Re: Best Way to Hardening of Plants??

Anthony,

When hardening off indoor-grown seedlings, you should start by giving them
no more than an hour or two of sun per day, at first.  The leaves have had
much lower light levels than full sunlight, and it takes awhile for them to
toughen up. 

Try keeping them under the sheet, which will still admit some light, or in
a shady spot, for another day.  Then, take the sheet off, or put them in
the sunlight, in the early morning or late afternoon for an hour or two.
(Not mid-afternoon, when the sun is high.) 
Every other day, increase the exposure by two hours, working slowly toward
the middle of the day.  By Easter, they should be ok to plant out.  You may
lose some leaves that have already been sun-scalded, but the plants should
put out new ones.  

Try also to keep them out of strong winds. Watch the moisture levels, as
the plants outside will lose more water to transpiration than they did inside.

Good luck!

Jennifer

 At 10:25 AM 4/3/98, you wrote:
>I'm in the process of hardening of my plants, but
>encountering some problems.  With our nights no lower
>than mid 40's and days as high as the mid 70's the plants
>seem to like the temperature.  But, they don't seem to 
>tolerate the sun well.  I've had to make a temporary shelter with
>a white sheet over a fixture and placed the many of the plants
>underneath. But many of these plants are supposed to tolerate
>full sun: petunias tomatoes, marigolds, etc.  If they're in the sun
>they wilt and occasionally blanch by day's end. I'm watering in the morning
>and leaving a bit of water underneath.  Could this lead to root rot, as well?
>
>So, what's the best way to acclimate these tender plants.  I'd
>like to set them into the garden by Easter weekend.
>
>Anthony Gal
>Atlanta, GA
>Zone 7
>agal@emory.edu
>
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Jennifer Scanlin                              vox 212 431 1264
186 Hester Street                            fax 212 431 1372
New York, NY 10013                        jscanlin@earthlink.net
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