• Ask Mark
    • Search the Library
    • Mark’s Blog
    • eNewsletter / Subscribe
    • Books
    • Links
  • Cullen’s Foods
  • Trees For Life
  • Events
    • Gardening Communities
  • About Mark
    • Mark and Ben’s Bio
    • Book Mark as a Speaker
    • Mark in the Media
    • Contact Us
May 13, 2015

Hardening Off

If you’ve resisted the urge to put your plants in the ground, good for you! The weekend for planting is upon us but I know with the warm weather we’ve been having, there has been temptation to buy and plant early.

Even with the long weekend just around the corner, there are still some things you need to do before you leave your seedlings outdoors for good.

Why?
The process of hardening off is fairly simple and we’ll get to that in a minute. The reason behind it, though, is something you should understand so here goes.

From the time your plants were seeds, they were incubated and nurtured in the comforts of a greenhouse. The air was warm, there was water all the time, and there was no wind to speak of. The conditions were, one could say, perfect. That is, perfect until that little seedling must venture forth into the unpredictably harsh reality of the real world. Sort of like kids…
DSC_0409

Hardening off prepares your plants for survival. The 5 day process builds stem, leaf, and root strength, allowing your plant to handle almost anything nature can throw at it.

The Process
You may have had your plants home for a while, bringing them indoors overnight or leaving them out of the elements in some other way. The hardening off process exposes them to the elements slowly so as not to overwhelm them.

There are many places you can go online to find this process but I have found that most of them assume either you don’t work/work from home or can rush home to move your plants around the yard throughout the day.

For those who spend their days away from home, here’s a simple guide.

Day 1: Early in the morning, water your plant well and leave in a shady spot for the day. Bring the plant indoors for the evening and overnight.

Day 2: If your plant dried out the after the first day, water it well again and place outdoors where it will receive morning sun but afternoon shade. Bring indoors for the evening and overnight.

Day 3: Water well. Place your plant in a spot where it will get some morning sun and a little bit of wind. Leave out overnight if the temperatures are going to be above 10°C.

Day 4: Water well and place in a spot where it will get the sun the plant tag calls for (part-sun/full sun, etc). Your plant will wilt but don’t panic and avoid the temptation to water. Leave out overnight.

Day 5: Water well in the early morning and let the water soak throughout the container. With wet soil, your plant is now ready to be transplanted to the garden.

Once planted, water deeply to encourage downward root growth. If you constantly provide only a small amount of water, your plants will search no further than they need to for a drink. This can be dangerous when the hot, dry month summer months roll around. Deep roots create drought tolerant plants.

Prepare your plants for the Canadian summer with a little prep work. It may delay your planting by a day or two but you (and your plants) will be glad you waited.

DSC_0294

← Previous post
Gentle Reminders

Next post →
Transplanting Tips

Search

Recent Posts

  • Signs of Spring March 27, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week February 2, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week January 11, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week December 9, 2020

Mark’s Blog by Month

Ask Mark

  • eNewsletter
  • Radio/Podcast
  • Magazine article
  • Newspaper column
  • TV

Recent Tweets

Mark Cullen Follow

Best selling Canadian gardening author as seen on TV, radio, online and print.

MarkCullen4
2 Mar

Was a pleasure visiting with our #tree loving friends @TonyDiGiovanni1 and @MarkCullen4 today @vinelandrsrch!

Reply on Twitter 1631375315615318018 Retweet on Twitter 1631375315615318018 1 Like on Twitter 1631375315615318018 10 Twitter 1631375315615318018
19 Feb

Increase biodiversity in your yard with these tips from Mark and Ben Cullen. @MarkCullen4

http://ow.ly/u2sE50MVwTA

Reply on Twitter 1627294471200116736 Retweet on Twitter 1627294471200116736 1 Like on Twitter 1627294471200116736 4 Twitter 1627294471200116736
10 Feb

Excited to meet with Mark Cullen and Tony DiGiovanni today to learn more about the Trees for Life Program and how Less Mess can help!

Reply on Twitter 1624161096243240976 Retweet on Twitter 1624161096243240976 4 Like on Twitter 1624161096243240976 6 Twitter 1624161096243240976
12 Jan

This was a great way to start the new year. Congratulations, Landscape Ontario, on this milestone! Thanks to all who made it happen. We’re looking forward to the next one.

#TreesForLife #Congress #LOCongress #ClimateAction #GoGreen #HOHTC

Reply on Twitter 1613670790612017153 Retweet on Twitter 1613670790612017153 5 Like on Twitter 1613670790612017153 5 Twitter 1613670790612017153

Comments are closed.

About Mark and Ben


Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, author & broadcaster and holds the Order of Canada. His son Ben is a fourth-generation urban gardener and graduate of Guelph and Dalhousie University.
More

Find Mark On

Sponsored Links

Highway of Heroes cullensfoods Share Agriculture Foundation Harrowsmith
© Mark Cullen. Go to top ↑