Properly acclimating new plants and trees helps avoid stress and provides them with the best start possible. Get your new transplants established smoothly.
Acclimate (ac·cli·mate): "To become accustomed to a new climate or to new conditions. Also to 'harden off' a plant."
Some plants and trees, like our potted berry plants and Stark® EZ Start® potted trees, are grown in the controlled environment of our greenhouses. When these plants ship to you, they may arrive leafed-out and already growing. This tender growth can be sensitive to things like direct sunlight and sudden changes in temperature, so acclimating them to their new environment will help provide the best start possible.
Things that may cause injury to tender new growth in transplants:
Depending on the characteristics of the variety you are planting, some species (like pawpaw trees) generally may not thrive in full sun. Prior to deciding on a plant or tree, check its sun requirements so that you can avoid damage that may be caused by planting in stressful conditions.
Characteristics, found on our product pages, include sun requirements:
How to Acclimate/Harden Off Plants and Trees
If your new plants or trees from Stark Bro’s arrive in a pot and already display tender leafy growth, then they were likely grown in our greenhouses. Here are a few steps we recommend you follow to acclimate these plants and trees (or harden them off) before planting outdoors:
Upon arrival, unbox your plants and trees, and keep them in the pots they arrived in. Place them in a sheltered, semi-shady spot outdoors – like on a back porch. After a day or so, move them to a sunnier spot. Water your plants upon arrival, but then allow the top of the soil to dry out – this also contributes to the hardening-off process.
Observe foliage - if signs of leaf injury appear prior to planting, move those plants or trees back into more filtered sunlight and an area protected from harsh winds. Air movement in outdoor conditions is equally important for hardening off the plant. Cool air helps harden the tender new growth but do bring plants back indoors at night if temperatures are expected to reach close to or below freezing.
After 2-3 daysof acclimating your plants and trees, and if the weather conditions are right, your new plants and trees are ready to be planted outdoors in a permanent location. Your new plants and trees should be able to manage conditions, as long as soil temperatures are expected to stay above 50ºF. For best results, try to plant on a cloudy day.
Please note: these aregeneralrecommendations. Your particular growing environment might require a slight variation on these guidelines since some plants can take more time (or less time) than others to harden off. Factors like the current year’s weather, individual plants, and your location may affect the process.If conditions outdoors are too harsh, keep potted plants near a sunny window, water them, and take care of like a houseplant. Then start the process of hardening off your plants.
When it's time to plant...
Proceed as you normally would:
Dig the planting hole so that it's wide/deep enough to accommodate the plant's root system with room to grow.
Remove the plant from the temporary shipping pot and loosen the roots so that they can spread out.
Prepare any soil additivesyou intend to use to amend the planting site.
Gently tamp out any air pockets as you cover the plant's roots with soil.
Water the plant well and apply a 2-3 inch layer of mulch to protect the root system and suppress weeds.
Now that you know about acclimating new plants and trees that may arrive leafed-out (not dormant) in the spring, you'll help get your new transplants established as smoothly as possible. Happy planting!
What to Do If You Can't Plant When Your Order Arrives It's not always possible to plant immediately when your order arrives. Here are some tips for how to delay planting your trees and plants.
The Best Time to Plant Gardeners often ask, "When is the best time to plant?" but most perennial plants and trees have no specific date. Here's how to tell when you can plant.
Place them in a sheltered, semi-shady spot outdoors – like on a back porch. After a day or so, move them to a sunnier spot. Water your plants upon arrival, but then allow the top of the soil to dry out – this also contributes to the hardening-off process.
Even if they're a plant that's low-light tolerant, placing them in a spot with bright, filtered sunlight will ease their transition into a fully-indoor space. After a couple weeks, place your plant where your original intention was and see how it fares.
Acclimating plants grown inside or in a greenhouse is called hardening off. Hardening off thickens the cuticle of their leaves to avoid access moisture loss and strengthens tender young plants.
People who spend a great deal of time outdoors become "outdoor acclimatized." These persons are affected less by heat or cold extremes because their bodies have adjusted to the outdoor environments. Acclimatization usually occurs over a period of about two weeks in healthy, normal persons.
When you initially place the plants outside, put them in a partial shade location with only a few hours of morning sun or afternoon sun for the first few days. Gradually increase the amount of direct sunlight they receive by moving the plants into full sun for a limited time, about 4-5 hours.
Upon arrival, unbox your plants and trees, and keep them in the pots they arrived in. Place them in a sheltered, semi-shady spot outdoors – like on a back porch. After a day or so, move them to a sunnier spot.
Be patient: If you treat your tree well, the tree should recover from shock and establish itself. It can take up to 3 years for a tree with transplant shock to fully recover.
Without gradual acclimation to natural sunlight, seedling leaves may become sunburned and discolored. If seedlings are planted outside before they are ready, they may not be strong enough to survive exposure to cold temperatures and drought.
To move plants indoors, Hillock said gardeners should follow these steps: Move plants to a shaded part of the yard for about a week.Next, move plants indoors for a day or two during the week, gradually leaving them in for longer periods of time. This helps the plants acclimate to lower natural light.
TRADITIONALLY: To harden off your seedlings you need to slowly introduce them to outdoor light levels. Put them outside for an hour and then bring them back in. Then the next day, put them out for 2 hours.
Given time, your body can adapt to the decrease in oxygen molecules at a specific altitude. This process is known as acclimatization and generally takes 1-3 days at that altitude.
Initially place in the shaded, sheltered location for two to three hours. Gradually increase the amount of sunlight the plants receive over the two-week period. The last day or two, the plants can spend 24 hours outside. Reduce the amount of water plants receive, but do not allow them to wilt.
To begin hardening off plants, move the seedling pots and trays outdoors to a sheltered section of your yard that receives dappled light. It's best to do this on a warm day when the sky is partially overcast. Allow the seedlings to rest outside for one hour before moving them back indoors under grow lights.
Excessive light is as harmful as too little.. When a plant gets too much direct light, the leaves become pale, sometimes burn, turn brown and die. Therefore, protect plants from too much direct sunlight during summer months.
To move plants indoors, Hillock said gardeners should follow these steps: Move plants to a shaded part of the yard for about a week.Next, move plants indoors for a day or two during the week, gradually leaving them in for longer periods of time. This helps the plants acclimate to lower natural light.
The term “established” refers to the point at which a newly planted tree, shrub, accent, or ground cover begins to produce new growth. New growth appears as fresh foliage or new stems. Typically, the root system of a shrub will be well established after one year. A tree will be well established after three years.
When to re-pot house plants? Most houseplants will need re-potted every 12-18 months (with the exceptions of succulents and cacti). You definitely want to avoid repotting a plant immediately after bringing it home from the plant shop.
Introduction: My name is Trent Wehner, I am a talented, brainy, zealous, light, funny, gleaming, attractive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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