedlings just become pale, weak, and thin.
What to do and how to save weakened seedlings
There are methods that are used regardless of the reason for pulling seedlings:
- Pinch off the tops of the shoots. Pinching of the main stem is carried out to stimulate the formation of lateral branches: it is on them that “female” flowers are formed, producing full-fledged ovaries. But in case of pulling, you can pinch the apical bud above the second or third true leaf. The benefit of this is double: the growth of the stem will stop, and the axillary buds will also “wake up”. This method is especially effective for varieties that produce short fruits.
- Add soil to containers with seedlings. This will strengthen the elongated stem and stop growth, since the seedling will spend energy on forming new roots. The soil is poured dry, warm.
- Roll the stem into a ring. In very young, elongated seedlings, the stem is slightly bent and a loop is made from it along the walls of the cup. The cotyledons should be above the edge of the pot. The resulting ring is sprinkled with loose soil. After about a week, new roots will appear on the buried part.
- Pick off the flowers. On cucumber seedlings, flowers appear early. If the sprouts are healthy, they can be left. But elongated sprouts will weaken the flowering even more. Therefore, flowers are plucked from problem shoots.
But it is also necessary to eliminate the causes of stretching: it is important to create the conditions necessary for the development of healthy shoots.
Light mode
Even if it seems to us that there is enough light on the windowsill, the seedlings may not have enough light. Plants in such a situation will definitely stretch out, so plantings need to be supplemented with light.
It’s good to do this with special phytolamps. But inexpensive fluorescent lamps also work well, the luminous efficiency of which is much higher than that of incandescent lamps. For example, 100 W of an incandescent lamp is equal to 20 W of a fluorescent lamp, and therefore, when choosing a backlight source, such indicators need to be clarified.
Incandescent bulbs are not suitable because they produce too much heat and the wrong spectrum of light.
The optimal amount of radiation for cucumbers: per 1 m2 of planting area, 200 W of light of any shades of red and blue is required. But pure blue color inhibits cell growth, so the stem under its influence becomes short and strong.
The amount of light depends not only on the brightness, but also on the distance from the lamps to the seedlings. It should be no less than 20 and no more than 30 cm. Reflective screens can be placed 5–7 cm from the shoots, which will illuminate the shoots without additional lamps.
The duration of illumination is 8–12 hours a day.
In addition to additional lighting, you can use special preparations that inhibit the growth of shoots.
For cucumbers, use “Tur” - 15 g per bucket of water. You can treat twice, strictly according to the instructions: exceeding the dose is highly undesirable.
Watering mode
Water the cucumber seedlings daily. The water should be warm: approximately 22–24 0 C. Pour directly under the root, trying to prevent the water from getting on the leaves and also not eroding the soil above the roots. At first it is convenient to use a spray bottle.
It is better to water early in the morning or late in the evening. The soil moisture in containers with cucumber crops should be 70–80%. It is desirable that the deep layers of soil are wetter than the upper ones. This can be achieved by using watering through a tray.
There must be drainage holes at the bottom of the container. On the one hand, they will protect against stagnation of water in the cups. On the other hand, they will give plants the opportunity to absorb moisture from a common tray.
Air humidity is also important: for cucumbers it is maintained at about 65%. Any deviation causes the sprouts to stretch. This can be adjusted using a damp cloth, which is laid out on the battery. An open container of water located near the heating device also helps.
Temperature
The ideal temperature for cucumber seedlings is +22– +26 0 C during the day, +15 – +18 0 C at night. For an earthen coma - about +20 0 C.
If the sprouts begin to stretch, the night temperature is maintained around the clock for some time. Regulate ventilation and airing. You can block the central heating radiator or put dense material on it.
If the room is hot, the cucumber plantings are fenced off from the warm air with a transparent film. The flow of cold from the window allows you to achieve the desired temperature. But it is important to ensure that frosty air does not flow directly onto the plantings.
Closeness
If cucumber seeds were sown in a common box or too tight container, at the first signs of stretching, the crops are immediately replanted. Do this carefully, trying not to expose the roots.
The sprout is picked up along with the soil with a scoop or spoon. There is no need to grab the stem and leaves with your hand.
The container should be wide so that the roots of the cucumbers can stretch freely to the sides.
Top dressing
If the soil has been prepared correctly, there is little chance that the crops will stretch out due to a lack of nutrients or their excess.
Soil for cucumber seedlings is mixed from humus, peat, turf and sand.
Both self-harvested and purchased soil are checked for acidity, the pH of which should be about 7. To increase the acidity of the soil, ammonium sulfate or sulfur is added to it. To reduce - lime or dolomite flour. This is done no later than 2 weeks before sowing the seeds, and the soil temperature should be above +15 0 C.
However, during the growth process, seedlings still need additional nutrition. These can be complex fertilizers “Nutrisol”, “PG Mix”, “Aquarin”.
Organic fertilizers are also useful:
- cow manure diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10;
- bird droppings, diluted 1:15;
- ash - 1 tbsp. l. for 1 liter of water.
The mixture works well:
- urea - 10 g;
- superphosphate - 35 g;
- Potassium sulfate - 15 g.
Sometimes gardeners miss the moment when the sprouts begin to stretch and allow the plants to weaken, shed their ovaries, and get sick. Such seedlings will have to be thrown away.
If the seedlings were given timely help and all unfavorable factors were eliminated, the cucumbers can be safely planted in a permanent place. They will quickly take root and produce a good harvest.
Features of planting elongated cucumbers
Before planting cucumbers, the soil is well moistened and loosened. It is good if the seedlings begin to stretch before transplanting. It can be immediately transferred to a permanent place.
This is done like this:
- Prepare a deep hole.
- The seedlings stop watering and slightly wither, but do not dry out.
- If the cup is plastic, it is cut without destroying the earthen ball. Do not pull or tug on the stem.
- The plant is carefully placed in the hole. The elongated part of the stem from the earthen ball to the cotyledon leaves is twisted into a ring along the walls of the hole.
- Sprinkle with soil, carefully compact and water.
If the plant has not stretched so much that the stem can be twisted, it should not be buried too deep.
In this case:
- The holes are made to the size of an earthen clod. They are equipped with strong supports.
- The seedlings are buried to the depth at which they were in the pot.
- Sprinkle with light soil, compact and water.
- The shoots are tied to a support very carefully so as not to damage them. If the trunk is very thin and weak, you need to tie it under each internode.
The ground around the seedlings is covered with covering material or mulched. This will warm the roots, retain moisture, and slow down the growth of weeds.
The first two weeks after transplanting into the greenhouse, cucumbers are watered very little. Evening watering is preferable to morning watering.
The first thing to do if the cucumber seedlings have stretched out is to look for the mistakes made and urgently correct them. If you leave everything as it is, then soon the seedlings will die from exhaustion and disruption of the trophism of their green mass.
Beginning vegetable growers get scared and don’t know what to do if the cucumber seedlings become very elongated, become thin and gradually turn yellow. They begin to think about what to feed, what fertilizers to use. And this is absolutely impossible to do. After all, an elongated stem is the first sign that the plant’s root system is underdeveloped or damaged. Applying any fertilizers will be deadly for it. As a result of the resulting chemical burns, the roots will die and the plant will die.
Before you can fix errors, you need to find them. Therefore, read the article for common reasons why cucumber seedlings stretch and what to do with overgrown plants to correct the situation.
Remember that cucumbers are inhabitants of the tropics. This crop is extremely sensitive to insufficient levels of lighting and humidity. But the most important condition for active growth and development is well-structured, loose and moist soil from above. You cannot take soil from a garden bed in your garden and plant cucumbers in it. This soil is too dense and heavy. The root system will not develop as expected. Overextension will occur.
High-quality cucumber seedlings have a thick short stem, 4 - 5 true dark green leaves, located from each other at a distance of no more than 1.5 - 2 cm. If the length of the internodes is 5 cm or more, it is considered that the cucumber seedlings are very elongated and will not give a full-fledged deformation. This is not true. Everything can be corrected.
We are looking for the reason for pulling cucumber seedlings
First of all, we look for the reason. If cucumber seedlings are stretched out on the window, the first thing to do is diagnostics. It includes examining the location of the seedlings, checking the condition of the soil, assessing the root system, and carefully examining the stems and leaves. Eliminates the presence of spider mites - this sucking small insect can significantly slow down the growth and development of a plant.
When examining the leaf mass, you should pay attention to the turgor of the leaf blade. If it is sluggish and thin, then most likely the reason lies in insufficient watering or low air humidity. Therefore, measures need to be taken:
- Watering should be done two to three times a day so that only the top layer of soil is soaked to a depth of 5 cm;
- 3-4 times a day, generously spray the foliage from a spray bottle (you can add a growth activator to the water, for example, 0.5 g of succinic acid or 2-3 drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide.
Inspection of the soil should be done using a dry wooden stick. Poke the entire lump of earth and pull out the stick. If it is covered with earth, then the soil is heavy and damp. The correct development of the seedling will not occur in it. How to fix? Take a large container and transfer the plant into it so as to deepen it to the cotyledon leaves. When adding soil, add ceoflora or vermiculite. They will draw excess moisture from the previous soil. Try not to destroy the earthen ball.
Assess the location of the seedlings. How well it is lit during the day, are there any drafts during ventilation, are there any cracks through which cold air blows. The worst place to place cucumber seedlings is a window with a north orientation, under which there is a central heating battery. Lack of light and dry air provoke delayed development and severe elongation of the stem.
The volume of soil may not be sufficient to obtain adequate nutrition. Remember that:
- when sowing, you need to use 250 ml of soil per 1 seed;
- when two true leaves appear, the volume of soil increases to 500 ml;
- When the 4th leaf appears, you need to transplant the plant into a container of at least 1500 ml or plant it in open ground.
An imbalance between temperature and lighting levels is quite common. If you plant cucumbers for seedlings in February - March, then make sure that they receive additional lighting for 4-5 hours every day. Optimal conditions for cucumber seedlings are an ambient temperature in the range of 20 - 23 °, a humidity level of 60% and a daylight duration of at least 11 hours. Therefore, the optimal time for planting cucumber seedlings is the end of April or the beginning of May. 
We provide first aid to overgrown cucumber seedlings
After the cause of the stretching has been identified and eliminated, we provide first emergency aid to the overgrown seedlings. The first thing to do if cucumber seedlings stretch upward is to pinch the top. The plant will be forced to give all its nutrition to the central stem and will begin to grow side shoots. This will become a kind of incentive to increase productivity. 
The next thing to do if the cucumber seedlings on the windowsill have stretched out is to move the plants to a more suitable place. These can be western or eastern windows, which are always illuminated by diffused sunlight. If there is a central heating radiator under the window, then throw a damp towel over it. This will create a favorable microclimate. In the evening, turn on the photo lamp over the seedlings for at least 2-3 hours. This will help the seedlings quickly get stronger and begin active growth.
What to do if cucumber seedlings stretch out and fall - how to save such plants? Here only transfer into a large container will be used. You need to take a pot in which you can bury the seedling down to the cotyledon leaves. This will allow you to quickly grow new root mass and strengthen the stem. While it is weak, you must definitely use a support for the vine. A garter attached to a wooden stake will prevent the plant from bending or breaking.
Try to reduce the room temperature to 18 – 20 °. This can be done quite easily in a greenhouse. At home, a closed heating radiator in the room where the cucumber seedlings are located can help. Reduced temperature and increased lighting quickly normalize seedling growth processes. He will get stronger and stop stretching. 
Agricultural technology that prevents stretching
There is modern agricultural technology for growing cucumber seedlings, which completely prevents the seedlings from stretching. If you follow her recommendations, you can grow strong and healthy seedlings of this vegetable crop with your own hands.
So, it all starts with proper preparation. The seeds are soaked in growth activators, disinfected and hardened. The soil is structured and made breathable. Sowing is carried out to a depth of 2 cm. When filling the cup with soil before planting, remember the possibility of pulling. Fill it only halfway. After the emergence of shoots, as the stem grows, constantly add dry airy soil to the cotyledon leaves. This will promote rapid growth of the root system.
If you foresee this, then you will know what to do if the cucumber seedlings in cups have stretched out. Therefore, do not overdo it - you will always have time to add more soil.
When the first true leaf appears, the plant is transferred to a larger pot. Try not to damage the root system. After 3 - 4 days, add a liquid solution of potash and phosphate fertilizers. They stimulate root growth. After another 2 days, feed with a solution of humic acids (organic fertilizers). When the third leaf appears, it is again transferred to an even larger container.
Inexperienced summer residents ask whether it is possible to bury elongated cucumber seedlings and to what extent? Yes, you can bury cucumber seedlings, but only up to the cotyledon leaves. Try to act carefully so as not to break the fragile stem. Before digging, thoroughly wet the clod of soil so that the vegetative parts of the cucumber restore their natural turgor. Before replanting, make sure that the plant is not affected by spider mites or fungal diseases.
Before picking cucumbers, if the seedlings have stretched out, select wide containers. If the stem is stretched excessively, it is not advisable to immerse it deep into the ground. Optimally, place it spirally or obliquely at a depth of up to 5 cm from the surface. 
How to plant overgrown cucumber seedlings
It is important to know how to plant elongated cucumber seedlings in the ground in order to achieve rapid growth and development of the plant. To do this, you first need to prepare a bed. It is better if it is warm and high. Fertile structured soil is poured on top. A planting hole with a depth of up to 10 cm is prepared. Before planting overgrown cucumber seedlings, it is watered abundantly and left for 2-3 hours in the shade. After the stem is saturated with moisture, the plant is carefully, trying not to damage the earthen ball, removed from the cup and placed obliquely or lying down in the prepared hole. 
Lightly sprinkle with soil and carefully turn the stem in a circle, sprinkle again and turn. Thus, by spirally twisting an overgrown stem of cucumber seedlings, you can form an additional root system. Remember that you can only fill it with soil up to the cotyledon leaves.
The first thing to do with overgrown cucumber seedlings is to replant and form a bush. The second is to feed and reduce the ambient temperature to +18 - +20 °.
Watch the video for additional tips on what to do if cucumber seedlings have stretched out:
One of the most common problems in growing seedlings (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, cabbage) is stretching the seedlings. It can occur both in the first days of seedling growth and after picking. So that the seedlings do not stretch and are strong and healthy, basic growing conditions must be observed. It is also useful to strengthen plants with special preparations at certain stages of growth. And if the seedlings have already stretched out and string plants “flaunt” on the windowsill, experienced vegetable growers advise... However, first things first 😉
Increased comfort zone
Seedlings are pulled out for banal, extremely obvious reasons:
- lack of light,
- heat on the windowsill,
- early sowing,
- thickened sowing,
- lack of nutrition and, as a consequence, the inability of plants to withstand unfavorable environmental factors.
What to do?
Early sowing. First of all: you should avoid early sowing of seeds for seedlings. I understand that it can be difficult to resist. But practice shows that tomatoes planted as seedlings in mid-February are weaker by the time they are planted in the greenhouse than those sown in early March. Overgrown seedlings planted in a greenhouse will still spend a lot of effort to return to normal. And plants sown on time look strong, stocky, and take root more easily. The optimal age of tomatoes for planting in a permanent place is 60 days (from the moment of germination to planting).
Lack of light. In February, daylight hours are still very short. And even in March, plants on the windowsill may not receive enough light. To prevent seedlings from reaching for the light, desperately fighting for life, it is necessary to organize additional lighting. It is beneficial for seedlings to be exposed to light for at least 12 hours a day. Lack of light is the most common reason why seedlings become very elongated. And this happens both in the case of small seedlings in a common container, and after picking, in adult seedlings. It happens that the cups with seedlings are very crowded, the leaves touch, overlap each other, and shade. Plants fight for space under the sun and stretch out. In such cases, there are recommendations to trim off excess leaves (1-2 lower leaves). This, firstly, will discharge the plantings, and secondly, will create a stressful situation when milking the plants (Mittleider method). After pruning the leaves, the plants go into shock and stop growing for a week. Upward growth stops, but the stem thickens (and this is wonderful).
Temperature conditions. In apartment conditions, seedlings are hot. The batteries are fried, the temperature rises to 25 degrees. Evaporation from the surface of the soil and leaves is colossal. The seedlings are weakening, they are stretched in the struggle for life, and their stems are thin. In addition, if it is hot, the soil dries out faster, seedlings have to be watered more often, almost every day (and moderate watering is recommended, ideally 1-2 times a week). As a result, the seedlings stretch out, and very much. What to do in this case? Of course, many of us do not have the opportunity to place seedlings in a place other than the windowsill. But it’s still worth trying to provide her with a comfortable temperature regime. It is believed that during the day, seedlings will be comfortable at temperatures up to 20 degrees, and at night - at 12-15 degrees. You can install a window for micro-ventilation (but then you will have to insulate yourself), take the seedlings out onto a glassed-in balcony, or place them in the corridor at night, on a north window. Some summer residents, at the first opportunity, take seedlings into greenhouses and arrange them on hanging shelves, because the ground is still cold.
Thickened crops, crowded conditions. We sowed seedlings - the seedlings jumped out, there were a lot of them, they were cramped. Result: string seedlings. The solution is to pick them into separate cups. But! It may be too early to do this because the seedlings are not ready yet. What is recommended to do in this case? You need to pour the soil into the container, very carefully, using a teaspoon, so as not to break the stems. Second: provide enough light and a comfortable temperature. Otherwise, the seedlings will stretch higher and higher. And if the already picked, mature seedlings are crowded on the windowsill (the cups are standing closely, the plants are touching the leaves), the Mittleider method (see above) will help out. This time. And two: transplant the plant along with a lump of earth into a taller glass and sprinkle soil on top. This method will be described in more detail below (with regards to tomatoes and cucumbers).
How to water the seedlings to prevent them from stretching?
Epin-extra
To increase the immunity of seedlings of cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, to strengthen them and maintain their ability to withstand adverse environmental factors (lack of light, moisture), spray with a solution of the drug "Epin-extra": 4 drops per 250 ml of water. It is also useful to spray seedlings with Epin 6-12 hours after picking: prepare a solution in the following dosage: 3 drops per 100 ml of water.
Urea
If the seedlings stretch out and turn pale green, this indicates a lack of nitrogen. Need some feeding! Prepare a solution: 1 tablespoon of urea per 10 liters of water. Water the seedlings with the solution at the rate of 1/2 cup per plant. Then the seedlings are placed in a cold place (8-10 degrees plus) and are not watered for several days. The seedlings will stop growing and stop stretching. Now you can return it to its original place.
Athlete
Drug Tour
It has a similar effect as Atlet - it inhibits the growth of seedlings, makes plants stronger and stockier.
Cucumber seedlings have become very elongated
What to do if the cucumber seedlings have become very elongated, but it is not yet possible to plant them in a permanent place:
Thread seedlings have grown in the container and are ready for picking. What can be done: Fill the glass one-third or half with soil, lower the seedling there and place it in the shape of a comma, then sprinkle with soil.
The method will also work in the case of an adult plant that grew in a separate cup and became excessively elongated. It is moved together with the earthen lump into a deeper container, placed with a comma and sprinkled. Attention: the risk of breaking the stem will decrease if the plant is not watered for several days (it will wilt and become less fragile).
You can go another way: do not move the plants to another container, but make a hole in the same glass, place the seedling in it in the shape of a comma and sprinkle it.
If tomato seedlings have stretched out...
As mentioned above, on the recommendation of the American vegetable grower Mitlider, you can create a stressful situation for tomatoes, as a result of which upward growth will stop. To do this, the lower leaves (1-2 pieces) are cut off from plants that have at least one leaf at the growing point. The plant experiences shock, stops growing upward, and the stem thickens. Pinching the lower leaves can be repeated periodically (if the tomato seedlings begin to stretch out again).
The second way to stop the stretching of tomato seedlings: divide the plant into two parts. The top of the plant above the fifth or sixth leaf is cut off and placed in a jar of water. Practice shows that after 7-10 days new roots form on the lower cut - the plant is ready for planting in the soil. What to do with the remaining part without the crown? She will continue to grow too! Over time, stepsons form on it. When they reach 5 cm in length, the lower ones are cut off, leaving only the two upper stepsons on the stem. It turns out that there are more seedlings! Both plants can be planted in a greenhouse. A plant with two stepsons continues to be formed into 2 shoots in the greenhouse, tying them up separately.
If the tomato seedlings seem to be ready for planting (the plant turned out to be tall and developed, continues to grow upward), but climatic conditions do not allow this, you can do this: Cut off the top of a 1.5-liter plastic bottle - you get a deep glass . Just a little soil is poured at the bottom. The seedlings are taken out of the glass along with the earthen lump and placed in a new deep glass. Then the container is filled to the very top with garden soil or purchased soil. It turns out that a significant part of the tomato stem is now in the ground. Very soon roots will form on the stem underground. Such seedlings are planted in a permanent place lying down.
And finally, a very original way to make sure that the seedlings do not stretch. It is necessary to gently run your hand or cardboard back and forth across the leaves from time to time. When touched, the leaves become irritated and begin to produce ethylene gas, which stops plant growth. The seedlings are squat, stocky and strong. The method works when the light regime is observed. So, the basic rules of comfort are still the best way to grow healthy and strong seedlings 😉
I wish you excellent seedlings and a rich harvest, dear summer resident friends! 😉