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seeds How the hell can you put a seedling out too soon?

SV1000

SV1000

I am burning my lunch hour searching THP for interesting tips and I keep reading "don't put them out in the sun, you will burn the tender little plants"...or similar wording.

Now, I guess sprouts from seeds that are germinated indoors are inferior, weak etc. if their natural born cousins can germinate outdoors and begin taking in the beautiful sunshine. Or, maybe Momma Jolokia made her little hooks lather up in SPF 50 before they went out to play.

Comments????????

Seriously, I am just questioning something that seems absoutely common sense.
 
If they sprout outside then by all means give them full sunlight. If you sprout them indoors and they are not used to the sun then you can burn them, but I agree with you. If I germinate late I will sprout them indoors but as soon as I see the hook they go in direct sunlight. The more the better.
 
SV, the reason people talk about burning sprouts is because in nature when the lil guys sprout up they are used to the sun's rays. Sprouts raised indoors are not accustomed to the intensity associated with solar rays. It's kind of like when you first go out into the sun in the early spring or summer, if your not careful you can REALLY burn yourself and wish you hadn't. In the link I'm listing (which someone else posted here and how I found out about it) the very first graph displays the disparity between solar rays and CFL's or flourescent lighting. http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/fluorescent.html It makes sense when you stop to think about it.
 
usually the problem only exists when you switch from CFL to big mama sun. if you're raising your plants under an HID light for the most part introduction to the sun goes a lot smoother. but caution would make me introduce them slowly anyway.

similarly if you go from 1 growlight (hid) to 3 it would most likely be a good idea to temper them with only a few hours of all 3 lights to get used to it.
 
That makes sense and probably what everyone is referring too; I hardened off my seedlings that were 1"-2" tall by putting them out at lunch time.

I was thinking about putting peppers outside as soon as the seedling breaks dirt, and exactly what I will do with all my recently germinated seeds.
 
The only to worry about when setting them out immediately after sprouting is making sure the soil does not dry out. They don't have much of a root system, and if they are in little cups, it can dry out very fast. Not as much a problem in ground compared to pots.
 
The seedling on the left was put out too soon.
Identical seeds, planted at pretty much the same time.
I got trigger happy on a very sunny and unseasonably warm day, the left one went from nice comfy flouro lights to full sun for a full day.
7potyellowcomparisonpic.jpg


Leaves are yellow and weak, plant growth is severely stunted, not looking good. The other one was started at pretty much the same time but treated more gently. Bit of sun here, bit of sun there.
 
Stresssing the plants in any way, especially in the spring, will slow down growth and production big time. Sun and wind are the two biggest factors to harden off for, and for me the process takes several weeks. Mother nature definitely needs a helping hand to grow peppers in most climates. If I put plants out now they would freeze at night and/or get fried during the hot afternoons, they need to become acclimatised.
" if their natural born cousins can germinate outdoors and begin taking in the beautiful sunshine"
But what percent of seeds out there actually germinate and go on to become huge producers(0% in my climate). Outdoors , its a matter of survival of the fittest and most seeds out there don't germinate or they die off from cold, heat, poor location etc., where indoor started plants are usually spoiled and most become huge producers. A little planning and attention can make all the difference in the world
 
There is no question in my mind if peppers are grown in an area where they do not normally grow and thrive adjustments need to be made to prevent freezing them.

I understand now that people are referring to hardening off plants that were grown under lights and well established (multiple to many leaves) and that I agree as far as burning them.

I was thinking about seedlings *when they emerge*
 
If seeds emerge naturally in a poor location or where the sun is too stong then they just don't survive or they get stunted. Only a fraction of these seeds will germinate and only a fraction of those will go on to have productive lives.
 
Keep in mind also that when plant seeds are dispersed by nature when they begin to grow they usually have shadded protection from larger established tree's in the begginging.
I have tried to sprout seeds and leave them in full sunlight all day long but it becomes too much at times especially in the hot summer here.
 
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