One of the first things you should know when deciding to care for a garden is that it needs water to thrive. Without this essential source of life, you won’t be able to successfully garden. We will present you the best time to water plants.
If you’re anything like me you’re really confused about the when’s and how’s of watering plants.
What seemed like logic to me when I first started gardening led to my plants either getting too much or too little water and after bidding farewell to some of my beloved plants, I decided to dig deeper into how to water plants correctly.
Confusion at first glance!
When I first started doing research regarding watering plants, I ended up confusing myself more than I was, to begin with! The amount of information, and might I add incorrect information, out there is extremely overwhelming.
To eliminate this confusion I’ve decided to list the main factors of watering a garden in one article for you. I will take you through them step-by-step and ensure that you finish this article off feeling like a plant watering pro.
Know Your Plants – Know Your Seasons
The first step in determining how, when and how much to water your plants is to know them. Each plant needs a different amount of water.
Year-round plants will also need different amounts of water during each different season and have a great chart to compare this always helps! I have a vegetable garden, so this chart was really helpful for me.
In general, watering in warmer seasons vs watering in colder ones differ like night and day. Just like us humans, plants tend to be thirstier during hotter days so you need to find an optimum time to water them so that they can hold back the most moisture.
I also found it crucial to water my plants daily during this warm season. If you want your garden to succeed – don’t shy away from this tip!
Potted plants usually need water 2 times weekly during warm seasons and veggies will need water 2 to 3 times weekly. Spreading these time frames out evenly will help you get the most out of watering your plants.
Early Bird or Night Owl?
Watering in the middle of the day is pretty much a waste. The best times are either early in the morning or late afternoons or evenings.
Depending on how your schedule looks, you can choose either one of these two options. Early evenings work best for me and also give me time to relieve some stress of a hard day’s work.
Watering in the early morning will give a chance for water to reach the deepest roots of plants before the sun rises and evaporates it all.
This also makes water available to plants throughout the day and having water in their roots helps them better deal with the harsh conditions of the sun. Many myths surround the idea of watering gardens in the morning, but luckily myths are all they are!
Watering in the evenings, on the other hand, allows the moisture to stay around longer due to temperatures that drop. This is what adds to me liking watering in the evenings.
I also found that most insects are attracted to dry leaves and having water droplets on the leaves during the night keeps them away from feeding.
However, you should never water your plants so late in the evenings that the leaves have no time to dry a little at all. Damp leaves can encourage fungus problems which are really harmful to especially vegetable plants.
To help those of you who never remember and always seem to forget, simply don’t have the time or can’t get yourself to get up early to water your plants, some great inventions have been made.
Although designed to care for your plants while you’re on vacation, this great product is also used by many as a self-watering tool when they don’t have the time to.
Soil
Another factor that I learned to take into consideration when watering my garden was the soil in which my plants were planted. The soil is much more important than you might think and know your soil can make a world’s difference.
Knowing how the soil in which you planted works, how much moisture it holds or repels, how fertile it is, etc. will all help you determine when the best time to water your plants is.
I found this item really useful in determining the moisture levels in the soil. Knowing how to check for this will help you determine how much to water your plants and when the best times of the day will be to do so.
All in all, watering plants is not an exact science. Many knowledgeable people disagree about when the best time is to water plants.
You need to look at your plants, your specific climate conditions and your time available to tend to your garden, although this last factor can be eliminated with some really helpful gadgets.
Whenever you choose to water your plants, you’ll find a ton of tips to assist you with doing it at the best for your chosen time slot. I hope we proved you the best time to water plants. And if you’re still struggling to figure it out, feel free to ask me for some help!