What's the best time of the day to water plants?
Question:day or night!
Answers:
Well, I have always heard, and also do:
Early morning - because during the heat of the day in the afternoon, the sun will just dry up every drop you put out before it has a chance to do anything beneficial to your plants, and at night time, you are taking a chance on them accumulating "mold" because the water just sits there "slowly sinking in"
In the morning.It gives them time to dry out before night. They don't like going to bed with wet feet.Bye
I water early morning between 7 and 8 but when I forget I do it after sun down.
watering in the morning allows time for soil to dry before sun gets too hot. also it keeps you from slugs and snails if it's dry
in the late afternoon towards nite. If u water them during the day u take the chance of killing them by burning them. plants are kinda like humans. ever been wet then sat out in the sun? u get burned.
Outdoor plants, early in the morning to give time to absorb the water before the sun comes out hot.
It depends on several factors. What kind of water delivery system do you have.
Early morning is generally considered the best time to conserve water with over head sprinkling systems. The wind is usually calm and the temperature is low so less water is lost to evaporation, more water will get to the plants costing you less and conserving water. This is best for this type of system.
If you water during the day when it is hot the plants will loose less water to evaporation so they will be less stressed. There has been crop research done showing mid-day irrigation has a higher yield per acre due to lowered water stress in high heat. This works best if you have drip or soaker hoses that deliver to the root zone. Over head sprinkling in a wind of more than 5 miles per hour distributes the water unevenly. If you have poor quality water, the mist which dries on leaves may deposit enough salt to injure them. Strong winds may carry the water away to neighbors' yards. Some water also is wasted by attempting to cover a square or rectangular area with a circular pattern. Many plants do not do well struck by lateral jets of water like impulse heads throw. Plants are adapted for rain that comes from above, evenly, not hitting one spot repeatedly for 20 minutes. Drip/soaker systems do not lose water to evaporation so the cost factor does not apply.
Midday is best for the plants but only if you use ground level delivery.
For established plantings, deep, infrequent watering is recommended. In most cases, an inch of water per week (rain plus irrigation) should be sufficient. Applying that inch of water in one deep watering will encourage deeper rooting, which leads to stronger, healthier plants. Watering once a week also fits well into most municipal water restrictions. Shallow, frequent watering, on the other hand, will lead to shallow root systems and high water loss through evaporation. With shallow watering, such as light frequent sprinkling, you actually end up wasting quite a bit of water and still don’t meet the needs of your plants.
The best time of day to water is early morning before the temperatures begin to rise. This gives the plants a good supply of water to face the heat of the day. Early morning also tends to be a time of lower winds and thus reduced evaporation. If watering cannot be done in the early morning, very late afternoon is also satisfactory. It is important to water early enough so that the leaves have time to dry before nightfall to avoid development of fungal diseases. If possible, choose watering methods that will not wet the leaves (such as soaker hoses) and thus allow for late evening watering.
There may be need to evaluate the device used for watering. While a lawn sprinkler may be a good method for the lawn, it may not be the best way to water a vegetable garden. Pick a watering device that matches the needs of your garden and the time you have available to water. Once a device is selected, know the correct way to use that device, in order to water efficiently.
Oscillating lawn sprinklers are the most common used devices for watering lawns. The drawback to them is that up to 50 percent of the water put out can be lost to evaporation or drift. Water may also be delivered unevenly to lawns, since more water is dispensed near the sprinkler. The sprinkler must be moved around to provide even watering over the entire lawn. You can measure the output of these sprinklers by putting out a straight-sided can and measuring the water that accumulates in it.
Root feeders have become popular for watering trees and shrubs. These can be useful devices, but the must be used properly. The roots that are active in water uptake are not found near the trunk, but rather out at the dripline and beyond. Therefore, the root feeder should be used away from the trunk to be effective. Many people put the root feeder too deeply into the soil. Most of the roots in a tree or shrub’s root system will be in the upper 12-18 inches of soil. The root feeder should be inserted so that water is delivered to that area.
Soaker hoses have also become very popular. They can be very effective devices for watering vegetable gardens and flowerbeds. Soaker hoses allow water to weep out gently over the entire length of the hose. The benefit to using these hoses is that the leaves are never wet, reducing the possibility of diseases. The water goes right to the root system where it is needed and very little is lost to evaporation. Soaker hoses must be left on for a length of time to water deeply. An inch of water penetrates about six inches in a clay soil. Let your hose run for a while, then dig down with a trowel to see how deep the water went. If it is less than six inches, the hose needs to run longer.
Hope this helps! good luck.
Morning, never at night, the water lays and rots the plants, and creates fungus. and never in the afternoon with a hot sun.
I have a lot of pots of annuals on my deck and used to always water in the morning. (Sometimes I still do.) I read last year that it was actually better to water them in the late afternoon. They will soak up the moisture they need and over night, they revive themselves for the next day. I'll water anytime I see plants wilting. They're telling me they need water and fast.
For plants in the ground, morning or late afternoon is best. You don't want to water at night. Many plants do not like wet leaves. Roses will get black spot. Soaker hoses work extremely well in preventing wet leaves and water evaporation. Covered with mulch, you won't even see it.
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