Seedlings Toppling Over :(

[caregiverken]

Burying the lower stem as it gets taller will encourage more root growth as if it were part of the taproot (uh, because it is). Ever notice all the little bumps on a seedlings lower stem below the cotyledon, those can be more roots for your vegging pleasure. A friend here just mentioned how this also can prevent elephant's foot if done during transplant (or by top-dress if you leave enough room in the container).

i read that somehwere else before and wound up losing a whole seed run cause i tried it out! This should really be said with a caveat that you shouldn't bury the stem whlie the seedlings are young. thats how i lost a pack of starbud, chem romance and sharksbreath. topped the dirt to help stabilize the stem, as well as getting the benefit of added root development. all my seedlings damped off within a cpl days, no extra watering from the initial transplant. i think if your going to do this you should wait until the stem hardens/woodens up a bit IMO.

:rolleyes:......... :confused: ....o_O...

So which is it?....I have been wondering about this since I started growing...
The 1st time I greww seeds I buryed the stemms on a couple
My wife said Dont do it...I did it anyway...They did fine....
I know you can't do it with some plants...and some you can...Maybe its strain dependent too?

 

[caregiverken]

some folks say the peat plug seed starters are too hot...I have only tryed them once...but They worked really well....100% germ and survival...(Might be strain dependent)

 

[TylerDurden119]

that was my experience.

....im jus sayin i'd hold off on fillin em up to their necks till the stems have had some time to harden off, maybe till 2nd set of leaves r established?

but hey! if you top up to the neck right away n u got no issues why change a thing! i jus wish i hadn't done it as i lost a pack of starbud, chem romance and sharksbreath :eek:

i've had no issues EVER using jiffy pellets. always 100% survival rate from taproot seedling to sprout.

i read soo many different methods for germinating seeds and could see benefits of doing it a certain way vs another n i wanted the best results, so i tried pretty much every method i read up on and found what worked best for me. everyone should just do what works for them. i found a method that works 100% for me now and will not stray from it.

 

[nebulius]

I did it too to a seedling that was stretching about a week ago, added about an inch of dirt and it's doing fine. Maybe it depends how much dirt you add too. I could see it causing problems if I filled it to right below the leaves. You probably want to have at least 2 inches of stem, that's my guess.

 

[doubletree]

i'd be hesitant about burying the stems while young. afraid theyd rot. i've heard that deep planting or whatever its called can be a really good thing though as the root ball ends up much larger

 

[axhear]

Hi I’ve been putting the seedlings in the sun for about an hour a day, otherwise they are kept in a shed with few windows. Yesterday it was a little hotter than normal at 96 degrees Fahrenheit, I left them in the sun a little longer than normal about 2 hours. Afterwords when I went to check on them 50% toppled over. Some trays look better than others, they all had the same amount of light. Help what do I do? I was going to plant them in 2 days. Should I do it now and hope for the best?

 

[coastalgrow]

Put em in dirt up to the neck! The strong will survive!

 

[BloodShot]

:rolleyes:......... ....o_O...

So which is it?....I have been wondering about this since I started growing...
The 1st time I greww seeds I buryed the stemms on a couple
My wife said Dont do it...I did it anyway...They did fine....
I know you can't do it with some plants...and some you can...Maybe its strain dependent too?

All seeds I plant I usually go directly to soil and I usually keep the soil level well below the rim of container.
When the seedlings sprout and they happen to stretch I have room in my pots for more soil and in doing so I build support for weak stems and "in my head at least" create more rooting surface at stalk base. I also never need any other support
Likewise, when I plant to my final container I usually do the same thing and add more soil later in the growth of the plants if needed.