Did my seedlings get too tall too soon?

[TheLaMarr's]

Hello -

I started some broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cabbage a few days ago in some peat pots inside those plastic lidded trays. I set them on a shelf in my dining room that doesn't get any direct light. The temp of the room is usually around 70 degrees. We left town for a few days the next day (not expecting anything to happen very fast) and came back to find the whole tray sprouted and a large number of them are almost 2 inches tall already. It's only been five 1/2 days since I started them.

We plan on putting them under florescent lights today, but I was wondering if they had grown too tall too fast. This is the first time I've ever tried to do this, so I'm not really sure of how things should look. I have read that if they get too tall they won't be able to support themselves. Will they be ok if they get under the lights right away or should I scrap these and try again? I'm pretty sure I have enough seeds leftover to try again if needed.

I would greatly appreciate any plant wisdom you could pass along!

 

[digitS']

It's difficult to say . . . I keep holding my digits about 2 inches apart and looking at them. I can imagine that they are quite spindly things.

I have some snapdragon seedlings. The first got away from me and didn't benefit much from the cloudy sky that week when I did get them in a south window. Another container of the same seeds has little plants with the leaves just above the soil. I'm already loosing a few of the spindly snaps :/ and just real happy that I've got the others already up and growing.

Certainly if you have room, you should start some more seed. You can see how well that the first are doing, and compare them, in the 5.5 days it will take for your next batch. (And, that's exactly what the University of Minnesota tells us cabbage seed should take to germinate at about 70F.)

Your table is obviously warm enough for these cool-season varieties to get off to a quick start. Check twice a day so that you can get them in good light when they emerge. Weak-stemmed plants can be a problem even if they grow to transplant size. I've had broccoli and cabbage plants break in my windy garden .

Growing them at 70 and above is probably not a very good idea. Without a lot of very bright light, they will tend to stretch. A cool utility room with a good south window was a good place for me to grow starts during the time when I did not have a greenhouse.
Best of Luck and Welcome to TEG .

Steve

 

[lesa]

Welcome! Where are you located? I'll bet you can plant all those seeds outside now... they are all cool weather crops. At the very least, you could use a cold frame. Start the delicate stuff inside, like tomatoes and peppers...

 

[journey11]

Hi LaMarr's and

Two inches...you might be able to get away with it, although it would be better if they weren't so tall. I've had leggy broccoli recover and go on to produce, but it really didn't do as well as I would have liked. Leggy cauliflower, complete waste.... I don't know about cabbage and brussels sprouts yet as this is my first year starting them myself.

Well, since your house is nice and warm and they sprouted so quickly, you might be better off not to gamble with them and buy some more and get them started right away.

Boy, the additional light on them (after they've sprouted) really does make such a difference! This is my first year using artificial light and I can really see the difference in my brassicas. Mine have been up for a week now and have really fat and juicy, deep green cotylcedons and are just beginning to form their first true leaves and they've not gotten any taller at all since they initially sprouted, all about 1".

You'll probably sleep better if you start a new batch under better circumstances. I am always surprised by how fast things indoors will sprout and worry if they don't! Must be the consistent, cozy heat.

 

[ducks4you]

, TheLaMarr's !

 

[TheLaMarr's]

Thank you all for the responses. I started some more seeds, and moved what I thought was salvageable from the first set into the basement under some lights. That should put the temperature more around 50 degrees. Hopefully I'll get this figured out yet!

 

[HunkieDorie23]

Wow, I went away for 3 days and came back to tons of sprouts. New propragation tip... plant seeds and leave for several days. Luckily mine were already under lights but only because I had peppers sprouts from a week before.