If you're growing from seed, It's pretty common to see your seedlings tipping or leaning over - especially when they're young.

If this is happening to you, don't panic! We're going to look at a few of the most common reasons why seedlings fall over and what you can do about it.

Why Do Seedlings Tip Over?

Most seedlings that tip over do so because of leggyness. Leggy seedlings are those that stretch too tall, too fast, and lose their ability to stabilize themselves because of that stretch.

A few things cause this, so you'll need to diagnose what the issue is in order to correct it.

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Check out each of the possible causes listed below, and consider which one might be affecting your seedlings:

Not Enough Light

Supplemental lighting be a huge help in preventing leggy seedlings, and indirect windowlight may not be enough to prevent a leggy stretch & lean.

swiss chard sprouts tipping over in seedling tray
Swiss chard seedlings leaning real bad from a lack of light

Consider a strong supplemental grow light if you're starting your seedlings indoors as a way to ensure they get enough light for a great start.

swiss chard and kale growing in planter
Swiss chard will right itself eventually as it grows

Early season transplants outdoors can also suffer from the lack of light.

Consider waiting a bit longer in the season, until it's warmer and the sun is more intense.



Raised bed plans

Shallow Seeds

If your seedlings are lanky and tip over after sprouting, consider planting your seeds more deeply to help prevent this.

If your seedlings will tolerate a deeper planting, this can provide more soil to support the stem and stabilize the plant as it grows.

Be careful not to plant TOO deeply, though, as you risk seedlings never sprouting at all.

Each seed type has a sweet spot for planting depth, and ideally you'll take the time to research each one (or verify on your seed packet). In practice, though, sometimes you're planting without the seed packet, without internet, or without a dibbler with measurements to get an exact depth.

In this case you can fall back to the general rule of thumb that a seed can be planted roughly 2 to 3 times deeper than its diameter.

This tells you right away that larger seeds will tolerate deeper plantings, while small seeds should be sown at shallow depth.

If you're working with larger seeds and they're tipping over after sprouting, consider whether they'll tolerate being planted deeper for a better anchoring in the soil.

Loose Soil

If your seed-starting soil mix is loose, dry, or crumbly it may not provide enough support for seedlings to firmly anchor into.

Consider the texture of your seed-starting mix, and adding more compost to help bind it together.

If you're using garden soil for seed-starting, consider buying or making a proper seed-starting mix for improved seedling performance.

Final Thoughts...

If your seedlings tip over - don't worry!



Try to give them more light, planting them deeper, or using denser soil. Ultimately, though, they should be able to thrive and do just fine even after tipping over.