Cold good. Shock bad?

enchant · April 12, 2018

I'm a great believer in giving plants the cold treatment, especially as we approach time to plant them in the ground. That's still a month away, but I'm sure it's always a good thing.

Our thermostat goes down to 59F at night, and the temp is probably even lower where the seedlings live. That room is always a little chilly. They're doing fantastic this year, probably due to not using dime-store potting soil and I bought them a new brighter light.

The weather has been fairly chilly for a while, but we're getting into a warming trend. The temperature is supposed to go up to 58 today, and I was thinking that a couple hours out on the back deck in the sunshine might be nice. But even though they've been in that temperature many times over the past couple of weeks, the temperature change is always gradual. If I bring them out today, it will be an instant 10 degree drop. Does the quick change in temperature matter?

April 12, 2018	#1
enchant Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 142	Cold good. Shock bad? I'm a great believer in giving plants the cold treatment, especially as we approach time to plant them in the ground. That's still a month away, but I'm sure it's always a good thing. Our thermostat goes down to 59F at night, and the temp is probably even lower where the seedlings live. That room is always a little chilly. They're doing fantastic this year, probably due to not using dime-store potting soil and I bought them a new brighter light. The weather has been fairly chilly for a while, but we're getting into a warming trend. The temperature is supposed to go up to 58 today, and I was thinking that a couple hours out on the back deck in the sunshine might be nice. But even though they've been in that temperature many times over the past couple of weeks, the temperature change is always gradual. If I bring them out today, it will be an instant 10 degree drop. Does the quick change in temperature matter?