Hardening off: Gradually acclimating young plants grown indoors to outdoor conditions before transplanting them.
Think of hardening off as giving your seedlings a “boot camp” before they face the challenges of the real world. Seedlings started indoors are used to a cozy, protected environment. Suddenly exposing them to the harsh conditions of the outdoors – sun, wind, temperature fluctuations – can shock them and even kill them. Hardening off helps them adjust gradually.
For home gardeners, hardening off is a crucial step for successful transplanting. It usually involves gradually increasing the time the seedlings spend outdoors each day, starting with a couple of hours in a sheltered spot and gradually increasing their exposure over a week or two. This allows them to develop more rigid leaves, stronger stems, and a better ability to cope with the elements. Hardened off seedlings are much more likely to thrive once planted in the garden.
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