The document discusses the process of hardening off plants, which involves gradually exposing seedlings to outdoor conditions like sunlight and wind prior to transplanting in order to strengthen their tissues and increase their ability to withstand unfavorable weather. Several methods of hardening are described, including placing plants outdoors for gradually longer periods, using cold frames, and withholding water from plants. The document also provides guidance on container gardening and growing plants in pots.

2. Plant Hardening

3. Hardening off
Any treatment that makes the tissues firm to
withstand unfavourable environment like:
• Low temperature and hot dry wind.

4. • Hardening is a physiological process in which plants
accumulate more carbohydrates reserves and produce
additional cuticle on the leaves
• Seedlings are given some artificial shocks at least 7-10
days before transplanting .these shocks includes
 Exposure to the full sunlight
 Removal of all the shedding nets, polythene sheets
 Irrigation is stopped slowly and slowly.

5. Approaches to hardening the plants:
1. Gradual longer periods of time outdoor.
2. Place in a cold frame.
3. Withholding water.

6. 1. Gradual longer periods of time outdoors
a) Begin 7-10 days before transplanting date.
b) Place plants in a sheltered, shady spot outdoors. Leave
them for 3-4 hours .
c) Gradually increase time spent outside by 1-2 hours per
day.
d) Bring plants back indoors each night.
e) After 2-3 days, move the plants into morning and return
them to shade in the noon.
f) After 7 days the plant should be able to stand and bear
sun for whole day and stay out at night.
g) After 7-10 days plants ready to transplant

7. 2. Placing in a cold frame
a) Begin 7-10days before your transplant date.
b) Indore grown plants can be moved and left in a cold
frame, for hardening off.
c) Turn off heating cables or open the cold frame cover
for gradually longer period of time.
d) Start with 3-4 hours and gradually increase the
exposure time by 1-2 hours per day.
e) Close the cover and resume heating at night , if
temperature drops below 4.4*C.
f) Plants should be ready to transplant in 7-10 days.

8. 3. Withholding water
a) Starting about 2 weeks before your transplant date,
don’t water your seedlings until they begin to show
sign of wilting.
b) At this point, water normally and again wait for them
to show symptoms of wilting again.
c) After 2 weeks of this process, seedlings are ready to
transplant.

9. Duration and degrees of hardening
• It is very necessary that plants should be hardened
according to their kind so that there is an assurance of
high percentage of survival at the time of transplanting.
• Hardening should be gradual to prevent the growth.
• Warm season crop like tomato, chillies do not favour
severe hardening.
• In Indian condition allowing the soil for 5-6 days does
the hardening.

10. Effects of Hardening
• Hardening improves the quality
• It modifies the nature of collides in plant cell enabling
them to resist the loss of water.
• Hardening increases the presence of dry matter in plants.
• Hardening decreases the percentage of freezable water
and transpiration per unit area of leaf.
• Decreases the rate of growth in plants.
• Hardened plant can withstand better against unfavourable
weather condition.
• Hardening of the plants increases the waxy covering on
the leaves of cabbage.

11. Cautions for Hardening plants
• Hardening is not necessary for all transplants.
• The exception of tomatoes, plants that are susceptible to
frost should not be hardened.
• Overly hardening plants while withstanding unfavourable
condition are slow to get started.
• Plants are hardened for no longer than 7-10 days before
transplanting to the main field.

14. Container gardening
• Def: It is the practice of growing plants, including
edible plants exclusively in containers instead of
planting them in the ground.
• Demand for these plants increasing day by day.

15. Advantages
• Container grown plants can be used indoor as well
as outdoor decoration
• These plants need very less place to grow
• Beautiful pot plants like many other fancy articles,
can be presented to the friends and loved ones.
• Such a plants are not frequently damaged during
packing and long distance transport.
• Most of the containers have higher durability
• Container grown plants need less plant protection
measures.

16. Types of containers
1. Clay pot
2. Plastic pot
3. Fibre pot
4. Polythene bag
5. Flats

17. 1. Clay pot
• Clay pots are mainly used for raising the
ornamental and fruit plants.
• Clay pots are porous in nature and permit the
frequent aeration and movement of water
• Clay pots are widely used in India

19. 2.Plastic pot
• These are now available in different shapes
and sizes like round and square etc…
• Advantages:
1. They are non porous
2. Light in weight
3. Reusable
4. Occupy less space in nursery
• However feasibility of their repeated use and
light weight make their handling very easy
during transportation.

21. 3.Fibre pot
• These are manufactured from the wood fibre
and peat
• Fibre pots are biodegradable in nature and can
be put into soil with the plants inside
• Widely used in advanced countries but rarely
in India.

23. 4.Polythene bag
• Recently polythene bags are now being increas
ingly used as pots
• It has replaced other containers and is widely
used by the growers and nursery men
• Advantages:
Comparatively cheaper, light in weight and
can be used again and again.
For raising of saplings, bag sizes are:
1. Fruit plants- 30x20cm
2. Ornamentals and vegetables- 10x5cm

25. 5.Flats
• Flats are usually shallow wood, plastic or metal
made trays with drainage holes at the bottom
• They are useful for germinating seeds or rooting of
cuttings
• Galvanised-iron made and plastic flats are available
in various sizes

27. Plants grown in a container
• Due to ever increase demand of pot grown plants,
the production of such plants has became a
profitable business.
1. Foliage plants
2. Ornamental shrubs
3. Bulbous plants

28. 1.Foliage plants
• Foliage plants are especially used for interior
decoration
• These plants valued only for their attractive
leaves
• Example: Anthurium,asparagus, Begonia, Coleus,
Dracaena, Philodendron, Syngonium.

30. 2.Ornamental shrubs
• Ornamental shrubs with colourful foliage and
flowers are grown successfully in pots.
• These can be placed in the gardens, lawns, roofs,
and in veranda.
• Example: Bougainvillea, Hibiscus, Ixora, Jasmine,
Nerium.

32. 3.Bulbous plants
• Potted plants can be placed in sunlight for few
hours a day to obtain flowers
• They need less care and attention than flowering
plants, but give better results.
• Example: Tuberose, Gerbera, Gladiolus.

34. Potting mixture
• For successful growing of plants in a container,
the potting mixture should be ideal for them.
• It should contain three types of materials in
equal proportions, such as
1. Sand
2. Soil: Light loamy soil is considered as ideal.
3. Humus

36. Potting
• Steps in potting:
1. Selection of clean and dry pot
2. Pot shred is placed over the drainage hole
3. Place a 2-3cm thick layer of river sand over it
4. Fill the 3/4th of the pot with this mixture and press
it by fingers
5. Scoop out some at the middle to place the plant
6. Now fill the rest portion of the pot and press it
7. Water the pot.

38. Feeding
• The potting compost should be enriched with
balanced plant nutrients for proper growth.
• First the top soil of the container is forked to
make it loose and the fertilizer mixture is applied.
• It is done once or twice a year.

40. Watering
• Container grown plants need frequent watering as
the pot compost dries quickly.
• During summer, the plants need watering everyday.
• During winter, watering must be done at the
interval of 7-10days.

42. Cultural operations
1. Hoeing and weeding
2. Mulching
3. Re-potting
4. Pruning
5. Stopping and disbudding

43. 1.Hoeing and weeding
• Hoeing is done to break up the compactness of
the surface soil.
• Weeding is done manually by hands.

45. 2.Mulching
• It conserve moisture and suppress the weed
growth
• Suitable materials are cow manure, compost,
leaf mould.
• It reduces the evaporation loss from the pot
• No forking is required after mulching.

47. 3.Re-potting
• Pot-bound plant becomes stunted as there is no
space available inside the container.
• Pot-bound plants need a immediate re-potting.
• Rainy season is the best time for this operation.

50. 4.Pruning
• Dried, diseased or pest affected shoot should be
pruned.
• The shoot that originate below the graft joint,
should be removed.
• In Chrysanthemum, emergence of water sucker is
a problem and it should be pruned immediately.

52. 5.Stopping and disbudding
1. Stopping:
• It Is an artificial means of checking the growth
of the apical growing shoot.
• Stopping is done by pinching the growing tip.
• It is done to improve the appearance of plants,
to make the plant bushy and spreading.
2.Disbudding:
• It is the removal of flower buds and leaf buds,
which are likely to form flower buds shortly
• Example: Chrysanthemum, Dahlia, Carnation.

54. Reference
• Nursery Raising by- S.N Das

55. Submitted to,
Nataraja A,
Department of Horticulture.
Submitted by,
Basavaraj G K,
ALH5013.