One Way to Harden Off Seedlings. On day 1, set your seedlings in a shady, wind-free area outdoors for about 2-3 hours. I like to situate my seedlings on a patio table under an umbrella to shade them from the sun and shelter from rain. Suddenly moving plants from a stable environment to one with wide variations in temperature, light and wind can seriously weaken plants. After 5–7 days of hardening off, the seedlings will be ready to be transplanted to their final growing position. This can be reduced by: hardening off seedlings gradually; watering the plants … “Hardening off” is a process where you slowly adjust your plants to life outdoors. B. Typically, germinating seeds are killed by the damping-off fungus prior to emerging from the ground, and older, more established plants are seldom affected. The amount of damage to seedlings depends on the particular fungus, soil moisture and temperature. HARDENING OFF IS KEY . Once my seedlings get a few leaves, I then leave any covers off, and they naturally "harden off" with the fluctuations in heat during the day in their covered outdoor position. For most plants, start hardening off about a week before the final frost date for your area. Over the next few days, gradually increase the time outdoors by a 1-2 hours. Through your own experimentation in your specific zone you'll come up with your personal technique for hardening off seedlings, but until then here's what I do: 1. I should put them in their own pots - they are getting big enough. This is one of the down sides of a multi pot. Begin Hardening Off Your Plants in a Sheltered Location: About a week or two before your transplant date, place your plants outdoors in a protected spot for a few hours on the first day. This typically spans about a week. Transplanting. If you’re planting directly into the ground so that your plants’ root mass is covered by soil, this is the best way to protect your roots. Hardening off should take a minimum of a week and may take up to two. Hardening off involves getting seedlings used to conditions outside gradually. Hardening off should take a minimum of a week and may take up to two. ”Harden off” your seeds before you transplant them outside. Steps to Harden Off Your Transplants: 1. When a seedling is planted in a new growing position it experiences transplant shock. Suddenly moving plants from a stable environment to one with wide variations in temperature, light and wind can seriously weaken plants. Hardening also means getting plants that started indoors used to the heat and humidity of the outdoors. A loose soil enriched with moderate amounts of organic matter or fertilizer to supply nutrients is best. Take my little ones outdoors under a protected/covered area for a couple of hours to start a 7 to 14 day hardening off process. DIRECT SOWING Turn over garden soil with spade or fork. Hardening Off. 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