How to Harden Off Plants for Transplanting

2 minute(s) read Categories Urban gardening Flowers Planters and flower beds

Stronger plants

Whether bought from a greenhouse or started indoors from seed, your plants need to be gradually acclimatized to outdoor conditions before being transplanted.

Here are the 5 steps to success:

  1. Two or three weeks before transplanting, start acclimatizing your plants to outdoor conditions to ensure a smooth transition to your garden or flowerbed.

  2. The first few days, avoid direct sunlight. Place your plants outside, but sheltered from the sun.

  3. Then, on a daily basis, expose your plants to sunlight for 2 hours, gradually increasing exposure time while protecting your plants from the wind and cold.

  4. Also, during the acclimatization period, gradually reduce watering to reproduce, as much as possible, the actual conditions your plants will be exposed to.

  5. Check the recommended temperatures for your plants to avoid exposing them to excessive temperatures for no reason. That information can be found on the seed packet or online on the manufacturer's website.

Plants bought from garden centers have been grown in greenhouses and have not been acclimatized to outdoor conditions. It is the same with your seedlings, which you have grown indoors. Making your plants stronger will result in a more plentiful harvest!