what's your hardening off procedure for seedlings?

[DiscoStu]

i'm gradually introducing some 2.5 month old seedlings to the air + brighter sun, by taking the lid off for about 1 hour a day and putting them in as bright (window) sun as i think they can handle, they've not died but i don't think they like the sun as some are a bit brown on top, but they'll get used to it i guess

what's your hardening off procedure for seedlings?

[Jox]

Hi bot6,

My seedlings start there life under a 90watt MH light in a humidity chamber, after the seeds have germinated & there roots take hold (about 3 to 6 weeks) I top dress the containers with gravel/coarse sand & take the lid of the chamber, I continue to leave them under the light for another 4-6 weeks (with lid off) & water as required. After this stage they get moved into a green house with 50/50 clothe. I find leaving them under the light with lid off for that extra time really helps reduce the stress of the green house. I found that if I moved seedling strait from a humidity chamber under lights to an out of the humidity chamber greenhouse set up it has stressed my seedling causing them to redden up & stall growth.

Good luck with your seedlings.

Cheers

Jox

[modern.shaman]

I germinate outside in a humidity chamber in the shade so they get temp fluxuation which leads to awesome germination rates as long as they don't get too much sun. I tend to 'air-out' the container once a day or 2 since I like to look at my seedlings but I can leave them as long as I want covered and I only mist when it seems to have lost some moisture. Once my seedlings reach 3 months (tiny seedlings like aztekium I will keep in high humidity for 6 months to a year) I remove the cover completely in one day but keep the light levels low (I have high humidity year round in my area) After a few months I slowly increase light level and tend to have my seedlings in full sun within the first year of germination. The seedlings do stall for a week or 2 at each step however they tend to grow fast after they are acclimated to the new conditions. I perfer to do this all early on since I will have to worry less as time goes on due to them already being hardened off to their 'adult' conditions.

[Optimystic]

i've done it a little different with each sew and each way has been okay... ranging between 2.5 - 5 months.. this last batch has been in the humidity (baggy method) for almost 4 months but thats because the only other option for them in winter is to be in dry air conditoned air. if it was a part of the season where it was raining alot and humid i'd take it off sooner... this last batch has actually grown better than all my other sews (trichos) but I attribute that to very fresh seeds (Zellys) and slow release ferts in a coir based soil mix with sand... some plants I sewed 10/31/13 and 11/11/13 have caught up in size with other seedlings that were sewn months earlier... the neat thing about this sew was that when they were about 2 months old, I was under circumstances where they got neglected for 3 straight weeks and when I got back they were so huge I hardly recognized them...

so basically I take the humidity bag *(or once I used a dome) between 2.5 to 4.5 months in age, just depending on what conditions

they are moving into... if its dry when Im removing it then im misting them at nights more often but either way I mist them a little

and I make sure they don't dry out really quick cause the soil begins to dry out quicker once they get regular flowing air and

sunlight.. I don't use drainage holes in the soup bowls, which is okay so long as you are ez on the water, the point being to

keep the soil always moist but never soggy... i've only had to pour out excess water a couple times lol I find that watching

the soil moisture during the time of acclimation, and light misting is a huge key to keeping them perky ... its less work than

it sounds but the first couple times its seems like alot of work but now its an ez routine cause I have more confidence in the

boogers

I prefer to have them outdoors in a shady spot before 6 months.. it gets hot here in the summer so even in shade they have to be watered alot ... its nice when its timed right so they're ready to go outdoors in the spring and get used to the warming temps more

gradually I suppose...

alot

Edited February 28, 2014 by Spine Collector