Ammoniacal nitrogen, however, seems to be related to leggy seedlings. Nitrates are related to short, compact growth in seedlings. Your soil mix may contain too much ammoniacal nitrogen. You can fix this issue by lowering the temperature, and if you have a shelf system with your grow lights, move them on the lowest shelf, where it’s cooler, or the farthest away from the heat source. Swedes are particularly susceptible to growing long, leggy, although surprisingly sturdy stems as well:ĭifferent seedlings have different needs, and with beetroot, you never know how they’re going to react to the indoor environment you’ve set up for them. This can be true for other cold-loving plants as well. Too much heat can cause rapid growth in beets, as their stems shoot up faster than normal. However, I didn’t realize that all this heat could be hurting my other cold-hardy seedlings. I kept my seedlings in a very warm growing room in an attempt to make my peppers and eggplants germinate faster. An extended period of temperatures below 50 ☏ (10 ☌) can cause them to bolt in early summer, but they hate too much heat just as much. Beetroot is a cold-loving vegetable that is stressed by too much heat, and the same is true for beetroot seedlings.īeets typically germinate at 77 ☏ (25 ☌) but thrive in cooler temperatures of 60 ☏ (15 ☌) during the day and 50 ☏ (10 ☌) during the night. Beet seedlings are getting too much heat.Īnother cause for leggy beetroot seedlings could be too much heat. There’s no perfect substitute for the sun. However, keep in mind that seedlings started indoors will always tend to be a bit leggier than those that sprout outside. Blue light makes seedlings stockier and encourages shorter stems. When grown under grow lights, beets need to receive 14 to 16 hours of light every day, and depending on your grow lights’ intensity, they should be placed quite close underneath.Īnother possible issue with grow lights is getting the wrong red light to blue light ratio. When we start seeds on a windowsill, the sun comes down at an angle, causing the emerging seedlings to lean toward the window, searching for more light.īeets only need the indoor heat to germinate, so don’t be afraid to move them outdoors in a cold frame or a greenhouse right after germination, as these plants are frost tolerant and handle the cold well. If you’ve started your beets on a windowsill, it’s possible that they simply don’t get enough hours of sunshine and little direct sunshine. Oftentimes, the stems grow into a U-shape as the seedling topples over and then tries to reach the light again. Leggy seedlings have tall, thin, spindly stems that don’t look like they have the power to support the plant for much longer. Gardening is a process of trial and error, so if you’ve grown some leggy beetroot seedlings this season, and if some of those feeble plants are falling over, check the following tips to see if you got anything wrong: Reasons Beet Seedlings Get Leggy: When seedlings fall over, it’s either because they can’t support themselves, they’re underwatered, or suffer from damping off.įrom my own experience, it seems like beets have trouble with legginess compared to other, more forgiving seedlings. The main factors that can cause leggy beetroot seedlings are light – not enough of it or the wrong kind of it, too much heat, or excess nitrogen in the soil mix. One annoying issue that occurs right after germination is getting leggy beetroot seedlings. They’re a bit fussy, and you could run into all sorts of problems tending to these delicate little plants. As an Amazon Associate earns from qualifying purchases.īeetroot seedlings aren’t always easy to start in module trays – either indoors or in a greenhouse.
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