WARNING: Don't Do This To Your Seedlings!!! (pic)

rnewste · February 3, 2011

Every once in a while I do something STUPID (Dear Wife says it is more often than that), so I thought I would give my young seedlings started about 3 weeks ago a taste of direct Sunshine outside. Well, I left them out all afternoon:

Here they are this morning, with stalks on the Diva and Sweet Success cukes shriveled up. I do have a backup tray started 2 weeks ago, but learn from my mistake; no more than an hour for the first time outside in the Sun. Bummer!

Raybo

MJACTIVIST · February 3, 2011

Yea that sucks, you gotta harden them off before throwing them out.
We all make mistakes and none of us are perfect. Keep up the great work Ray.
L8
MJ

geeboss · February 3, 2011

Ray

Where is your shade cloth? You've got your backups and a new found appreciation for slow but steady wins the race.

geeboss

oc tony · February 3, 2011

I use cups and as soon as they pop up they go outside and only come in if there's a danger of frost.

newatthiskat · February 3, 2011

I am sorry raybo any way to save them? they are pretty resilient. Maybe a day or two before you throw them out? Sometimes mine will perk back up. A few look salvageable. I know how precious your babies are to you. and usually you treat them way better than I treat mine. If there was a Tomato plant protection service (TPS vs CPS)I would have been called in and reported a long time ago.
Kat

sfmathews · February 4, 2011

Feel you pain Ray, I've done it as well.

b54red · February 5, 2011

Since I have found that I can't count on not getting distracted after setting them out the first time I try to set them out so they get the last few hours of sunlight in the afternoon.
I usually remember to bring them back in before the real heat of the day the next day. My favorite is to put them out on a cloudy day near a tree that will shade them in the mid day sun but allow for morning sun. I've never had sunburn when doing this, so I guess they become acclimated during the cloudy day and are ready to move to full sun in a few days.

dustdevil · February 5, 2011

Raybo,

I thought you're suppose to HARDEN them off, not FINISH them off

Dust

lurley · February 5, 2011

Last year my hubby was helping to move my pepper plants out during the day and in at night. I had them all in a 7' x 8' trailer that I couldn't move by myself. They were all in quart pots and about 16 inches tall, really beautiful. Well, I didn't check one night if they were brought in and the next morning they had all been hit by frost.

I literally cried. It was early May here with plant out time in two weeks and I had planned on selling about half of the plants. No one would want these now. I pulled off all the dead leaves, was really careful with them from then on, and in three weeks they had regrown some good looking leaves (although they didn't look good enough to sell in my opinion) I planted them all in my own garden and had tons of peppers last year. Getting an early start and putting out such big plants of peppers and eggplants gave me my first really great harvest of those. Usually with my shorter season, I would be lucky to get two or three eggplants per plant. Last year at the end of season my pepper and eggplants were almost 3 1/2 feet tall. Unfortunately the cauliflower and broccoli that got snowed on didn't fare so well, once planted they just went to seed and never developed heads. So I have learned my lesson but that doesn't mean that mistakes will never happen again. At least you still have the time and the weather to start again

JoAnne · February 5, 2011

Been there, done that. First year I grew tomatoes I didn't know about hardening them off, so I just planted my seedlings directly outside. And then went away for a week on a business trip. Ended up buying plants from Home Depot....

ralphsassie · February 5, 2011

It is so easy to do that. I have a bench under a table that I put mine out on for the first week or so.

Hopefully, they will come back soon!!

erlyberd · February 6, 2011

Are you growing them under lights??? Or are you growing them in the shade??? If so you need to put them no further than 3" from the bulbs assuming we're talking flouesents and or if windowsill growing give them direct sunlight from day one.Not to be a jerk (no one else is going to mention it) but to help you be a better gardner those plants are simply begging for more light. I hope your next batch is a success.

rnewste · February 6, 2011

erly,

They were 'raised" adjacent to a HPS lighting system I had on over-wintered plants. Next Season I am going to invest in a florescent system dedicated to strengthening seedlings before planting out. Thanks for the observations and recommendations.

Raybo

erlyberd · February 7, 2011

Well that explains it!I think you need the flouesent lights now! LOL Just get a shoplight or two. They are very cheap and work very good. Glad you took it the right way. Just trying to help. Now if someone could only help me with my spelling! lol

February 3, 2011	#1
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	WARNING: Don't Do This To Your Seedlings!!! (pic) Every once in a while I do something STUPID (Dear Wife says it is more often than that), so I thought I would give my young seedlings started about 3 weeks ago a taste of direct Sunshine outside. Well, I left them out all afternoon: Here they are this morning, with stalks on the Diva and Sweet Success cukes shriveled up. I do have a backup tray started 2 weeks ago, but learn from my mistake; no more than an hour for the first time outside in the Sun. Bummer! Raybo

February 3, 2011	#5
newatthiskat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: texas Posts: 1,451	reply I am sorry raybo any way to save them? they are pretty resilient. Maybe a day or two before you throw them out? Sometimes mine will perk back up. A few look salvageable. I know how precious your babies are to you. and usually you treat them way better than I treat mine. If there was a Tomato plant protection service (TPS vs CPS)I would have been called in and reported a long time ago. Kat

February 3, 2011	#2
MJACTIVIST Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: ca Posts: 79	Yea that sucks, you gotta harden them off before throwing them out. We all make mistakes and none of us are perfect. Keep up the great work Ray. L8 MJ

February 3, 2011	#3
geeboss Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fairfax, VA Z7 Posts: 524	Ray Where is your shade cloth? You've got your backups and a new found appreciation for slow but steady wins the race. geeboss

February 3, 2011	#4
oc tony Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: oc ca. Posts: 173	I use cups and as soon as they pop up they go outside and only come in if there's a danger of frost.

February 4, 2011	#6
sfmathews Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 398	Feel you pain Ray, I've done it as well.

February 5, 2011	#7
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Since I have found that I can't count on not getting distracted after setting them out the first time I try to set them out so they get the last few hours of sunlight in the afternoon. I usually remember to bring them back in before the real heat of the day the next day. My favorite is to put them out on a cloudy day near a tree that will shade them in the mid day sun but allow for morning sun. I've never had sunburn when doing this, so I guess they become acclimated during the cloudy day and are ready to move to full sun in a few days.

February 5, 2011	#8
dustdevil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: WI, USA Zone4 Posts: 1,887	Raybo, I thought you're suppose to HARDEN them off, not FINISH them off Dust

February 5, 2011	#9
lurley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Central Ohio Posts: 741	Last year my hubby was helping to move my pepper plants out during the day and in at night. I had them all in a 7' x 8' trailer that I couldn't move by myself. They were all in quart pots and about 16 inches tall, really beautiful. Well, I didn't check one night if they were brought in and the next morning they had all been hit by frost. I literally cried. It was early May here with plant out time in two weeks and I had planned on selling about half of the plants. No one would want these now. I pulled off all the dead leaves, was really careful with them from then on, and in three weeks they had regrown some good looking leaves (although they didn't look good enough to sell in my opinion) I planted them all in my own garden and had tons of peppers last year. Getting an early start and putting out such big plants of peppers and eggplants gave me my first really great harvest of those. Usually with my shorter season, I would be lucky to get two or three eggplants per plant. Last year at the end of season my pepper and eggplants were almost 3 1/2 feet tall. Unfortunately the cauliflower and broccoli that got snowed on didn't fare so well, once planted they just went to seed and never developed heads. So I have learned my lesson but that doesn't mean that mistakes will never happen again. At least you still have the time and the weather to start again

February 5, 2011	#10
JoAnne Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 69	Been there, done that. First year I grew tomatoes I didn't know about hardening them off, so I just planted my seedlings directly outside. And then went away for a week on a business trip. Ended up buying plants from Home Depot....

February 5, 2011	#11
ralphsassie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: nc Posts: 4	It is so easy to do that. I have a bench under a table that I put mine out on for the first week or so. Hopefully, they will come back soon!!

February 6, 2011	#12
erlyberd Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: CT Zone 5 Posts: 186	Are you growing them under lights??? Or are you growing them in the shade??? If so you need to put them no further than 3" from the bulbs assuming we're talking flouesents and or if windowsill growing give them direct sunlight from day one.Not to be a jerk (no one else is going to mention it) but to help you be a better gardner those plants are simply begging for more light. I hope your next batch is a success.

February 7, 2011	#14
erlyberd Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: CT Zone 5 Posts: 186	Well that explains it!I think you need the flouesent lights now! LOL Just get a shoplight or two. They are very cheap and work very good. Glad you took it the right way. Just trying to help. Now if someone could only help me with my spelling! lol