Best Practices When Transplanting – Ag Matters

There's more to transplanting your seedlings or recently purchased plants than just sticking them outdoors.  The Master Gardeners at Cornell Cooperative Extension suggest making it a gradual transition.

Tulips, daffodils and other spring flowers are popping up all over. This may motivate you to buy and plant those wonderful annuals being displayed everywhere you look. But….hold on. Those seedlings that you’ve purchased (or started from seed) need to be acclimated slowly to the outdoors. This process is called hardening off. Here are some tips:

• Hardening off requires gradual introduction to outdoor conditions. Keep your seedlings in their containers or trays so they are easy to move in and out.
• Identify a protected outside location. This location should be shaded to protect the seedlings from intense sunlight. The location should also protect the seedlings from wind and heavy rain.
• Leave your seedlings in this location for an hour the first day, adding an additional hour each day. By the end of the week, your seedlings should be ready to transplant.
• During this time, keep your seedlings moist since outside conditions can often dry them out.

If you have already planted those annuals, protect them whenever the weather report calls for temperatures near freezing.

For more information contact Cornell Cooperative Extension Oneida County’s Horticulture Hot Line Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00am to 12:00pm at 736-3394.

SOURCE: Cornell Cooperative Extension