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Re: Problem after placing tomato plants outdoors temporarily

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

You absolutely need to gradually introduce any indoor started seedlings to
outdoor conditions. The sun is a lot more powerful than those puny
fluorescents. Most sources recommend starting off with 1-2 hours and
doubling the exposure daily over the course of a week or two. Do not put new
seedlings in direct sunlight at first, they will fry and burn and may die. I
put mine in a sheltered shaded area to start and then move them into the
open area with sun (if there is any, this is one time that Oregon's cloudy
springs actually come in handy) for just a part of the daily outside time.
Also remember your plants will dry out more quickly outside (sun, wind) so
water well during this process.

I have to admit, hardening off can be inconvenient and time consuming
depending on how many seedlings you have and how far you have to transport
them from inside to out. One way to save some time hardening off is to
utilize a cold frame to provide a transition environment (for example, I
hardened my cold weather veggies for 3 days (1, 2, then 4 hours) then moved
them outside into the cold frame. I open the cold frame (basically a 4 x 4
wood frame with holes drilled for pvc hoops which are covered with 6 ml
plastic) trying to increase the number of hours a day  - depending on the
weather - they are exposed to the elements. It takes about the same amount
of time but I don't have to carry the seedlings in and out so much.

You could probably web search and find a lot more comprehensive and detailed
information on this subject.
Tom
Portland OR,  Zone 8
http://www.teleport.com/~scut/garden.htm
-----Original Message-----
From: ...Charlie... <csimpson@preferred.com>
>
>I have been growing plants indoors under flouresent light to get an early
>start. This morning I placed a few tomato plants out on the patio as we
were
>having temps in the mid-seveties today. After about 6 hours in direct
>sunlight several leaves on the plants were browned and shriveled and in
fact
>I may have lost one plant. What has happened here?, does one need to
>gradually introduce the plants to outdoor conditions?. I have heard of
>hardening off the plants but I thought that was temperature related rather
>than light related. Any help would be appreciated.
>


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