Hardening off experiment - overcast day

AJ Drew

AJ Drew

If you take a plant grown under artificial lights and put it right out in the sun for a day, it will suffer.  Decided I wanted to see what happens on an over cast day, so I planted a few right out the grow room.  This is day 2, no damage. 

Here is the thing, I have a very minor sun burn.  Only mild red, but still noticeable.  Knowing you can get sun burn on an overcast day, I expected the UV to at least damage the plants. 
 
2 days is not enough time to conclude anything. Damage can still occur, it just does not become noticeable right away. Overcast days are best because the brutalness of the sun is not present with its full intensity. But the plants should still be sheltered and allowed to get ambient light only for a week.
 
Capcom, well yes I do harden off my plants.  This is an experiment.  In a week, the batch that is getting hardened off will be planted right next to these.  Then I will see if the first batch is retarded, stunted, harmed or what not.

Too wet to garden.  I am bored.  So I am experimenting.
 
I'm doing the same thing as I am looking for a way to harden off a ton of plants with minimal work. I'm just putting them in a shaded area with some broken sunlight in the morning. It's been like five days with no burning at all. They were inside under a 400 watt MH
 
Coldsmoke - I am also past the bring them out, bring them in thing.  Plan for next year is to move to high tunnel, cover with shade cloth, and then pull off the shade cloth after a couple weeks.  Anything to shorten the amount of indoor / under light time will help.  Also, thinking about adding high tunnels because I am really slow planting these days.  Figure they would let me start planting early.
 
I really dont think you can speed up or cheat the hardening off process...mother nature might have something to say about that ,but I am interested in the final results of your experiment.....I had mine out from under the lights for the first time yesterday....9 hours in the shaded light.....but too cold today so they sat on the kitchen table in front of the sunny windows with the shear curtains closed...they really seemed to like that.......I heard the only way to speed up the hardening off process is to play them some loud IRON MAIDEN tunes. :dance:
 
This year I just put them under a table in my greenhouse for a week then moved them to the table-top and no worries! The table was oriented long-ways east to west. the greenhouse "glass" is clear, double wall polycarbonate so it doesnt offer much in the way of protection from UV light.
 
Sizzle Lips said:
I really dont think you can speed up or cheat the hardening off process...mother nature might have something to say about that ,but I am interested in the final results of your experiment.....I had mine out from under the lights for the first time yesterday....9 hours in the shaded light.....but too cold today so they sat on the kitchen table in front of the sunny windows with the shear curtains closed...they really seemed to like that.......I heard the only way to speed up the hardening off process is to play them some loud IRON MAIDEN tunes. :dance:
Click to expand...
 
Not sure if iron maiden is the right choice.lol
 
Topsmoke, yep it is tricks like that interest me.  I used to put things on a trailer, then roll it into and out of the barn.  I think I am going to wind up with shade cloth over the plastic of high tunnels. Then again, I might start in a greenhouse next season and not have to worry as much.
 
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