Many home gardeners want to grow their own vegetable transplants rather than purchase plants from a commercial supplier. In order for homegrown plants to best survive the transplant process and their subsequent exposure to adverse conditions, they should be hardened first. Hardening is a treatment that limits growth by exposing plants to conditions that are less than optimum for growth. Protect Themselves Hardening can help protect plants from adverse conditions including varying temperatures, dryingwinds, bright sunlight, lack of soil moisture, physical injury from handling, and transplant shock. Certain vegetables such as cabbage and lettuce also gain greater resistance to frost or freezing temperatures from hardening.
Several changes occur in the plant during the hardening process.
One of these is an accumulation of the carbohydrates that are produced by photosynthesis. These stored carbohydrates are then readily available to the plant for growth of roots and foliage after transplanting. Proper hardening shortens the delay in the resumption of growth after transplanting, especially if environmental conditions are unfavorable. In order for carbohydrates to accumulate, the growth of the plants must be slowed. The following methods will slow plant growth.