propergator question

hi
planted some seeds in my propagator my question is the plants have grown so much in the last 2 weeks that they are hitting the top of the propagator lid and it's quite a tall one at that, what should I do?

 

Picture?
Probably remove the lid and cool them down.
Propagators are good for germination but can be too damp and humid once germination has taken place.

Also this time of year the light levels are low so they get leggy and unhealthy.

Its a balance you have to achieve between heat and light.

 

Hiya. You don’t say where the propagator is located? Assuming it’s an electric one? If so, does it have a thermostatic heat controller? I fully agree with @pete . At this time of year light is a big issue, so it’s a bit of a balancing act. Another factor is how many seeds have been sown in the given space. Sow too many, and they will all be competing for not a lot of light. If it were me, I’d start again (sow more seed) and address these issues. You don’t say what you’ve sown, but I don’t think they will thrive. In essence, sow thinly, just enough heat to germinate and plenty (as much as possible) of light. Good luck

 

yes after looking at them they are very leggy these are in our window cill south facing, is there anything I can do to recover them or should I start over? if I do start over what can I do to prevent this in the future.

 

@paultall90 I agree with the above comments, what were the seeds you were germinating?
depending on what you are trying to grow you may be able to hold off for a couple of weeks as light levels are rapidly increasing at this time of year.

 

thanks for the replies,it was cosmos and nicotiana. Both I have sowed directly in the garden in the past but with different results so thought about using a propagator in the window with no heat mat.

 

In that case, I would hold off sowing again until April. Light levels will be much better. Once they’ve germinated, take the cover off. It’s worth pointing out that young seedlings can be destroyed by strong direct sunlight, so you might need to move them around a bit to avoid this. At some point they’ll need to be potted up, so bear this in mind (where you will put them). Remember, sow thinly

 

I think Cosmos goes leggy at the best of times, Nicotiana might need a bit more time to grow on but it gets going very quickly once the weather warms up.
Just a bit too early as others have said.

 

With both Cosmos and Nicotiana, if you decide to resow, you could wait until end of March/Easter.
One of the things to bear in mind is that the earlier you sow seeds the earlier you will have plants needing to go out. So think about when it will be warm enough for them to be happy outside (in a "typical year" and then count back to get a rough sowing date.
I'll be sowing my Nicotiana around Easterand planting out mid May onwards.

 

thankyou, around march it is to re-sow.

 

March is the day after tomorrow,

 

Well it seems a shame to bin the seedlings. If you've got a supply of fairly deep, narrow pots, or loo roll middles or plastic coffee cups (with drainage holes created), I'd pot them on, burying 2/3rds of the stem. Then put them somewhere cool and light.

 

I’d hang on until April.

 

With respect, I disagree. AFAIC, they will never recover enough to make decent plants. I’m willing to bet that at possibly 4” - 6” tall, they don’t yet have their ‘true’ leaves (looking like cress). IMO they will at some point just flop over. Add to that the problem of keeping them going between now and planting out time. It’s just not worth the effort, when there’s an easy solution. Just my opinion

 

thanks again for all your reply's looks like I will be buying the seeds again and waiting a month or so before I try again.
regards
Paul