What is the process of acclimating plants from indoor temperatures to an outdoor setting called?

The process of acclimating plants from indoor temperatures to an outdoor setting is known as hardening off. This procedure is crucial for ensuring that plants can adapt to the environmental changes they will encounter outside, such as fluctuating temperatures, increased sunlight, wind, and varying moisture levels.

During hardening off, plants are gradually introduced to outdoor conditions over a period of time, usually by placing them outside for a few hours each day and slowly increasing the duration. This acclimatization helps the plants develop resistance to stressors present in their new environment, such as lower humidity and higher light intensity.

In contrast, fertilizing involves applying nutrients to plants to support their growth, transplanting refers to moving a plant from one location to another (usually involving root disturbance), and rooting describes the process of establishing roots for new plants. These processes do not focus on acclimating plants to outdoor conditions, making hardening off the correct term for this specific adaptation process.