Sun Scald

recruiterg · April 22, 2014

Will sun scald kill tender seedlings, or will they grow through it? I just set my plants out in the sun again after some time in my garage due to cold weather. I think they are showing some signs of sun scald.

KarenO · April 22, 2014

If it is not severe they should be ok. Do you have a pic? The whitish patches will crisp up but if it is not extensive your plants will survive with the damaged leaves. Indoor plants should never be placed in sun directly until after several days in a shady sheltered
Location when hardening off.
Karen

feldon30 · April 22, 2014

I recommend maintaining a mental note of how many minutes/hours of sunlight your seedlings have received and no more than double that from day-to-day. Also time of day matters. You can push it during early morning or late afternoon, but not mid-day as the sun is the most punishing at this point. The crazy weather this year is really holding me back on hardening off as I'm only up to 2 hours.

travis · April 22, 2014

I've found certain varieties and lines can take it better than others. This year I have raised 100% of my seedlings in the cab of my pickup on bad days and in the bed of the same truck on good days. They have never been under lights, and have spent most days fully exposed to whatever sunlight comes our way.

Lately the sunlight has been harsh and the skies cloudless for days on end with only a day or two of sprinkles or scattered storms every week or 10 days. Consequently, even a few of these well hardened seedlings have suffered a few sunburnt leaflets. Mostly it's the potato leaf lines, while the regular leaf lines seem to weather the harsh sun better. But even a few of the regular leafers are showing some sun stress.

But take heart. The newly emerging leaflets that come out on the harshest days weather the sun just fine. So, I will be trimming the burnt leaflets as time moves on. This same thing has happened in the past, and I did not notice any long term adverse effects.

By the way, a white linen bed sheet as a temporary canopy works great on bright days. I learned this sheltering tobacco slips in Carolina many years ago, although then we used loose weave muslin for a sun shade.

nnjjohn · April 22, 2014

A few of mine show signs of a little scorch but hopefully they look like they are doing fine. I started hardening about a week ago starting with cloudy day outside for a few hrs.. than four hrs on a cool sunny day..than the next the same half day in the sun..some started showing signs of scorching.. but i took them in and watching them more closely now.. i still put them out each day but not all day sun yet.. I can see them hardening..the stems look pretty good too. I have more than enough so far so good. Actullay only had a one pruden stem i accidentally bumped and snapped it while potting. i like the 16.0z party cups, from now on , that is what i'll use instead of the 3 and 4 oz dollar store potting cups

Doug9345 · April 23, 2014

I cooked 20 little Rutger seedlings in the back window of a car enough that all the leaves fell off. I babied the sticks for a week and 17 grew new leaves. I think they may be delayed a few days but that is all.

travis · April 23, 2014

Personally, I consider tomatoes to have the potential vigor and endurance of a weed, and I select by culling all types and individuals that do not live up to that potential.

Yeah, sun scorch may shock the little plants, and shock may affect long term full potential, but who knows to what degree.

Again, cull the weaklings (without remorse or grief), and go with the survivors!

nnjjohn · April 23, 2014

I agree, i will keep the ones that are twice the size of their brothers and sisters and feed the weak to the lions

April 22, 2014	#1
recruiterg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Edina, MN (Zone 4) Posts: 945	Sun Scald Will sun scald kill tender seedlings, or will they grow through it? I just set my plants out in the sun again after some time in my garage due to cold weather. I think they are showing some signs of sun scald.

April 22, 2014	#3
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	I recommend maintaining a mental note of how many minutes/hours of sunlight your seedlings have received and no more than double that from day-to-day. Also time of day matters. You can push it during early morning or late afternoon, but not mid-day as the sun is the most punishing at this point. The crazy weather this year is really holding me back on hardening off as I'm only up to 2 hours. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

April 22, 2014	#5
nnjjohn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: northern new jersey Posts: 683	A few of mine show signs of a little scorch but hopefully they look like they are doing fine. I started hardening about a week ago starting with cloudy day outside for a few hrs.. than four hrs on a cool sunny day..than the next the same half day in the sun..some started showing signs of scorching.. but i took them in and watching them more closely now.. i still put them out each day but not all day sun yet.. I can see them hardening..the stems look pretty good too. I have more than enough so far so good. Actullay only had a one pruden stem i accidentally bumped and snapped it while potting. i like the 16.0z party cups, from now on , that is what i'll use instead of the 3 and 4 oz dollar store potting cups __________________ john

April 23, 2014	#6
Doug9345 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Durhamville,NY Posts: 2,706	I cooked 20 little Rutger seedlings in the back window of a car enough that all the leaves fell off. I babied the sticks for a week and 17 grew new leaves. I think they may be delayed a few days but that is all. Last edited by Doug9345; April 23, 2014 at 11:31 PM.

April 23, 2014	#8
nnjjohn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: northern new jersey Posts: 683	I agree, i will keep the ones that are twice the size of their brothers and sisters and feed the weak to the lions __________________ john

April 22, 2014	#2
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,922	If it is not severe they should be ok. Do you have a pic? The whitish patches will crisp up but if it is not extensive your plants will survive with the damaged leaves. Indoor plants should never be placed in sun directly until after several days in a shady sheltered Location when hardening off. Karen

April 22, 2014	#4
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	I've found certain varieties and lines can take it better than others. This year I have raised 100% of my seedlings in the cab of my pickup on bad days and in the bed of the same truck on good days. They have never been under lights, and have spent most days fully exposed to whatever sunlight comes our way. Lately the sunlight has been harsh and the skies cloudless for days on end with only a day or two of sprinkles or scattered storms every week or 10 days. Consequently, even a few of these well hardened seedlings have suffered a few sunburnt leaflets. Mostly it's the potato leaf lines, while the regular leaf lines seem to weather the harsh sun better. But even a few of the regular leafers are showing some sun stress. But take heart. The newly emerging leaflets that come out on the harshest days weather the sun just fine. So, I will be trimming the burnt leaflets as time moves on. This same thing has happened in the past, and I did not notice any long term adverse effects. By the way, a white linen bed sheet as a temporary canopy works great on bright days. I learned this sheltering tobacco slips in Carolina many years ago, although then we used loose weave muslin for a sun shade.