Gardeners may not be aware, but there is a best time to water plants, particularly during hot weather. There are several reasons that timing is important. The most obvious is to avoid evaporation, allowing the plant to access the moisture before the warm air removes it from the soil.
Selecting the best time of day to water your garden plants can also help prevent certain diseases. It can also minimise stress on your plants. There are other basic rules, such as avoiding overhead watering and, in certain cases, the type of water to use, depending upon the plant. But as an overarching concept, there is a best time to water outdoor plants for maximum effectiveness.
According to the gardening pros at Blooming Expert, the late afternoon or very early evening (between four and 6pm, while there’s still some brightness and warmth left in the air) is the “best time” of day to water garden plants.
They noted that giving plants a drink in the early evening is “better than letting them suffer irreversible damage until the next morning”.
During hot weather, the soil might dry out quite quickly, and plants might urgently require moisture to survive.
The goal here is that even overnight, the residual heat can enable some surface moisture to evaporate, and the plant’s immediate requirement for water can surpass the normal hazards.
For those watering their plants in the late evening, be mindful of watering more directly to the root zone rather than the leaves, as wet leaves become diseased leaves.
Taking to the Gardening Hints and Tips Facebook page, gardeners shared their thoughts on the best time to water plants – the majority opted for the evening. Shannon R-Lease said, “I do evenings. When the sun sets over the house. Between five and 5:30pm.
Margaret Collinsworth wrote: “I like to water in the evenings. It gives the plants overnight to drink.”
Shane Paul commented: “I do my plants in the evening, but lawn sprinklers are set to go off at 6am for 30 minutes. Shouldn’t leave a lawn damp overnight on purpose (obvs can’t help if it rained), can lead to more disease growth, and middle of the day, it just evaporates and can’t soak into the ground.”
Jack Pockl added: “Water in the evening – the plant and soil retain more moisture. Watering in the morning or afternoon allows the water to evaporate, so less water is held in the soil for the roots.”
The amount of water a plant needs will vary depending on the location, the variety of the plant, the soil, and other factors. For instance, most plants will get sufficient water with spring rains and only need watering during periods without rainfall. Then, when summer comes, they might need a lot of water depending on the temperatures.