Leggy, stretched growth on houseplants

Long bare stems with a rosette on top

Likely cause
Low light — though some length is natural to the genus.

What to do
Brighter light with gentle direct sun. Behead and re-root a badly stretched rosette.

Thin, pale new growth at the top

Likely cause
Not enough light.

What to do
Bright light with some direct sun, acclimating gradually to avoid scorching.

Flat, sprawling growth

Likely cause
Too little light — it splays out reaching for the sun.

What to do
Move it to your brightest spot with some direct sun; it will grow upright and compact.

Stretched, bare, floppy stems

Likely cause
Low light plus a natural tendency to sprawl with age.

What to do
Brighter indirect light, and pinch the growing tips regularly to keep it dense.

Vining out and losing its bushy shape

Likely cause
Normal maturity — it starts compact then becomes a climber.

What to do
Prune the runners to keep it bushy, or give it a pole and let it climb.

Thin, stretched, sparse growth

Likely cause
Not enough light.

What to do
Bright indirect light, and trim it back to encourage a denser cushion.

Narrow, stretched new pads

Likely cause
Not enough light.

What to do
Give it the sunniest window you have. Handle with thick gloves — the tiny glochids are miserable.

Sparse strands with gaps between leaves

Likely cause
Not enough light.

What to do
Bright light with a few hours of gentle direct sun.

Tall bare stem with a tuft on top

Likely cause
Not enough light, so it stretches and drops lower leaves.

What to do
Move it brighter. The bare stem stays bare, but new growth comes in compact.

Tall, bare, floppy stems

Likely cause
It bolts naturally, and low light makes it worse.

What to do
Pinch the tips out regularly — including any flower spikes — and give it bright light.

Tall bare cane with leaves only on top

Likely cause
Natural habit made worse by low light.

What to do
Move it brighter, and cut the cane back in spring — it resprouts from below the cut.

Stretching upward with gaps between leaves

Likely cause
Not enough light — the classic succulent stretch.

What to do
Move it to your sunniest window. Behead and re-root the rosette if it is badly stretched.

Long, thin, sparse branches

Likely cause
Not enough light.

What to do
Several hours of direct sun. Prune to shape — cuttings root very easily.

Leaning toward the window

Likely cause
Reaching for light.

What to do
Rotate it a quarter turn each time you water so it grows evenly.

Growing narrow and pointed at the top

Likely cause
Not enough light — a barrel should stay round.

What to do
Move it to the brightest window you own; the narrowed section will not re-fatten.

Long, sparse, leggy vines

Likely cause
Not enough light — it stretches toward the nearest window.

What to do
Move it to brighter indirect light and pinch the tips to force bushier growth.

Stretching upward and losing its tight rosette

Likely cause
Too little light.

What to do
Bright indirect light. Offsets can be separated and started fresh.

Bare stems with leaves only at the ends

Likely cause
Too little light — it keeps growing but stops filling in.

What to do
Move it brighter and prune the long runners; cuttings root in water and can be tucked back in.

Stretching and losing its tight form

Likely cause
Not enough light.

What to do
They need 6+ hours of direct sun. Indoors, a south window is the bare minimum.

Leggy, stretched growth

Likely cause
Not enough light.

What to do
Give it several hours of direct sun; it grows thick and tree-like in bright light.

Stretched, floppy growth after flowering

Likely cause
Normal post-bloom stretch, made worse by low light.

What to do
Cut it back hard after flowering and give it brighter light; it regrows compact.

Long vines with small, unsplit leaves

Likely cause
Not enough light, and nothing to climb.

What to do
Give it a moss pole and bright indirect light — leaves get larger and more split as it climbs.

Long vines with small leaves

Likely cause
Not enough light, and nothing to climb.

What to do
Brighter indirect light plus a pole — leaves get bigger as it climbs.

Leaning or growing lopsided

Likely cause
Light coming from one side only.

What to do
Rotate it a quarter turn every week so it grows straight.

Stretching upward between leaves

Likely cause
Too little light.

What to do
Move it to a sunnier window. It also stretches naturally before flowering, after which the rosette dies and leaves offsets.

Stretched, sparse growth

Likely cause
Not enough light.

What to do
Bright light with some direct sun; pinch the tips to encourage branching.

Thin, floppy, pale stems

Likely cause
Not enough light.

What to do
Give it as much direct sun as you can; it firms up and colors in strong light.

Stretched, sparse growth

Likely cause
Too little light.

What to do
Bright indirect light; pinch the tips to encourage bushiness.

Long gaps between leaves

Likely cause
Not enough light, and nothing to climb.

What to do
Give it brighter indirect light and a moss pole — leaves get bigger as it climbs.

Long bare stem between leaves

Likely cause
Low light, plus its natural climbing habit.

What to do
Brighter light and a pole. Cuttings of the leggy section root easily.

Tall, stretched, floppy growth

Likely cause
Low light, plus its natural tendency to bolt.

What to do
Brighter indirect light, and pinch the tips regularly to keep it compact.

Sparse, floppy leaves

Likely cause
Not enough light.

What to do
Give it a bright spot with some direct sun; it is far happier there.

Long, floppy, reaching stems

Likely cause
Too little light.

What to do
Move it to bright indirect light with a few hours of gentle sun; rotate it so it grows evenly.

Long, sparse, reaching stems

Likely cause
Not enough light.

What to do
Brighter indirect light, and prune the tops back in spring to force bushier growth.

Long bare strands with widely spaced hearts

Likely cause
Not enough light.

What to do
Bright light with some gentle direct sun. Trim the bare sections; cuttings root readily.

Long bare strands with sparse pearls

Likely cause
Too little light.

What to do
Give it very bright light, including some gentle direct sun.

Sparse, stretched strands

Likely cause
Low light.

What to do
Move it brighter and trim to encourage denser growth.

Long, bare, floppy stems

Likely cause
Low light, plus a natural sprawling habit.

What to do
Brighter indirect light and regular pinching keep it full.

Long bare stems with leaves only at the tips

Likely cause
Its natural habit, made much worse by low light.

What to do
Pinch the tips constantly and give it bright light. Cuttings root in water in days — replant them into the same pot to refill it.

Sprawling wider and wider

Likely cause
Its natural habit, exaggerated by low light.

What to do
Brighter indirect light keeps it tighter, but give it room — this plant gets big.

Weak, floppy traps that will not close

Likely cause
Not enough light. This is a full-sun bog plant.

What to do
Give it 4–6+ hours of direct sun or a strong grow light. Never feed it human food.

Leggy, stretched stems

Likely cause
Very low light — it survives it but does not stay compact.

What to do
Move it somewhere brighter (still indirect) for denser growth.