I sowed the seeds 11 days ago. As soon as they germinated, I placed them by a SW-facing window, where they receive direct sunlight all day. I'm no expert, but they appear to be healthy. I just can't tell if the stems should be thicker at this point. The tallest plant is 2 1/4 in. tall.
1 Answer
Leggy just means there's a lot of stem in the internodes (and between the soil and the cotyledons, too). Internodes are the parts of the stem between the parts where the leaves are growing. They do look somewhat leggy, but that doesn't mean they're unhealthy. It could mean they don't have enough light, but it sounds like they have plenty (they might need more than you realize, though). So, it probably just means they have a good supply of phosphorus and/or maybe warm temperatures. I wouldn't worry about it, though. When you transplant, just bury the stem a little deeper than you would for a less leggy plant.
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Thank you for your explanation. Even if I bury the stem up to the cotyledons, can't the plant continue to be leggy? Commented Aug 16, 2019 at 2:29
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Yeah, I think they are not receiving enough sun. Glasses absorb a lot of sun (especially in many modern houses). Additionally, they were lower then the windows, so at beginning they receive much less sun. Windows is not faced south, so much less sun (glasses absorb/reflect) a lot of transversal light: you notice outdoor, with reflection. And they miss a lot of light from sky. Not that tomatoes requires every photon from sun, but if you sum all components (and maybe you are in high latitude). Commented Aug 16, 2019 at 7:21
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you can bury tomatoes right up to the top few sets of leaves and they will be ok. they'll root out from any buried stem if they can. Commented Apr 27, 2020 at 2:11