Once I start Harding off my tomato plants do I need to put them back under my grow lights when bring them back in... There 5 weeks old
Thanks
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rainbowgardener
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Depends on conditions. Telling us where you are located is always helpful. There are hardly any garden questions that can be discussed without regard to location/ climate.
If your plants are going to have to stay inside for several days, then yes, you should put them back under the lights. And then they will pretty much have to start from the beginning with hardening off.
If you are just bringing them in for the night, because the low temp dipped too low, then just get them back outside as soon as you can.
If your plants are going to have to stay inside for several days, then yes, you should put them back under the lights. And then they will pretty much have to start from the beginning with hardening off.
If you are just bringing them in for the night, because the low temp dipped too low, then just get them back outside as soon as you can.
Ok...Thanks....I live is Southwest Va.....Bristol....Right now the weather is calling for 70 and low 80's and nights in 50's upper 40's......
I thought when hardening them off that you start one hour at a time, first in shade and then gradually putting them into sun as the week of hardening continues....then put them in Garden after a week of conditioning them....
So if I take them out this afternoon for an hour, and then bring them back in for the remainder of the evening and night, and put them back under the grow lights.. I cut the grow lights off later around 9 or 10, I turn them on every morning around 6:30 and off around 9:00 or 10:00
Then second day leave them out for 2 hrs, and bring them back in and put them under the lights until around 9 or 10 and cut lights off until 6:30 the next morning....
3rd day, leave out for 3 hrs and introduce them to some Sun....then back in under the lights until 9 or 10
You see what I'm saying......THanks for any additional help
Creeks!
I thought when hardening them off that you start one hour at a time, first in shade and then gradually putting them into sun as the week of hardening continues....then put them in Garden after a week of conditioning them....
So if I take them out this afternoon for an hour, and then bring them back in for the remainder of the evening and night, and put them back under the grow lights.. I cut the grow lights off later around 9 or 10, I turn them on every morning around 6:30 and off around 9:00 or 10:00
Then second day leave them out for 2 hrs, and bring them back in and put them under the lights until around 9 or 10 and cut lights off until 6:30 the next morning....
3rd day, leave out for 3 hrs and introduce them to some Sun....then back in under the lights until 9 or 10
You see what I'm saying......THanks for any additional help
Creeks!
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Lindsaylew82
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I harden off on the front porch when the days are above 60. It gets morning sun until 10 am and then dappled sun until 2pm. I bring them in if the temps are looking like they'll be lower that 45. After a week of that, I move them to the back porch where they get pretty much full sun, what they'll get in the garden, until 5pm. Then they get to go in the garden!
I'm generally pretty terrible at starting seedlings in a timely manner, so night time temps are usually a non issue. The sun and heat are more of an issue here for us.
I'm generally pretty terrible at starting seedlings in a timely manner, so night time temps are usually a non issue. The sun and heat are more of an issue here for us.
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rainbowgardener
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yeah, I think you are making this harder than it needs to be. If your night time temperatures are staying in the upper 40's or especially if they are staying in the 50's, then you aren't worried about cold. You are just giving your tomato plants a chance to get used to hot sun and wind a little gradually. You don't need to bring them back indoors at all.
I do hardening just by increasing the amount of exposure, by location not time. Since until recently I had to go to work all day, I couldn't be messing with moving things around every couple hours. So I just brought the plants out and put them in a location with no direct sun and left them there. Only brought back in if it would be too cold or windy for them (wind is very hard on tender seedlings). After a couple days of that, moved them to a location with just a few hours of morning sun and left them there. If they are ok after a few days of that, moved them to a location with a few more hours of sun. So weather conditions cooperating within a week to ten days I would move them to their final location, but let them sit there for a day or two still in the pot, before planting.
I do hardening just by increasing the amount of exposure, by location not time. Since until recently I had to go to work all day, I couldn't be messing with moving things around every couple hours. So I just brought the plants out and put them in a location with no direct sun and left them there. Only brought back in if it would be too cold or windy for them (wind is very hard on tender seedlings). After a couple days of that, moved them to a location with just a few hours of morning sun and left them there. If they are ok after a few days of that, moved them to a location with a few more hours of sun. So weather conditions cooperating within a week to ten days I would move them to their final location, but let them sit there for a day or two still in the pot, before planting.