AboutC.L. Fornari Expertise Annuals suggested for specific situations (sun, shade, windowboxes etc) New or unusual annuals are a particular interest of mine, and I grow many of these from seed. I am happy to help problem solve, answer questions about maintenance, and guide you to sources of unusual plants.
Experience I am a garden writer/speaker/consultant and host of a weekly gardening radio program in the Northeast. I have been gardening all my life for my own pleasure, and started as a professional gardener and garden communicator 15 years ago. I work part-time at a garden center, selling and tending shrubs/trees/annuals/perennials...and doing some propagation and design work. I often think that all these professional activities serve to put a somewhat legitimate framework around a serious case of plant-lust.
Question I was wondering how to get the flowers I grow from seed to stay relatively short and have thick stems like the ones from the greenhouses i used to purchase by the flat. This year I started petunias, impatients and marigolds, as well as tomato's from seed. All of them grew very tall with long thin stems, "leggy" i guess its called? I have been told it was because they grew too fast, but I dont know how to make them grow slower. Any tricks I should know? I started them in one of the small indoor greenhouses from lowes, and when warm enough moved outside. I live in Northern NY if it makes a difference.
Thanks
Ryan
Answer Ryan,
Plants grow leggy because they are not getting enough light. They reach toward the light. Did the indoor greenhouse have lights? If so, they should be no more than 3" above your seedlings - raising them as the seedlings grow, so that they are kept 3" above. They should also be on 14 hours a day. This simulates the conditions of an outdoor greenhouse.
Be sure, too, that you don't over-fertilize when the seedlings are small - fertilizer makes plants grow bigger and faster but that fast growth is weak growth.
In addition to the above, plants develop strong stems in response to the environmental conditions such as wind. Commercial growers have fans in the greenhouses not only to circulate the air, but the breezes also stimulate the plants to get strong. Being outdoors now will help yours to toughen up. Next year put a fan on a timer near your indoor plants and have it come on for two or three hours a day. Handling the flats so that the plants are jiggled also helps.
