White edges on tomato seedlings.

[Olseskia]

My tomato seedlings are getting white edges and whilting. I do have a grow light on them 12-14 hours per day. Any ideas??

[applestar]

Could you be overwatering? Did you take any humidity covers off? Is the light fluorescent? How far up from the top of the leaves?

[rainbowgardener]

A picture is worth a thousand words! Welcome to the Forum!

[Olseskia]

Right now it is only the edges but the plants are beginning to droop and curl. The light is not florescent. Is it better to use a large south facing window or a grow light? Could they be too dry? Need fed? Thanks for all the info

[applestar]

If the light is not fluorescent, is it incandescent? The closest I can think of that I have seen anything like this is when the leaves get burned. If you hold you hand where the leaves are and the light feels too hot on the back of your hand, it's too hot for the plants. I only use fluorescent and CFL bulbs.

[rainbowgardener]

Agree. If an incandescent bulb is close enough to do any good, the heat it gives off will burn your plants. That's what yours look like, sunburned.

[Olseskia]

If I raise the light farther away from the plants would that help?

[PaulF]

Not really. That would encourage the plants to get 'leggy'. Long spindly stems. The same happens when seedlings are put in a window; they try to stretch up to the sun. Called heliotrophic. They also bend out toward the light. Florescent lights are cooler with full spectrum light and you put the bulbs within an inch of the top of the plant. It does not burn the leaves and makes the seedling stems compact and strong. A cheap shop light will do the trick so no need to buy an expensive lighting system. As the plants grow make it so the top of the plant is about an inch below the bulb. Mine are in a basement so I raise the light. But lowering the plant does the same thing.

Be sure you have drain holes in the bottom of the cups so you don't drown the seedlings...but that is another whole story.

[Olseskia]

Anything else I can do just bought light and I can not return? I do have a large south facing window?

[AnnaIkona]

Natural sunlight would be much better! Just make sure it's enough. 5-10 hours of sunlight.
Do u fertilize them?

[rainbowgardener]

What PaulF said!! In my experience unless you have a really good south facing window that gets a lot of direct sun, being in a window is not enough light to prevent tomato plants from getting leggy and spindly. You can try, but when I tried it, it only took a couple days for them to get super tall and spindly with way long spaces between the leaf nodes, so you have to monitor closely.

[Olseskia]

Will do the window gets sun from dusk to dawn. I will ditch the light and use the window. Should I trim off the burned leaves? Yes I am fertilizing them regularly. Thanks for all the advice everyone.