Okay, I know how to harden them off, put them outside for 1 hours the first day, 1.5 the next, etc for 10-14 days. I also see a lot about burning the plants from too much sun right away after starting indoors. Then I read that damping off is a big problem from them getting too cold from being outside too early. Can someone tell me which is more important? Should I harden them to the sun AND the cold by putting them out during the day for an hour and an hour later in the day? Can you put them out when it starts to cool off AND they will get sun to accomplish both things at once? Should I put them all in my little greenhouse thingy I am gonna build to harden them off or will I still need to harden then when it is time to transplant? Do I need to harden them off before putting them in the make shift greenhouse? Since I know it will be asked: Tomatoes, large and cherry Birdhouse gourds Dill Chives Banana pepper I know this is the wrong place but does the same go for flowers started indoors?
hi fish! it sounds like you have the right idea of how to harden off the plants, by putting them in the sunshine for a bit every dy and increase the time every day. you can tell if they're getting too much sun if the leaves start to turn whiteish. as far as damping off, i have not heard that 'cold' will cause it. from what i understand, damping off is a disease that's from the soil or in the seed. here's some info... http://tomclothier.hort.net/page13.html i have my seedlings inside too and am putting them direclty in the greenhouse as they emerge from the soil. it's working very well so far. at night when the temps get cold, i cover them with reemay or blankets. hope this helps!
That helps, as long as I don't have to worry about the cold I can deal with the sun things. Isn't supposed to be "sunny" here for a few days anyway so it will be easier. I need to build my little greenhouse thing and move them out though. My dill is drooping for some reason so I think they need some sunshine.
Good topic. It's getting to be that time here, in about three-four weeks. Whenever I've tried to harden off this way, my transplants have always had a high mortality rate, more than half. Is that normal? Last year I just waited until May because I didn't want to risk losing too many plants I don't have much room to grow many transplants.
I harden off the conventional way. A couple hours the first three days and lengthen by an hour or two the next three, and then 6-8 hours per day. But, I start the process in semi-shade. I live in Southwestern Arizona. There's light then there's desert sun--which is too much sun for most things when the temperatures start to climb. Think about it: When we start our plants indoors, we put them under grow lights or in a sunny window. Our plants will always lean to the sunlight. When I put my tomato plants outdoors (under a mesquite tree) to harden off, they perk straight up. That's where the light they need is really located--UP. They don't lean toward the nearest sunny part of the garden. If you find your plants burning up in the sun, try putting them outdoors in filtered light to start the hardening off process. Then, gradually let the plants that need the full sun have it.
