Moving Pepper Plants Outdoors - Tips for Hardening Off Plants - Pepper Geek
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- čas přidán 1. 07. 2024
- In this video, we go through the process of hardening off pepper plants and transitioning them to the outdoors. This process is critical when starting peppers from seed indoors.
The outdoor elements can cause stress to tender plants, so the transition to the outdoors must be done gradually. We start hardening off our plants around 2-4 weeks before moving them outdoors permanently. From there, we slowly increase exposure to direct sunlight, wind and fluctuating temperatures.
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Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:43 - What is hardening off?
1:25 - When should you begin hardening off plants?
2:16 - Tips for moving pepper plants outside
4:12 - How to harden off pepper plants
6:00 - What happens if you rush it?
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Thanks for watching Pepper Geek :)
#growing #peppers #gardening #hardeningoff #plants - Jak na to + styl
Additional tip:
If you are unable to harden off, transplant them right after sunset when the next day or two are expected to be somewhat cool and cloudy.
exactly. i couldnt imagine taking an entire month to harden off a plant. to me thats why people are afraid to garden because some folks seem to make it more complicated and more time consuming than it really needs to be.
@@thatjerseyb When I first started growing, i'd never acclimate my plants from 100% indoors to 100% outdoors but they were fast growing plants and I always used the weather to my advantage. Nowadays I harden everything off because I am able to.
@@chiliwilliegrows7429 I hardened mine off in about 4-5 days. It was easier for me because outside temps were warmer than inside temps. I’m not saying don’t harden them off at all, I’m saying the people who do it for 10 minutes at a time and then take 4 weeks to get them outside aren’t doing the plants any favors. I know they are like babies, especially if you start them from seed, but they have to toughen up to be able to survive outdoors. Unless they are plants someone is going to put outside and bring indoors daily for the entire life cycle of that plant.
Omg thank you for including that celsius conversion! We thank you 🇨🇦❤
No problem 😊
Now I do not need to google the conversion :)
Netherlands agrees🤞
Lol, Canadians know farenheit...
@@clutchmadness I use Fahrenheit for nothing but cooking. All I know is that 212 is boiling, -40f is the same as -40f, and 451 isn't actually the real burning point of paper. Older Canadians use Fahrenheit, but millenials and zoomers less and less
Great video. Very important and useful!!
thank god that you exist,.... keep it going !!!
Great tips, thank you & happy growing!
Thanks, you too!
Just started hardening off my plants pleased to know a can take longer than a week still got cold weather here even if it is sunny.👍
Thanks for yet another awesome video! I have about 8 or 9 weeks left before my peppers get into the garden but we have a few days of 70's coming up so I'm planning to give them about 20 minutes of sun a day just to get them used to it before a full on hardening off process.
Middle Georgia. It’s warm! I’ve had mine outside for the daytime hours. They’re doing great!
Thanks again, pepper geeks!
Thanks for all the great info!
You bet!
Last night it got down to 38F and I forgot them outside on a shelf but sheltered. This morning the poor things were all limp and sad looking. But I brought them into my heated garage, turned the ol' 4ft fl tubes on and within two hours the were all standing at attention. It's been in the 50's to 70's day time highs but the nights still get frigid, especially if it's a clear night. Disaster averted. Going to be in the 50's next couple of days for the low so back out they go...so many trips in and out. Great video!
Thanks for another great information video.
You bet, thanks for watching!
Thank you, you are a superb teacher! 🌶
Thanks! Appreciate that :)
God Bless You 🥳
Your plants look beautiful. Mine are at first set of true leaves so not ready for hardening off yet but thanks for the good info. Your little tortie cat is beautiful as well😊
Thanks! She is a handful sometimes...but we love her :)
Very helpful videos. I just picked up some new pepper plants and hoping for a great harvest.
Awesome - they're pretty easy to maintain once they're established outdoors. Good luck!
@@PepperGeek thanks, I was able to get 2 Carolina reapers, 2 chocolate habanero, and a chocolate reaper scorpion cross. Cant wait till harvest time. 👍🏻🌶
Yea i do this methode good tips 💞
Love your videos, keep it up😇❤❤
Thank you! Will do :)
Hola from Tijuana love your videos
Hello 👋 glad you enjoy :)
Great advice! I made the mistake of going in to work after putting my plants outside on the first sunny day. Scorched! They outgrew it, but may be a little stunted this season. Folks, listen to Pepper Geek and don't make the same mistake as me!
Ooooops - not the end of the world though, hope they make a quick recovery :)
Very interesting the style's of nurturing seedlings. I actually have mine outside from the start of seeds to seedlings and transfer to larger beds later. Mine though start life under a veranda of our house
Very informative! Thank you! Could you also discuss the different illnesses and pests that pepper plants may experience? And if you could provide tips on how to prevent and treat them. Thanks!
We will definitely go over some pests and diseases to watch out for in a future video - thanks for watching!
Just wanted to let you know I followed your advice, and it was indeed sunscald on my reapers from putting outside too soon. Now they are fully recovered, and I already have peppers growing.
Awesome! Glad to hear they bounced back 👍🏻
I'm in Ontario and it's May 6th and it's still 49 f. I've been just opening balcony sliding door during day with fans on them
I recommend on my (sub-par) channel, hardening off temperatures 8°C and up, and as early as possible. The sooner you start peppers, the sooner you can harden throughout the spring on the random warm days. The sooner the plants get direct natural sun, the stronger and more productive it will be later in the season. 2-3 hours to start, building up an hour or two every couple of days
Not disagreeing with you on any point. Just my take here in zone 3 💨🌨️☀️🏜️🌦️🌨️❄️
Yep. Here in the South, as soon as it gets warm enough to go outside, the sun is still weak enough that you don't even have to harden them off. I'm talking like late February or early March though. It wasn't until recently that I even realized this was an issue in other parts of the country (world) except for tropicals like bananas that have to go out later.
You don't have to say it's a sub-par channel. It's just small
Despite going through this process many times before, I had several plants get significant sunscald just from one intensely sunny afternoon, even after they had been through other less intense days. It also seems to me some varieties are more sensitive to sun than others -- C. Chinense in particular, while I have never seen sunscald those with variegated or dark foliage, but maybe that was just the luck of the draw. Ironically I live in a forest, so normally I have too little sun, but until the big trees unfurl their leaves the sun can be plenty intense...
Peppering from seed for 20 years and use two things -early exposure and clouds / pool umbrellas. (I go about two weeks since this brings maximum growth.) Exposing pepper plants VERY early is preferable because these leaves are tougher. I set up umbrellas and follow the sun. I can start with 100% shade and air then expose 30 minutes, 1 hr, 2 hrs, etc My little pots sit in a pan with water at the first. When planting I shield the afternoon sun with mustard, sun flowers or shrubs. Even so I had sunscald this year on my ornamental peppers.
I like to start putting mine out when I water them, 60 deg. After they get use to some outdoors, and get strong stems, Cooler times of sun, morning best to get some sun on young plants. Gradually more sun and light sprinkle of water after stronger plants.
Awesome video! I just started this season, and you've helped a ton!
I live in a colder area in Canada, can you readjust plants back inside for the winter?
See the video from last fall about overwintering. It can be done with peppers, as they are tropical perennials (but not tomatoes, they are true annuals). My one bit of extra advice -- start small and start before the first frost is upon you so you can do it properly and be thorough about not bringing in pests.
Can you do a show about climatezone's and pepper-species suitable ??
I always move my peppers to a greenhouse without any hardening. Cold nights sometimes cause a bit of drooping and a couple of leaf drops at worst. Try to aim that first day is cloudy.
First off, I love your videos! I’ve learned so much from them! But you didn’t mention how long should you harden the plants before moving them outside?
Great informative videos in this series, wish I had seen them earlier 🤗. One of my pepper plants (poblano) has the reverse taco shell curling downward. Have you seen this happen and know the cause? Another pepper plant has big healthy dark green older leaves but I'm noticing the younger leaves from new nodes are growing out to be have green and half light yellow. Very strange occurrence! It's happening at all the new nodes and it's symmetrical (half yellow half green). Is this due to the lack of Nitrogen?
Wow. Wish i’d seen this video before transplanting my peppers today.
Did it in hot and sunlight and they drooped bad. Watered them but wondering if they will survive.
The look better already but hoping i havent damaged their production of peppers.
They should recover, just try to give some shade during mid-day and afternoon until they're stronger
How old or how many levea should a bell peper have before you start the hardening off process? Love your tortie as well! I have two they're the best ❤
Should I keep giving them LED light in between outside sessions?
I'm not sure if it depends on the type of pepper or what, but I definitely leave them out for more than 20 minutes starting off and have never had a problem. I usually take them out in late afternoon and bring them in before dark for 2 or 3 days. and then the 4th day i leave them out over night. and then they are outside for good unless we have a rogue freeze like we have coming up this week.
I am going to try this. I don’t have time to increase sun by 10 minutes every day for 2-4 weeks. Will do 1 hour increments for a week and see how it goes.
@@13chase2 i lucked out i guess when i did mine. the outside temps were the same as the inside temps so i left them under trees for a few hours the first day. the only thing i noticed taking them outside during the day was that they did try out quicker so i needed to water more often. and after 3 or 4 days i only brought them in at night if it was dipping into the 40s or if it was supposed to storm. they did get caught out in 1 hail storm, but i got them in the house as quick as anyone can get 20 5 gallon containers in the house and they were totally fine.
I have a cheap, plastic covered greenhouse. I take my peppers out the house, put them in there and leave them for about a week. Something about the plastic tames the sun and I leave the door open to get them used to some wind. After that week they go right in the ground with no problem.
What percentage of shade cloth do you recommend?
Hi Calvin, this may be a silly question, but, since just starting growing peppers, I’ve always assumed that, at some stage, it was necessary to move my plants from my grow room out into the big outdoors - hence the hardening process.
Is this a false assumption on my part? Could I simply allow the peppers to flower and fruit indoors?
It would certainly save a lot of hassle and I’d probably have produced hundreds, if not thousands of Jalapeños by now.
Instead, I’ve been diligently picking off thousands of buds whilst waiting for the weather to improve.
I have tried hardening a few but we’re going away for a week now and it occurred to me that it would be so much easier to harvest my remaining plants indoors when we get back.
Is this feasible?
I wish you posted this one week ago... :( I lost some leaves due to sunburn but I am optimistic, I think the plants will survive. They are already growing new leaves.
@living the dream Really? Here in south central Alaska the overnight temperature is hovering around 40°F. We’re hitting 60° today for the first time this spring. Zone 4.
Yikes, sorry to hear it. The plants are resilient though, I hope they bounce back!
I live in Romania, guys. And we had a few sunny days in a row here.
Can you do a video on pepper plant pot size? there seems to be some info out there that it will affect the size and yield of your plants.
Good timing :) Just uploaded this.
When bringing the plants back in from hardening off are you putting them back into your indoor tent? Wont that introduce the potential for outdoor pests inside? Thank you for the video!
Yes there is a risk, but we haven't yet run into issues. I think it would be more of a risk if the pests were in the dormancy stage of their life cycle, where they may be laying eggs, etc.
Hey - great tips here, thanks! I was curious though, since I live in NY and my pepper plants will definitely not be surviving the winter, if this hardening off process will need to be repeated for plants that have been overwintered indoors? I suspect so, but wondering if there are any tweaks to the process to keep in mind for more "mature" plants. Thanks again!
No problem, thanks for watching! As for overwintering, yes the plants will need to be hardened again when you move them back outdoors, I'd give them the same treatment as new plants, but they should take off quick once they are back out there.
@@PepperGeek Excellent, thanks!
My seedling leaves curled from about 1 hour of sunlight. Now I never put them under direct sunlight anymore.
Thank you for all your verry well made and informatives video ! Could you tell me which purple pepper plant do you grow (mn 6 on the right hand) ? They look so beautifull !
You’re welcome! There are a few varieties there - the original purple chinense variety is Pimenta de Neyde, but since it’s discovery the genes have been bred into many others. We also have pink tiger, purple reaper, black Betty red, and black panther growing (all dark foliage varieties)
Btw you can reference a specific moment by putting a time stamp like this - 6:00
@@PepperGeek Thank you very much for this quick and complete answer. I'm going to have a look to these different varieties. (and ok for the stamp, I didn't know :-) )
If i put the plants permanently in the greenhouse will it be ok?
Have you grown oaxaca pods.
Wish I saw this like 4 weeks ago
:/ if your plants are suffering, they should make a recovery
Thank you for your informative video. So I'm growing Cayenne and Jalapeño peppers. They are now turning red on the plant. I've noticed that they are all becoming wrinkled. Could it be disease related or pest damage or nutrient deficient and is it still edible. Thanking you. South Africa
Hmm, wrinkled peppers? The color change is totally normal, and if you don't pick them when ripe they may eventually start to dry out, especially the cayennes. I'd have to see a picture to be sure it wasn't something else other than over-ripening.
my leaves are turning pale green, I would say turning white, but its nothing like the sun scold, any ideas why I have them in a west-facing window
I have a question in this process do they go back up underneath the grow lights when they're back indoors for the same amount of time or do they not get any grow light time indoors
Good question. We put them back under lights, but for less time. The lights are on for decreasing amounts of time while they harden off
You can use a solacure UV light to slowly harden plants off indoors. That way they are ready for full sun and don't require hardening off outside. Cheap, easy, and saves time.
Hm interesting - we’ll be checking this out. Is it safe to be around?
@@PepperGeek They are very strong lights, I wouldn't recommend working under them for long periods. If you working around them use UVA/UVB glasses to protect your eyes. Solacure are the best UV lights you can buy for horticulture use, also used for show pigs, wood, and other uses. They are much safer as compared to UV-C like hospitals use (which are very dangerous). The solacure UV lamps also kill molds, mildew, and pests. You only need to run them a couple hours a day, but slowly work the plants up to that.
@@coloradodirtbike5930 Depending on where you live, sun may not be the only thing to worry about for hardening off. The very first consideration is cool night temperatures -- frosts or anything close to it. A second is wind/rain/hail etc. The third would be sun itself. I am in a forested setting, I really only encountered sunscald last year for the first time as I was putting plants out before the leaves are on the oaks, and didn't realize what it was at first -- prior to that there was enough shade by the time frosts were past I had never encountered it.
To be honest, I've often started hardening off peppers and tomatoes by exposing them to some morning temperatures in the high 30s (3-5C), and haven't seen problems with it as long as it's short-term. But sustained high temperatures below 60F (16C) will cause stunted growth and fruit for most peppers, even if fully acclimated; and temperatures below 30F (-1C) are often fatal. No need to push that envelope in the spring, keep them in pots and bring them back inside at night until you're sure warm weather is here to stay. Or course, if you're in a very hot sunny place then you have a whole different set of priorities and concerns.
@@davidniemi6553 I agree other factors to take into hand as well. Most people often refer to hardening off based on the sun intensity. Hail you can't really harden a plant off for, as hail can wipe out a whole field within minutes. Planting too early into the cool weather will kill or stunt most peppers as they are a warm weather tropical crop. Too strong of wind can cause wind burn or crack stalks and branches, but if you use a fan indoor with your plant's it helps to strengthen them. Silica also is great to promote strong sturdy growth, as well as increasing drought and heat resistance. A little blend of kelp/seaweed (natural growth hormones and minerals) epsom salt (magnesium) , and fulvic acid (chelator) used as a foliar onto the plants helps to bounce them out of heavy stress and give the plants a little extra boost of minerals which also boost your plants brix (sugar) levels helping to fight off pathogens, pest, and disease.
I have some lingering questions about hardening off. 1) to what degree does it involve just toughening up existing leaves, vs. growing whole new leaves that are accustomed to full sun? 2) If seedlings came up in full sun would even the very first leaves be sun-tolerant? 3) Are dark or variegated leaves more sunscald-resistant? Fish peppers, for example, seem to just mix in more white areas on their leaves when they are in more intense sun.
In our experience, you can definitely toughen up existing foliage. New foliage does tend to take on a different appearance (usually smaller, thicker foliage). Seedlings don’t like full sun, but can’t honestly say we’ve ever tried to start one in mid summer out in full sun. Dark foliage leaves definitely seem to harden off easier for us. They are always some of the first to take off and thrive after moving out. Variegated it’s hard to say but they will definitely do well in full sun
My bell pepper plant has always been outside, but it’s so big is hiding the sun from the other plants. Can I move it to the ground?
Yes something ate the leaves off of a few of my pepper plants. Took all the leaves as it was a small plant. Will the leaves grow back?
There is a possibility, depending on how strong the root system was at the time. We've seen plants come back from 0 leaves to a full, productive plant, so don't lose all hope! You may want to protect the plants with a fence or something to scare away bunnies/mice...
Do you need to harden off peppers that you've over wintered? Thus us my first year overwintering peppers?
Yes, I would still do some hardening off. The established roots should help the plant produce new foliage much more quickly though!
How does this vary with overwintered peppers? I overwintered 3 pepper plants last year, they are going great! Do they need to be hardened off? They already have very thick trucks (from last year).
Yes, still harden them. They will have adjusted to the indoors. Once they're used to the outside again, they should take off quick!
If I were to put my tray of pepper seedlings on a tray table up to an open window, would that count as hardening off too? Would the sun scaled the leaves in this open window example?
It depends how much direct sunlight the window gets, and if it is actually opened up. The glass in windows blocks most of the UV radiation.
I start mine outside
Or if you live in Melbourne Australia, you can have all of these conditions in one days 😂😂🇦🇺
😂
I was wondering whether my peppers need as much hardening off given that I've been growing them in a south-facing windowsill. They're indoors by our kitchen, but they have a permanent spot next to the kitchen window. I understand that they'll still need to acclimate to temperature fluctuations as well as wind. But, would this affect the hardening off process at all? Would I go about it in the same way as described in this video?
Most windows have a UV filter, so I would definitely still be cautious going into direct sunlight!
@@PepperGeek As a retired general contractor, I keep trying to tell people that myself. A south facing window only works if you live in an old house with single pane windows.
So I'm using a hoop house to help accommodate mine. Should I start with a sheet on top or something? I was thinking an overcast day. I'm kinda worried I work 12hrs maybe 2 or 3 days off. Not usually in a row. Any advice? I may need help I don't know
The hoop house has some sort of covering I assume? If not, then you'll have to shade the plants for a week or so before exposing to 12 hrs sunlight.
I have my pepper starts inside still. They germinated and popped through the soil several weeks ago. The seem to be growing extremely slowly, if at all. Im afraid they won't be big enough to plant when the time comes in a month or so. I still have them on the heat mat at night. Any tips? Thanks
How far have their leaves evolved? At some point I would try soil with more nutrients
Hi, I'm a beginner urban gardener and living in a tropical region. I have yet to dabble with peppers in a month but have been working on other plants since last quarter 2021. Although we have the luxury of starting outdoors right away, I find that I still have to go through the process of hardening off seedlings. They outright get burned here even if I keep it in a shaded area. Native varieties are a little hardier but they are still quite vulnerable if not supervised.
I noticed that you do the process in batches but I find that there are some individual plants that fair better than others. What if you find some plants struggling, do you set the whole batch back for the struggling ones to catch up or do you separate them into another batch? I tried separating but can be a lot to track of especially if you have other younger batches to harden off.
I am guessing your seedlings prefer it indoors because it is cooler, not because it is even darker than the shade. I can't imagine any sky at any latitude being bright enough to cook a chilli plant (at any stage in its career). I have a cunning plan if you're interested.
Is there any plant food that I can used to help with sun scalded leaves? Thanks.
Unfortunately not. Sun scald is damaged tissue, so there is no coming back from it. Just keep the roots happy with water and maybe a layer of mulch and shade the plants until they can handle full sun
How do the roots look on your plants when they are in the 3.5 inch pots? Are the ones in the video about to get a new home?(container)
Some of them could go into a new home now, but we will be keeping them in these pots until they go into the ground. The plants won’t get too much larger in these pots, but the stems will still grow stronger and the plant will be sturdier when they do go outside
@@PepperGeek so if the roots run out of room to grow downwards and outwards the plants will more than likely stop growing vertically? Depending on variety I'm sure but I was just curious. I tried to leave some in plastic cups as long as I could but they dropped leaves and started over. How can I keep them healthier longer in small containers?
Pretty much all of my Jalapeños got edema when I transplanted them, should I do anything different with them when hardening off?
Nope, get them out into the elements as soon as the daytime temps are warm enough, it will help with the edema!
@@PepperGeek Okay thanks, they seem to be doing better now, but they were looking rough for a minute 😬
Do I transplant my seedlings into a container after hardening off? Or do I harden off after transplanting?
You can transplant during the hardening process, it is unrelated - you should just try to get the timing right for both individually
Will definitely be ordering from Semillas La Palma next year, found your channel too late... awsome tips. Anyone know of a U.S. source for wild/species chilis? Have scoured the interwebs for galapagoense and lanceolatum ... sad I won't be able to try them this year.
Our galapagoense seeds did not germinate, so I can't recommend the supplier we used. We'll have to keep looking for another source for next year.
@@PepperGeek thanks... Yeah I'll just have to try next year as well. Happy to send seeds on if I can get it growing/fruiting
If for any reason you get your peppers hardened off and planting is delayed several weeks, would you have to start the hardening process over?
If you bring them back indoors and they continue to grow under lights, then I would do another transition period to be careful yep
What zone are you in Mr Pepper Geek? Just curious.
Zone 6a
What books do you recommend that are full of pepper growing info?
We are actually working on one of our own now (though it is not yet ready for sale). Sign up to get notified here: peppergeek.com/ebook
Can you (at least partially) harden plants off with some exposure to a very strong led grow lamp?
@Omnius Evermind. You cannot. The sun is hundreds of times stronger than any indoor light we have. Even on an overcast day, as he says, the light is beneficial to the plant.
is it possible that my 9w led light could be "sunscalding" my habanero plant? the plant is beautiful, but some leaves display some white marks that i cant match with anything else online other than sunscald. which is weird. idk...
Hm, a 9W light is fairly weak, so unless the leaves are almost touching the diodes, I would be surprised to see burns. We grew in an AeroGarden (20W light) and some leaves eventually touched the lights, and they did burn.
I have grow my seeds to plant in my vindow so they have getting direct sunlight from the start, should I still put them in the shade????
Windows usually have a UV-filter in the glass, so it's not the same through them as direct sunlight.
@@tankerpeti thanks 😊
What’s the min night temp for when you transplant your peppers? I’m still at-most 45f at night :( 70s during the day.
Thats pretty cold, especially with the wind chill. I personally wait until it is regularly in the high 50s*F at night.
I currently keep seedlings outside all day with evening shade and I bring them in at night to avoid the dip in temperature.
Solid advice
I have been growing my seedlings in a windowsill. They are used to a lot of sunlight. Do I still need to harden them for the temperature fluctuations and wind? The sun should not be an issue right?
Windows block most UV rays, so if the window is closed, you'll still have to harden off properly to avoid burns
@@PepperGeek Thanks for the answer, I moved everything back inside after an hour because it was sunny. I will go slowly. Appreciate the reply and all the nice content!
Do you have to harden them off if your taking them from inside to a greenhouse?
Depends on the transparency of the glass/plastic you’re using. Usually greenhouse lighting is less harsh but I’d still do some transitioning to be safe. Maybe test one or two plants without it to see how they hold up
I've been trying to harden off my pepper plants for about two weeks now, but for some reason, i see no progress. I started in a shaded area, then after a while i put them for few minutes in the sunlight. Started with short periods, of about 10-20 minutes, and then i try to gradually increase it with 10-20 minutes more per day. What always happens is that the leaves immediately starts hanging and becoming super soft after just a couple of minutes in the sunlight, despite having done this for two weeks. It seems like its not building up any protection, and there are no signs that the plants are becoming more and more resilient with the training. Could it be that im doing something wrong, or does it just need more time?
What about moving them into an outside greenhouse with a cover? I live on the 3rd floor in Westchester and it's a hike back and forth with over 20 plants....near 30! Thanks.
As long as the temperatures cooperate it should work out - just check in on them, especially early on during the beginning of the transition!
@@PepperGeek thanks again. I have some peppers from Turkey! Sweet and hot. The sweet grow very fast, the hots are like ours here in the US, take their time. Wish I could share. You are not far from me, I'm right across the border in NY.
Don't start hardening with mid day sun, use morning and evening as it is more filtered and lower UV, even 30 minutes at noon could damage soft indoor plants.
Be patient, I had all my seedlings getting nice and acclimated a month ago,(still quite small plants) got lazy and misjudged the forecast so I didn't bring them in at night. Bam sky cleared up just before dawn and got just the last lightest frost and killed every one. Could have just waited a few more days to be sure.
Two things I've found is that you want to have the seed trays in direct outdoor sun or under intense lights during emergence. (Some UV is best, most lamps don't have significant UV) That is the moment you see the soil start to bump up get that tray some direct sun, even just a few hours on a cool day, this seems to trigger a more robust much stockier seedling that doesn't need as much hardening later. Don't worry about cool temps as long as it is above freezing. Just an hour of direct sun a day will keep them hard if they had sun during emergence. UV is really the key here, more so than the light intensity, UV causes the damage and the plant must be triggered into its sunscreen mode.
A warm night/predawn and then going from a dark warm room directly out first thing in the morning (an hour after dawn when the temp is climbing) will also make a healthy plant. Studies on several species of bedding plants have shown that a negative temperature delta(day cooler than night) can reduce internode length and the main effect seems to hinge on the few hours pre and post dawn. (So the greenhouses should stay closed up until just at morning twilight and fully open all the vents.)
@MyTech i’ve been a gardener for years, using seeds rather than nursery plants. I have never once thought about putting the seed tray in the sun when I’m starting seeds. right now it is early February, I live in zone seven, and my plans are to begin starting seeds on or around February 15. You have inspired me to try what you recommend. I will watch for mild days and set them out in either early or late sunlight for an hour at a time. What you say makes sense.
@@libbyworkman1666 I can only speak for my location which is Puget Sound lowlands. USDA zone numbers are almost meaningless in the mountain and pacific timezones. Just too many local factors that matter more than the average winter low temperature.
@@mytech6779 I live in what is basically a very large bowl surrounded by mountains. The weather forecasters can almost be counted on to get it wrong. My son lives in Arizona where the forecasters brag about having 100% accuracy. My son says since the sun shines every day, how can they get it wrong?
Is there a difference between light through a window vs direct sunlight? I know some UV is filtered. My plants sit in a South facing window (with lights above) but not sure if this helps them with actual sunlight. I've been putting them in the sun on nice days for a couple of hours, but they are just now getting their first true leaves.
It depends on the glass, but generally a window plant doesn't get as much radiation as being outdoors. You also get less direct-hitting light through a window due to the walls surrounding the windowpane - probably does help to have some sun exposure however
@@PepperGeek thanks for the reply. First time growing peppers your channel has been very informative. Currently my free space to grow indoors is in my apartment windows until it warms up more to put them out onto the south balcony, so they're not going to be windowsill only plants!
One topic that would be interesting would be growing space constrained plants. Like if you use a smaller pot does it cap the plant size without killing it - your plant in a can seemed close but I wasn't sure if it would end up killing it before it fruited (even if fruit amount is less than big plant - iirc the can had one fruit but not sure it would survive beyond that).
@@Mgamerz my experience this year is that my seedlings are growing on the south side window also. I put a few outside and they did get scorched. So, my conclusion is that they need to be hardened even if they grow inside at a sunny location. 😊
@@milstringfellow6283 Thank you Mil!
In my latitude (one zone south of Pepper Geek) a south-facing window is a great transition between grow lights and the outdoors. However, a window is nothing like actually being outdoors in real sun and wind, just a stepping stone. You still need to follow hardening-off procedures after the window phase. (Being directly on a windowsill of an open window would be one step closer; I haven't had a chance to try that yet).
My ghost Peppers started to droop today day 5 brought them in 🤞
Seems like with my habaneros it doesn’t matter, I can just throw them out in the sun. My super hots are more temperamental and need to be babied a bit more.
Yep, I definitely see differences even within the same species. Some are super tough and others just get scorched.
If you have cats in your yard how would you keep them away from your plants?
Do you need to harden off overwintered plants?
Yes, though I’ve found it goes quicker than with young seedlings
Hello pepper Geek, Do you sell hot pepper seeds. If not were do you get your seeds? I love your channel.
Thanks, glad to have you watching! We do not sell seeds at this time, but hope to in the future. We have an article on some good spots to get seeds online: peppergeek.com/buy-pepper-seeds-online
Hello, how old is the pepper plant than you show us minute 7.21 Thanks in advance. Mine look same and it is eight weeks old, is it time to start hardening my seedling. Night time temperature are around 35 F and day time 55 F but next week temp will be going up.
At that time, the plant was about 6 weeks since planting the seed, or about 4.5 weeks from sprouting.
@@PepperGeek Thank you.
What kind of indoor light do you guys use?
We currently use a couple of units from Viparspectra (P1500 and XS1000)
@@PepperGeek oh thanks
i suppose it is not good to acclimate the 2 inch tall seeding with the seedling 1.5 inch pot....i know it is a silly question !!!!!????? Can i ?
I would be careful with tiny plants - if they get badly burned, they may not recover. I would go slow and start in full shade and work up to direct sunlight sloooowly.
@@PepperGeek i very much appreciated your reply. i will follow your instruction, thanks a million.
Under a shady tree works or the shady side of the house.
What if I started before I had any clue what I was doing and started seed in pots outside? Lol
If it is warm enough and the plants are alive just keep them going! They won't need hardening off if they have always been outdoors
What age are your plants when you start to harden them off?
For us they're usually about 5-6 weeks old.
How much wind is too much? It's always windy where I live.
You may just need to stake the plants early on to keep them upright. We have planted in very windy places and the plants eventually adjust with a bit of help
@@PepperGeek alright. Thank you. Your content helps me out immensely.
Rushed mine and they'll be leafless soon enough, just pure impatience. They might recover but who knows, putting down some more seeds this weekend just in case.
Hope they make a recovery - if the roots were well established you might get lucky!
@@PepperGeek they've both survived and have new growth!! Just trimmed the dead leaves/branches today but I'm so happy :D
@@PepperGeek Update, trimmed the leaves at the outer stems where they died properly. Both chillis have sprouted again!! Aaaand the lone chilli in the indoor tent is being climatised from tomorrow. Fan in the LED panel is rubbing again. Whole indoor setup is getting a clean and sanitise and back to the ol 420 ;)
Uh I begrudgingly watch darn weather lol
The only think I hate about all these garden channels is they come from a bias of living in a very warm climate location which brings different difficulties and issues then people may experience in other climates, some issues may be less in other area's or some may have issues they don't. It's important to learn about the complex array of issues you may experience in your zone imo.
Can you start from seed outdoors ?
You can as long as temperatures are high enough. We start inside for a number of reasons (check out our 'when to start pepper seeds' video)
its like you syncing your videos with me
Very true. I am doing the same as well.
:D