This year I will be taking two plants (Habanero and Cayenne) that I OW'd from last year in 3.8gal containers and putting them into a raised bed I just finished a few weeks ago. I also have some seedlings that will be going into containers of various sizes. My question is will I have to go through the same hardening off process for the seedlings with the Cayenne and Habanero as well? I figure since they're already a year old I could just stick them in the dirt the same day I begin hardening off the seedlings without worry.
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Do your OWs have much new (un-hardened) growth on them yet? If so, I'd treat them like a start. Any substantial new growth that hasn't seen daylight or wind yet will be tender like a seedling until it gets a chance to harden.
Any plant that has been indoors for an extended period needs to be hardened off. If you take your OW's outside in full sun and wind without hardening them off, you'll see what "lovely" shock they go into. Worst case scenario is that they die from it. Not so bad is that they'll drop all of their leaves and look stressed. It's not fun to take the time to harden off, especially if your area has yo-yo weather like my area, but it's worth it in the end.
The interesting thing is when I decided to OW them the Habanero was trimmed down a bit then put under a 250W HPS light until recently when the light fixture was switched to MH for my seedlings. The Cayenne was trimmed back completely to just the main branches and was stuck on a shelf next to a window where it received a decent amount of natural sunlight. Over time the Cayenne grew healthier looking leaves than the Habanero. The Habanero was put up next to the Cayenne maybe 2-3 weeks ago (when I switched the lights over to the seedlings), where it lost all of its old leaves but now has similar, healthier-looking growth. I guess this growth is still considered un-hardened?dash 2 said:
I live in Maryland, one of our mottos is "If you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes" lol. It looks like the weather has finally begun getting its act together, but I guess the best option would be to harden them off with everything else.geeme said:
Hardening Off Process: process takes 10-14 days
Plants need to be toughened after a life of growing indoors
1) Decrease watering, without allowing wilting, a few days before beginning process – this will toughen plant
2) Put plant outdoors in a shade protected area for a few hours for first day
3) Over the next 10-14 days, gradually increase the outdoor time and sun exposure
Using a circulating fan to toughen the plant’s stem prior to beginning the process will allow it to go quicker.
The plant should be out/exposed 10-12 hours before the final 2 days, prior to planting, of 24 hours outside.
After successful hardening off, the stem will become thicker and the skin will show a waxy surface. Chloroplasts will rearrange such that they aren’t stacked as much, preventing sunburn. As new leaves develop, they’ll be smaller and better adapted for direct sunlight and life outdoors.
Plants need to be toughened after a life of growing indoors
1) Decrease watering, without allowing wilting, a few days before beginning process – this will toughen plant
2) Put plant outdoors in a shade protected area for a few hours for first day
3) Over the next 10-14 days, gradually increase the outdoor time and sun exposure
Using a circulating fan to toughen the plant’s stem prior to beginning the process will allow it to go quicker.
The plant should be out/exposed 10-12 hours before the final 2 days, prior to planting, of 24 hours outside.
After successful hardening off, the stem will become thicker and the skin will show a waxy surface. Chloroplasts will rearrange such that they aren’t stacked as much, preventing sunburn. As new leaves develop, they’ll be smaller and better adapted for direct sunlight and life outdoors.