Are these ready to start hardening off? (Pics)
Etta T
8 years ago
I had started taking these out for a couple hours a day so I could plant this coming weekend but in another form I saw a man with pics around this size and they suggested wait a few more weeks. Mind you these have been transplanted from peat pods and buried deeper than that grown. I also put a fan on them for an hour a day (I don't even know if that matters)
my next question is do I need to thin the 3 plants down to 2 or 1 or wait till I plant out side?
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Comments (7)
digdirt2
8 years agodigdirt2
8 years agoRelated Discussions
When to harden off these seedlings
Comments (2)Do I juggle all the harden off periods? You can if you want to but IMO it just makes it more complicated. ;) Your safe plant out date is May 15th. I would wait till 10 days before that that then do them all at once. It saves all the toting in and out hassles. Out they all go - gradually increasing the time each day a bit - and then they stay out. Good luck and enjoy your plants. Dave...See More*PICS* Seedlings. Need to Harden Off
Comments (7)I don't want to be redundant, but they really do need more light, that one poor guy in the upper left corner of the last picture looks like he is trying to escape! :) Burying the stems works a treat for leggy seedlings, but they will keep on growing weak without more light. If you cannot buy a cheap shoplight right now, I would find a spot that has enough sun indoors and only grow what can fit under that light. Constantly having to repot will not be cost effective. I have personally had success so far hardening my plants off during the day and bringing them in at night to compensate for running out of room under my lights, and they were pretty young, only 1-2 sets of true leaves. I can't guarantee results doing something like that, it was an experiment for me and since they were so young and delicate I had to pretty much babysit the weather nonstop. I wouldn't even try anything like that without potting deeper though. Depends on whether you want to take the risk in order to be able to support more plants (you seem to have quite a lot?)...See Morewhy do my plants go limp outside for hardening off? pics
Comments (21)I think the problem is your Miracle Grow potting mix. I would shop for some Fertilome Potting mix. It is a Canadian product that does not have the timber, lumber, bark and twig crap in it that "Miracle if it grows" does. It does contain a very few twigs, that I can easily find and discard when I am filling my starting trays. (I germinate in paper towels inside plastic sandwich bags on top of my tropical fish aquarium (because my growing space in my basement is too cool for germination and I have had poor germination results in starting mix on heated mats), and transfer to starting tray cells when the sprouts have roots and start to turn green....See MoreDo hoop house grown veggie starts need hardening off?
Comments (3)Yes, your veggie plants will need hardening off before planting outdoors. Your plants have started life in a location that is protected from all the elements like wind, rain and full sunlight. They need some opportunity to gradually get used to full brunt of the elements in order to thrive. Otherwise, it is likely they would get battered and burnt. Bring them out into a shady spot, protected from the wind for an hour or so the first couple of days. Gradually increase the time spent outdoor and move into more sun and wind over another few days. After I harden off my seedling tomatoes, peppers and zuchini etc and plant them in the garden in their new locations, I still assist them with some protection for another week or so. I take some gallon or larger, plastic nursery pots and cut the bottom out of them. Then place one over each veggie plant, pushing some soil up against the pot to help hold it in place. The plant now is protected from the worst of the wind but still gets plenty of sun and rain. The pot also helps hold water right over the root when you water them. When the plant has grown up above the rim of the pot, it's a good sign it is well rooted and growing and I pull the pots off and save them for next year....See MoreEtta T
8 years agoEtta T
8 years agodigdirt2
8 years agoEtta T
8 years agoOh I just thinned them by cutting off smaller ones at soil level now I only have one in each pot. Should I do the same now to my peppers?
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