Why are my tomato plants so tall and spindly?

i planted my shop bought tomato seeds about two and a half moths ago. they have been re-potted. but alot of them are 13 inches tall. they have no more leaves than the 6 inch plants. but they cant hold their weight. is there anything i can do to make them grown outwards and not upwards??

Why are my tomato plants so tall and spindly?
time to repot them.


This time though lay them on their sides a little so you can plant all that spindly stuff in the soil.


This will encourage roots to grow out the sides where the leaves are now and make the plant a really strong plant.


It is a great thing to do with the tomatoes and will only help the fruit production.





Then when they are growing nice and straight and have 3 or 4 sets of leaves, pinch out the top of a set of leaves. This will cause the plant to send out 2 branches in that spot. Keep doing this every once in a while and you will get a nice bushy well balanced plant.


So do it and then stand back and enjoy
Reply:You need to cut a good few inches off the tops and possibly put them on a higher base so they are not straining to get to the light.You can buy tomato fertilisers to stimulate the fruits into growing.A good compost helps too, and make sure you keep the compost moist.
Reply:I will tell you exaxctly why..You are using too much fertilizer..that has a high nitrogen content such as ALL PURPOSE MIRACLE GROW....Nitrogen works on the leaves etcetera... Too much will give you exactly what you have now..I grow a gharden 12 months out of the tyear and start my seeds indoors... You need a fertilizer that has alot of phospherous and potassium in it for strong root growth and to set the fruits...





http://www.davedupler.com/garden/fert.ht...





http://www.noble.org/Ag/Horticulture/Tim...





http://www.njtomato.com/growtip7.htm
Reply:I've noticed that in some cases, tomatoes need a metal rack to gain height... It's basically kind of a metal cone made of wire and about 3 feet long; you put the apex end into the soil and the base and flaring out upwards. Never really questioned it; saw it as a kid.
Reply:It's common knowledge that tomatos despise dirt, and they grow as tall as possible to get far, far away soil and all it's associated dirtiness. A simple way to prove this will be to observe the tomatos natural evolutionary process. No doubt they will evolve advanced toolbuilding skills that will eventually lead to swiffer like technology. Dirt begone!
Reply:They need to get enough sunlight so that they are not "standing on their tippy toes" so to speak to reach sunlight. Also make sure they get enough fertilizer or use miracle gro potting soil. It works well for my neighbor.





The cheapest (free) fertilizer is your own urine. It is sterile and high in nitrogen and micronutrients. Just dilute by about 1:10 in water or so.
Reply:The usual cause of this is lack of light, this being very important to toms. Poor soil could contribute and I take it you know that feeding should start once the first fruit has set. If your new to this try 'tomarite', End up in at least 8 inch pots
Reply:Several good answers to why but reynwater has the best cure. Planting 2/3 of the tomato stem will encourage a large healthy root system and the resulting plant will bigger, stronger, and bushier than any that have had their tops pinched off.
Reply:Not enough sun I'm afraid. When they have to "work" to get sun..they reach for it and get spindly. Take them outside when it's sunny as long as it's over 55 degrees. I'm not sure where you are but in zone 6, they should already be in the ground.
Reply:take out the side shoots in between the leaves.then train up a cane and tie in.you must take out the side shoots,only let 5 trusses of flowers on one plant. malc
Reply:Pinch out the new shoots that grow between the leaves - this will encourage them to be bushy. In the meantime tie them up to a little stake until they get stronger. Good Luck!
Reply:Tomatoes want full sun. replant them covering 1/2 to 3/4 of the stem. Yours are "leggy" reaching for sun.
Reply:More light, and importantly; break the tops off where they have branches off. This will make them fill out.
Reply:not enough light
Reply:pinch the top shoots out to make it grow bushier