What is the Worst Time to Water Plants and the Best?

Suyash is a Master Gardener and the Editorial and Strategy Director at BalconyGardenWeb.com. With a focus on houseplant care, he combines over a decade of hands-on horticultural experience with editorial expertise to guide and educate plant enthusiasts.
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Watering plants is essential, but it is more important to know What is the Worst Time to Water Plants and the Best?

Watering plants at unsuitable or bad times of the day can lead to problems. On the other hand, if you water plants at the best times of the day, they will thrive in all their glory and exhibit healthy foliage. Keep reading about What is the Worst Time to Water Plants and The Best.

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The Worst Time to Water plants

The Worst Time to Water plants

Evening

The worst time to water plants is considered late in the evening. Since the lawn will stay wet throughout the night, the plants will be more susceptible to diseases.

If you water plants using a pipe or sprinkler, the foliage will stay wet for longer. While watering plants, one rule to always follow is to ensure that the foliage dries before nightfall.

However, if you have no other time to water plants but the evening, it would be best to utilize a drip irrigation system. A drip irrigation system delivers water directly to the roots in a slow and controlled manner.

Watering away from the foliage, a drip irrigation system eliminates the challenge of evaporation during the night. Drip irrigation is an excellent method as it reduces water loss by up to 60% compared to other watering methods.

Rather, Learn 10 Things in the Evening to Have a Best Garden Here

Midday

Midday is not considered the worst time to water plants, but it is certainly not the best. Watering plants at midday is a bad idea as the higher temperatures and the sun quickly evaporate the water.

Midday hours from 12:00 AM to 3:00 PM owe to the excessive evaporation due to the sunny day and windy conditions. Additionally, if there are strong winds, they may spill water onto the driveway, the walls, the patio, and other areas if a sprinkler is used.

A fact that You Must Know: Water droplets resting on plant foliage act like magnifying glasses and will burn the plant leaves in the sun.

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The Best Time to Water Plants

The Best Time to Water Plants
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Morning

Early mornings, when the wind is calm, and the temperature is low, is the best time to water plants. It also results in less evaporation.

When talking about early mornings, the best time to water plants and the garden is 5:00 AM and 10:00 AM using a good sprinkler, garden hose, or a device that wets the foliage.

The foliage quickly dries during or after these times, guarding against fungal diseases such as anthracnose, leaf spots, rust, wilting, coils, root rot, and mildew.

Check out 23 Types of Morning Glory Flowers here


The Best Time to Water Indoor Plants

The Best Time to Water Indoor Plants

When watering indoor plants, the factors such as sunlight and wind take a back seat. Morning is considered the best time to water indoor plants as well.

Watering indoor plants depend more on the type of plant than the part of the day. For example, philodendrons may require regular watering, whereas succulents may require less water and dry spells.

When watering indoor plants, you can also water them at midday, as long as they do not sit in direct sunlight, to avoid the evaporation of water.

Simply follow this rule – water plants in the morning when the topsoil feels a little dry to the touch. Also, make sure you are following the bottom watering method to ensure you don’t make the foliage wet. 

Check out the Best Flowers You Can Grow Indoors All Winter Here

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