Hardening Off Problems?

O

obchili

Hi there.  As a first year grower, I am in process of hardening off my plants.  The majority, all but 9, are between 6" to 10".  They were all started early February indoors.  They have all been inside a greenhouse in a south facing window.  In the last week or so, I have taken them tray by tray and put a fan on them for approximately 2 minutes, rotate 180 degrees then 2 minutes more on a low setting at a distance.  Last Thursday I took them tray by tray and put them outside on my deck, facing north and in the shade, with no view of the sun.  I did the same today.  After their 1/2 hour there, I bring them back inside.  But also after 1/2 hour the majority seem to be soft, limp, and wilted.  They do spring back after approximately 2-3 hours.  Is this normal?  Am I doing something wrong, or is this normal during a hardening off process after being indoors so long?  They only have natural sunlight inside through the window.
 
Also, I was wondering about storage.  I have an insulated, non-heated garage that is on average 45 degrees now at night.  Is this adequate to keep my plants in the garage with, or do I still need to cart them in and out daily?  The garage has only west facing windows, so there would be no sunlight at all through the windows until the afternoon, late day sun.
 
Sorry for the long winded post, but I just wanted to give as much info as possible to help in an answer.  Thank you for your time and help in advance.
 
Hardening off takes time. Not all plants harden off in the same amount of time. If your plants can only tolerate 30 minutes now, then, that's all they can tolerate. Don't force the issue. They are telling you what they can tolerate now. Some of my plants can only take 30 minutes now, so, this is normal for them. I'll let someone else answer the other question. Good luck, and, be patient with them.
 
Completely normal. My plants all looked like total CRAP after their first view of the sun. It took around 4 weeks or more to acclimate them to bright FL sun. A screened patio does wonders though for the process, or any filtered light in general. They'll get there though.


Edit - you've gotta just cut the cord at some point too. The direct sun and heat will always knock them down a bit in the day... As long as they perk up at night, you're in the clear. But give them time at first.
 
I give it a minimum of two weeks for hardening off. I say "minimum" because the weather here in the Spring is a roller-coaster. We're in the 40F's right now, supposed to be 80F on Thursday, then dive again…. It typically makes the hardening off process take longer than I want it to. Patience is a virtue I don't have a lot of when it comes to this particular thing.
 
That said, adult plants can handle dips down into the 40's, but young plants generally cannot. Have you got an electrical outlet in your garage so you can at least put a space heater in there? That's not ideal, but if you're stressing about space is better than nothing.
 
Yea, that's normal.  The plants are going from a humid greenhouse to the dry, bright outdoors, where they transpire a LOT more water.  Give them time and their leaves will thicken, becoming less porous.  Expect more changes as you introduce them to Mr. Sun.  Start off with ~1/2 hour in the morning or evening and slowly increase their exposure, looking for discoloration or other signs of sunburn as you go.
 
Once the plants are getting more sun and air (more 'fuel'), their potential metabolic rate will increase.  Give the roots a few weeks to catch up, and don't be surprised if the plants ' stall ' slightly as they spend more energy beefing up the root system.  IMO, a mild dose of ferts may help keep the plant going during this period.
 
Awesome. Thank you again to all for your time and help. It is as always greatly appreciated. I actually forgot that I had a radiating heater plugged in on the ceiling. This may work after all.
 
Just brought the babies back inside today.  All cloud with a very light drizzle and slight breeze.  So, out they went for a taste of what is to come.  I only put them in the drizzle for about 15 minutes then the rest was on the patio furniture out of the falling moisture.  Only one of the plants showed signs of being upset today in the weather.  And it was one of my largest plants, the Moruga Scorpion.  What a sissy!  Also they will all be sleeping outside in the garage starting today.  Heater ready.  Thank you again for all the help.
 
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