I have some seedlings and some are starting to wilt while some of them grew in an odd way, it's like they grew too long and can't hold themselves up. They are only two weeks old. I water them and keep my lamp far enough away so it's not too hot but close enough to get the benefits of light. Will they start to strenghen their stems or can I do something to help them? It's like they are leaning against the soil yet growing some leaves still. Its like some of them are too weak to hold themselves up. Any advice for a noob?
You need stronger lights... get some toothpicks and help them up. You may have more problems cant tell you without some pictures -BNF
I'll take some pictures tonight to show what they look like. But it looks like I'm having the same problem as this person... Seedlings Keep Falling Over!
This is my first grow n mine did the same, the light was too far away and they stretched and wilted, so i stuck them in another pot and covered stem till only an inch showed and watered well, this is them now
Oh I have hope to keep them alive! @millhouse how far do you keep the light from them now that you repotted them?
What kind of lights? Regular incandescent light bulbs do NOT work! The light spectrum is all wrong for plants! If you are using CFLs or shop lights, the lights need to be about 2 inches from the plants. The HPS and such- others can advise you about, but it sounds like your plants are light-starved! Also, you could have damping off- the stems get pinched-looking and the seedling falls over and dies! Microwave your seedling's soil a few hours before you use it to kill the fungal spores that cause damping off. A small fan helps, too! It keeps the air moving and drier, so it is less hospitable to the fungus. Granny
I have a shop light from home depot that's about 10 inches away so I guess I'll push it closer and also replant them so their stems are covered more. I felt like I was gonna burn the seedlings with the shop that close since its gets pretty hot...
I did use the wrong light compleatly so i then put them in the tent under 600w ballast and buried the stem till only an inch showed and then kept light 55 cm away, they have grown well loads in past week, I potted up to stem last weekend and they only had 2 leaves on n now they all look like this
Ballasts and lights can be expensive...and with powerful lights also comes a need for sufficient ventilation and cooling. If you plan on staying small I'd stick with CFLs or flouros. Like millhouse said above, bury that stem, like all the way up to the cotyledons (the small little round leaves) and roots will actually grow out of the stalk if it's buried.