Do cold tolerant veggies, like brassicas need to be hardened off the same way that you would a tomato plant?
by K0K1LO
Do cold tolerant veggies, like brassicas need to be hardened off the same way that you would a tomato plant?
by K0K1LO
6 Comments
Yes, the sun is way more strong than any grow light you have. My tomatoes even get some burnt leaves from it in partial shade when hardening.
I’m no professional, so I’ll avoid the term hardening off as I don’t know whether or not it applies to all plants.
However, yes, all plants need to acclimate to a new and different environment. When environmental conditions such as root zone biology, VPD (the relationship between temp and humidity), or lighting (such as type and intensity) change drastically, plants will need time to adjust. A slow acclimation is less damaging, being forced into a fast acclimation can cause damage or death.
It’s all a spectrum, no pun intended, of how much acclimation one would need. If you have the world’s strongest indoor light that closely resembles the sun, then the plants won’t need as much of an acclimation when you go outside with it. If you have the world’s weakest light, you’ll need more time acclimating that plant to the environment. The other side of the applies as well. If you’re transplanting outside on a mild, early spring day vs a hot mid summer day, plants acclimation will be different.
Yes.
I’ve been hardening off brassicas since there more hardy and I left them out too long the other day and a couple leaves were scalded. Just harden off as usual to be safe.
For what it’s worth, it’s been a week and I left my brassicas and onions/leeks out over night last night (35 degrees this morning) and they were all fine…planting today. They’ve been out in 35-70 degree sunny days now at all hours throughout the process.
Yup, it’s more about the sun/UV and wind than it is about the temps only.
You should harden them off, but it’s pretty late in the season to plant them. I’m in zone 7A and have had my brassicas in the ground since early April.
Yes, the hardening off is more about the UV from the sun than just temperatures.
Just a suggestion, since everything wants to eat brassicas: protect them with a mesh. The younger and tender plants are more delicate than established plants, so you want to ensure no pests can reach them.