does anyone know why this seedling is bending

mfhigs · Jan 19, 2026

anyone know why this is happening

GasPlease · Jan 19, 2026

With no info given I say too much water.

mfhigs · Jan 19, 2026

GasPlease said:
With no info given I say too much water.

just put the seed in after germinating through the paper towel method popped in less than 24hrs and watered the pot once with about 150ml

stanknkatz · Jan 19, 2026

It's reaching for the light. Normal.

Smokey0418 · Jan 19, 2026

Perhaps the lights a bit too bright.

200 ppfd for a few more days then slowly work up.

GasPlease · Jan 19, 2026

mfhigs said:
just put the seed in after germinating through the paper towel method popped in less than 24hrs and watered the pot once with about 150ml

Honestly don't see much wrong with it. She's drooping a little bit nothing major. What are you worried about?

Hossgrows · Jan 19, 2026

Smokey0418 said:
Perhaps the lights a bit too bright.

200 ppfd for a few more days then slowly work up.

Along with too close.

mfhigs · Jan 19, 2026

Hossgrows said:
Along with too close.

the light isn’t a normal grow light it’s more of a homemade inside light with a normal bulb as i am waiting on my grow lights i’m a beginner i dont know too much about all of this still trying to learn :)

mfhigs · Jan 19, 2026

GasPlease said:
Honestly don't see much wrong with it. She's drooping a little bit nothing major. What are you worried about?

just wondering why it was bending so much as my last grow which was an auto didn’t have this problem thought there could be an issue with lighting/overwatering or other factors

GasPlease · Jan 19, 2026

mfhigs said:
just wondering why it was bending so much as my last grow which was an auto didn’t have this problem thought there could be an issue with lighting/overwatering or other factors

I wouldnt freak out yet. Watch it close for a couple days and let us know if it gets worse.

Lighting could be an issue with homemade light. It's probably more the heat than light intensity if it is a problem.

Put your hand over the seedling and if your hand gets hot/warm than your light is too close/producing too much heat.

Also don't water again until the soil is dry. Not completely dried out but dry.

JIMKSI64 · Jan 19, 2026

And if it lives start putting a solo cup over the plant when you water. This will prevent watering into the plant and allow the plant to look for water. You should wind up with a dry spot around the plant after watering.
You can see here how all the watered plants have a ring around them. When your plant can no longer have a cup placed on it due to size still water away from the plant at what's called the drip edge of the plant. It Is where the water would fall and hit the pot if it fell off the plant.

Ninjadogma · Jan 19, 2026

Make sure the roots get oxygen. The dirt should be moist, not wet. For you to feel any of the moisture you should have to pinch it with your fingers and beyond that it should look and feel what most people only assume is "dry."

If you ever get a warbly stem, don't prop it up. Do the opposite... put a fan in the space circulating the air and the gentle wiggling in the soft breeze will strengthen that stem up.

If a seed line leans toward the light, try and place it more directly underneath the light source, or if you can't (like growing outdoors in the winter when the sun is in the Southern skies), rotate it daily so it doesn't just grow one direction.

LoveGrowingIt · Jan 19, 2026

mfhigs said:
the light isn’t a normal grow light it’s more of a homemade inside light with a normal bulb as i am waiting on my grow lights i’m a beginner i dont know too much about all of this still trying to learn :)

Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs work well with seedlings. They don't need much light when they're little. The emitted spectrum might matter if using another type of light.

Hossgrows · Jan 19, 2026

mfhigs said:
the light isn’t a normal grow light it’s more of a homemade inside light with a normal bulb as i am waiting on my grow lights i’m a beginner i dont know too much about all of this still trying to learn :)

T5 full spectrum florescent bulbs work just fine for seedlings. I use one in conjunction with a GE grow stick from the 80s

amneziaHaze · Jan 20, 2026

I grew with everything expect those classic old school bulbs. CfL has to almost touch a plant but I managed 60g
T5 great but long for a single plant waste of e

Hossgrows · Jan 20, 2026

Yeah...almost touching, that's why I added the T5. It's only a thin, 20" bulb. It's not a full length light bulb, like on a ceiling.

It's supposed to have a seed tray, and dome, but I just bought the light instead. I only transplant once, so use bigger pots than most. I'm not dealing with root bound plant, from being in a solo cup for a month or more.
I don't pop that many beans, maybe 4-6 this year, I hope. But I can get 4 in pots like this one, under that light. Plus I use supplemental side lighting, too. Once they get bigger

LoveGrowingIt · Jan 20, 2026

I've been using a humidity dome from AC Infinity. It works well overall, but I've had a few problems to solve.

I quickly learned it's better to use soil plugs. Rockwool probably would work, but I haven't tried it yet. The problem is it's hard to get the plants out of the holes if they're in soil. So, I've been using soil plugs from RQS is good results.

Another problem I had was the heat mat was too hot even when set to the lowest level. Then, the light controller stopped working. AC Infinity support wanted me to send the whole thing back, but I decided to use a tent controller instead. That works very well.

LoveGrowingIt · Jan 20, 2026

amneziaHaze said:
CfL has to almost touch a plant

I haven't actually used CFL. I've only read recommendations, so I passed that along. I have some spare CFL flood lights that I've thought about trying. In my case, it's probably more hassle than it's worth, though.

Ninjadogma · Jan 20, 2026

LoveGrowingIt said:
I've been using a humidity dome from AC Infinity. It works well overall, but I've had a few problems to solve.

I quickly learned it's better to use soil plugs. Rockwool probably would work, but I haven't tried it yet. The problem is it's hard to get the plants out of the holes if they're in soil. So, I've been using soil plugs from RQS is good results.

Another problem I had was the heat mat was too hot even when set to the lowest level. Then, the light controller stopped working. AC Infinity support wanted me to send the whole thing back, but I decided to use a tent controller instead. That works very well.

View attachment 2592781

You want temp control on a seed map, It ups the price by about $5 but well worth it. I use a 10 gallon aquarium as a clone box and had to put the mat outside on the bottom. An earlier hack someone here recommended if you don't have a thermostat was putting bottle caps on top of the mat and setting your box to rest on the caps so there's an air gap between the mat and the bottom of the box.

Never used CFL but the first plant I ever grew I used a fluorescent shop light. I was 15, I wound up giving the plant to a friend so I didn't get to learn it wouldn't have amounted to anything. Another interesting aspect of the story, the very next day after I gave that plant away, the cops showed up at my house with an excuse to search it without a warrant.

Hossgrows · Jan 20, 2026

I used these for side lighting, and a bit of heat. (Daylight bulb)

Just working with what's at hand, on a tight budget. Have to crawl before you can walk. Walk before you run. Fall....only to get back up learning our mistakes.

I learned it's enough lite to raise healthy seedlings, to move outside.

Success.!! Though I'll probably add another bulb, this year, and a lite box.

does anyone know why this seedling is bending

does anyone know why this seedling is bending

mfhigs

GasPlease

mfhigs

stanknkatz

Smokey0418

GasPlease

Hossgrows

mfhigs

mfhigs

GasPlease

JIMKSI64

Ninjadogma

LoveGrowingIt

Hossgrows

amneziaHaze

Hossgrows

LoveGrowingIt

LoveGrowingIt

Ninjadogma

Hossgrows

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