Keeping them inside longer...

Merediana · March 30, 2016

... or getting them out as soon as it is warm enough?

I'm not talking about planting them out because we are still 6 weeks away from our frost free date, but the next 2 weeks should get quite warm for april with lots of sun and 57-68°F over day and never below 44°F over night.

Should I start hardening off the plants? Should I leave them outside all day as soon as they can tolerate the sun? Should I bring them in at night?

Questions over questions... From what I've read in other online communities there seem to be lots of different opinions so I don't know what I should do. Some say keep them inside till it is even warmer outside or they'll slow down in growth and never recover from it, others say the plants will benefit from it...

My seedlings are now around 5 weeks old, some start developping their first buds.

Greatgardens · March 30, 2016

Do you have a cold frame? We are also about 5-6 weeks from frost-free (U.S. 5b). I always wait until around April 15th, then start adapting them. They go to the cold frame where they are sheltered from the wind (which is at least as damaging as the sun to tender plants (IMO)). I put loose-woven burlap over the top of the CF part day and gradually reduce the time covered until they are adapted. Then as the weather gets quite warm, I open the tops of the CF until they are getting almost full day sun. Works well for me.
-GG

seaeagle · March 30, 2016

Here is what I do and I know this is the right way to do it for me, not sure about everyone else, and I am talking about tomato plants but it applies to most plants.

I use to plant on April 15th every year here in VA. because by that time your plants are getting root bound and need to go somewhere.So I would plant them in the cold damp ground and watch for about a week or two and they would sit there in a state of shock, probably saying "why in the hell did you plant me out in this"? They didn't grow any.

The best thing to do is pot up to a four inch pot before they get root bound and wait two or three more weeks when the ground is good and warm the way they like it.

And even better is if you can put them in something like one of those cardboard coffee cans with the tin bottom.For the smaller seedlings like Eva Purple Ball you can use orange juice cans or those plastic cheese things will work too.When you plant just dig a hole, cut the bottom out, put dirt around the whole can, then just slip the can over the top.No transplant shock, good to go.

Of course if you plant 500 plants this would't work to good.

Just wanted to edit to say my plants don't stay under lights very long. They are outside as long as it is in the 40 degree F or above and are brought in every night.Yes I do lose a few but they were probably weak plants anyway.

imp · March 30, 2016

Texas is very different from Germany, heck, even the areas of Texas are very different from each other! What I did is after they got true leaves, in the flats, was to put them out in dappled shade at first on warm bright days.

They were safe from harsh winds but got some breezes. Then I moved them out to the sun, about 4 to 6 hours each day.

I started potting them up and would start over with the dappled shade for a day or two, then increased their time to the morning to about 1 to 2 o'clock sun here. The temps have been into the higher 70's and 80's, lows down to mostly 48's to 60's at night with a couple frost days . I covered for the frost nights, but all stayed out at that point.

Some are real little, some are bigger.

MMV for you, but I like to get them out into the world as soon as possible, then transplant when the ground is warm enough.

kath · March 30, 2016

Any time after mine sprout, if it's 50 degrees and sunny they spend the day outside and come back in at night for a few more hrs. under the lights, but they always get 8-10 hrs. of darkness each day. If I can keep myself from sowing seed too early and we have good weather, this means they are outside almost every day from the time they sprout and they're good and strong and ready to plant whenever the time looks good. This year I'm not sowing until 6 weeks before it should be time to plant outside.

Since your plants are already 5 weeks old, they'll need to be exposed to direct sun & wind gradually to avoid sun scald and wind damage. If you can rig up a protected area that will provide dappled shade and wind protection, the process won't take so long or require as much monitoring. Other than convenience, I don't see any benefits to leaving them out at night when the temps are in the 40s.

Transplants seem to get big very quickly after they're 4-5 weeks old. You'll probably need some pretty large pots to keep them from being too root bound at 11 weeks so keep an eye on the root balls periodically.

Cole_Robbie · March 30, 2016

Exposure to sunlight is very important if you want to grow a plant very big indoors. Try to make some sort of enclosure for them under plastic so they can get some sun on nice days. My early spring days that are warm often have horrible winds. The plastic is a wind-break as much as anything.

AlittleSalt · March 30, 2016

I agree with what has already been responded. I like to get my plants hardened off early.

If you have plants that are getting leggy, cool temperatures from the 40s to 60s can slow down their growth some.

Merediana · April 14, 2016

Thank you for all the answers. The last weeks were so stressful and the weather was really unpredictable so that I've just started putting them outside over day this monday.

Some of the tomatoes already start developping blossoms but it still is a month till plant out date. And yes I've been warned that I've started to early

The plants under my grow lights are very nice and compact, the other ones on the window do still look ok, I'm sure they'll be fine too....

March 30, 2016	#1
Merediana Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: germany Posts: 190	Keeping them inside longer... ... or getting them out as soon as it is warm enough? I'm not talking about planting them out because we are still 6 weeks away from our frost free date, but the next 2 weeks should get quite warm for april with lots of sun and 57-68°F over day and never below 44°F over night. Should I start hardening off the plants? Should I leave them outside all day as soon as they can tolerate the sun? Should I bring them in at night? Questions over questions... From what I've read in other online communities there seem to be lots of different opinions so I don't know what I should do. Some say keep them inside till it is even warmer outside or they'll slow down in growth and never recover from it, others say the plants will benefit from it... My seedlings are now around 5 weeks old, some start developping their first buds.

March 30, 2016	#3
seaeagle Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: virginia Posts: 743	Here is what I do and I know this is the right way to do it for me, not sure about everyone else, and I am talking about tomato plants but it applies to most plants. I use to plant on April 15th every year here in VA. because by that time your plants are getting root bound and need to go somewhere.So I would plant them in the cold damp ground and watch for about a week or two and they would sit there in a state of shock, probably saying "why in the hell did you plant me out in this"? They didn't grow any. The best thing to do is pot up to a four inch pot before they get root bound and wait two or three more weeks when the ground is good and warm the way they like it. And even better is if you can put them in something like one of those cardboard coffee cans with the tin bottom.For the smaller seedlings like Eva Purple Ball you can use orange juice cans or those plastic cheese things will work too.When you plant just dig a hole, cut the bottom out, put dirt around the whole can, then just slip the can over the top.No transplant shock, good to go. Of course if you plant 500 plants this would't work to good. Just wanted to edit to say my plants don't stay under lights very long. They are outside as long as it is in the 40 degree F or above and are brought in every night.Yes I do lose a few but they were probably weak plants anyway. Last edited by seaeagle; March 30, 2016 at 03:50 PM.

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March 30, 2016	#2
Greatgardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 1,124	Do you have a cold frame? We are also about 5-6 weeks from frost-free (U.S. 5b). I always wait until around April 15th, then start adapting them. They go to the cold frame where they are sheltered from the wind (which is at least as damaging as the sun to tender plants (IMO)). I put loose-woven burlap over the top of the CF part day and gradually reduce the time covered until they are adapted. Then as the weather gets quite warm, I open the tops of the CF until they are getting almost full day sun. Works well for me. -GG

March 30, 2016	#4
imp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Wichita Falls, Texas Posts: 4,832	Texas is very different from Germany, heck, even the areas of Texas are very different from each other! What I did is after they got true leaves, in the flats, was to put them out in dappled shade at first on warm bright days. They were safe from harsh winds but got some breezes. Then I moved them out to the sun, about 4 to 6 hours each day. I started potting them up and would start over with the dappled shade for a day or two, then increased their time to the morning to about 1 to 2 o'clock sun here. The temps have been into the higher 70's and 80's, lows down to mostly 48's to 60's at night with a couple frost days . I covered for the frost nights, but all stayed out at that point. Some are real little, some are bigger. MMV for you, but I like to get them out into the world as soon as possible, then transplant when the ground is warm enough.

March 30, 2016	#5
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	Any time after mine sprout, if it's 50 degrees and sunny they spend the day outside and come back in at night for a few more hrs. under the lights, but they always get 8-10 hrs. of darkness each day. If I can keep myself from sowing seed too early and we have good weather, this means they are outside almost every day from the time they sprout and they're good and strong and ready to plant whenever the time looks good. This year I'm not sowing until 6 weeks before it should be time to plant outside. Since your plants are already 5 weeks old, they'll need to be exposed to direct sun & wind gradually to avoid sun scald and wind damage. If you can rig up a protected area that will provide dappled shade and wind protection, the process won't take so long or require as much monitoring. Other than convenience, I don't see any benefits to leaving them out at night when the temps are in the 40s. Transplants seem to get big very quickly after they're 4-5 weeks old. You'll probably need some pretty large pots to keep them from being too root bound at 11 weeks so keep an eye on the root balls periodically.

March 30, 2016	#6
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Exposure to sunlight is very important if you want to grow a plant very big indoors. Try to make some sort of enclosure for them under plastic so they can get some sun on nice days. My early spring days that are warm often have horrible winds. The plastic is a wind-break as much as anything.

March 30, 2016	#7
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I agree with what has already been responded. I like to get my plants hardened off early. If you have plants that are getting leggy, cool temperatures from the 40s to 60s can slow down their growth some.

April 14, 2016	#8
Merediana Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: germany Posts: 190	Thank you for all the answers. The last weeks were so stressful and the weather was really unpredictable so that I've just started putting them outside over day this monday. Some of the tomatoes already start developping blossoms but it still is a month till plant out date. And yes I've been warned that I've started to early The plants under my grow lights are very nice and compact, the other ones on the window do still look ok, I'm sure they'll be fine too....