DO NOT OVER WATER SEEDLINGS! Harden off plants gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions. I'm hardening off some seedling to plant out soon, but it is still way too soon for the melons so they are just along for the ride! For most plants, start hardening off about a week before the final frost date for your area. B. Take my little ones outdoors under a protected/covered area for a couple of hours to start a 7 to 14 day hardening off process. Through your own experimentation in your specific zone you'll come up with your personal technique for hardening off seedlings, but until then here's what I do: 1. Hardening Off. HARDENING OFF IS KEY . This is one of the down sides of a multi pot. Begin Hardening Off Your Plants in a Sheltered Location: About a week or two before your transplant date, place your plants outdoors in a protected spot for a few hours on the first day. Steps to Harden Off Your Transplants: 1. Hardening also means getting plants that started indoors used to the heat and humidity of the outdoors. Hardening off should take a minimum of a week and may take up to two. Suddenly moving plants from a stable environment to one with wide variations in temperature, light and wind can seriously weaken plants. On day 1, set your seedlings in a shady, wind-free area outdoors for about 2-3 hours. After 5–7 days of hardening off, the seedlings will be ready to be transplanted to their final growing position. If you’re planting directly into the ground so that your plants’ root mass is covered by soil, this is the best way to protect your roots. A loose soil enriched with moderate amounts of organic matter or fertilizer to supply nutrients is best. DIRECT SOWING Turn over garden soil with spade or fork. “Hardening off” is a process where you slowly adjust your plants to life outdoors. Transplanting. Damping off occurs in many types of soil and in various climates. Suddenly moving plants from a stable environment to one with wide variations in temperature, light and wind can seriously weaken plants. Over the next few days, gradually increase the time outdoors by a 1-2 hours. Hardening off should take a minimum of a week and may take up to two. This can be reduced by: hardening off seedlings gradually; watering the plants … When a seedling is planted in a new growing position it experiences transplant shock. I should put them in their own pots - they are getting big enough. The amount of damage to seedlings depends on the particular fungus, soil moisture and temperature. Typically, germinating seeds are killed by the damping-off fungus prior to emerging from the ground, and older, more established plants are seldom affected. ”Harden off” your seeds before you transplant them outside. I like to situate my seedlings on a patio table under an umbrella to shade them from the sun and shelter from rain. 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