Are you seedlings dying, leafs getting crispy? What happened?
Seedlings scald
For all the people that start their plants from seeds at home, this section is for you. Most of the time plants get sun scalded from improper hardening off. I have noticed this year it has taken several more days to harden off my seedlings. In the last blog hardening off seedlings, I explained my process of hardening off to prevent sunscald and stress on your baby seedlings.
If you see that the seedlings are starting to look sunburnt you should hold back the process and take it slower, maybe that means just keeping them under a shade cloth longer and slowly decreasing percent of shade cloth if you do not want to buy multiple shade cloths (which I do not), then you can do what I do and keep them under a shade tent during the hottest parts of the day. I simply put the tables out that I want to sit my plants on, and during the first part of the day, I put them out without the tent top. Then when the sun starts beating down I cover it with the tent canopy and come back out about 4 pm once the sun has started to cool and uncover it. Then if they are not ready to sit out overnight I bring them in around 7 pm (this all depends on the weather.)
This year I have has sun scald happen to my seedlings too, but don't worry if you catch it soon enough your plant can recover. I have lost my fair share of seedlings (sad but true).
Once you have planted out
What if you have hardened off your plants and they have been planted for several weeks, are you in the clear? Well, there are some times during the hottest times of summer when your plant's leaves and even the fruit can get sun-scald. There are steps to take to help prevent this from happening.
1. Avoid over pruning
2. Apply shade cloth.
3. Check for nutrient deficiencies and amend the soil as needed.
4. avoid getting the leaves wet. Bottom water when possible.
5. Try varieties that are not prone to sunscald, or have thicker foliage.
6. Remove any damaged fruit
Follow the sun
What I mean by following the sun is to observe the path the sun takes during each season. Then plant crops that are more sensitive to sun scald on the north side of taller plants that tolerate more direct sunlight. This process helps by casting shadows on the more tinder crops that tend to burn up in the hot sun
Ultimately the best practice is to be present in your garden daily and watch over your plants to see if they are in distress and tend to the problem as soon as you see signs of an issue.
Happy Gardening
~Nikki
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