Leggy Cosmos seedlings - planting out

I have quite a lot of Cosmos seedlings which I hope to plant out in a week or so (they are currently being hardened off). However, some are fairly leggy - when I plant them out is it okay to plant them up to the level of the first leaves (cotyledons) so covering up part of the (currently exposed) lower stems?

I vaguely recall reading this somewhere but I also thought that you weren't supposed to plant out seedlings any deeper than the level that they were used to.

 

Yep this is the correct way to plant leggy cosmos and a neat trick for other leggy seeds, just watch out for beasties

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Thank you.

 

My cosmos are really leggy this year too. I'll be sowing the next lot directly outside over the next few days, they tend to come up bigger and stronger I've found.

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You can nip the tops out,this will have the effect to make a more bushy plant with probably more flowers.............

 

I've pinched the tops out of mine as well. I find that it does make them a more bushy plant.

 

How many sets of leaves are required before "topping" them?

 

More than the cotyledons! it should be a small plant with plenty of "true" leaves

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But of course.

Generally speaking each seedling now has two sets of proper leaves - I guess that's not enough though?

 

It depends on the variety. I have taller ones growing 3/4' which I've pinched at 3 sets of true leaves and dwarf ones growing 1/3' which I did at 2 sets of leaves.

 

Thanks very much.

 

Will try pinching mine out, got more than 7 sets of leaves on one type and are pretty tall, didn't pinch out last year but they weren't as big as these.. same seed and same window

 

I've just sowed some cosmos so I will see how I get along

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And two weeks later

 

Well done, they sure grow fast.