Home garden - Time to water your plants

 Best time of day to water your plants

There is an art to watering your garden. If you know the best times to water outdoor plants and tricks to water them more efficiently, you'll have happier plants. Even if you live in a rainy place like New Orleans or Seattle, you need to water your garden plants at least once in a while. Every summer there are dry, hot days between the rains. That's when your plants need extra moisture to thrive. Water is too precious to waste, so here's what you need to know about how and when to water your plants

When is the best time to water plants?

The best time to water outdoor plants is in the morning when temperatures are usually more relaxed. This gives the plants time to absorb water to get through the long, hot day. The second best time is late afternoon or evening. Try watering at night. Watering at night is not ideal because the leaves of your plants cannot dry as quickly as at other times of the day. Wet leaves are more susceptible to disease.

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That means watering your plants as soon as you notice them wilting. A wilted plant equals a stressed plant that needs immediate help. For example, if your tomato plants are wilting when you get home from work in the evening, don't wait until morning to water them. Go ahead and water immediately, but keep the leaves as dry as possible. Try not to let your plants wilt again. Repeated wilting can weaken and damage plants, making them less able to withstand other challenges such as heat and pests.

Test Garden Tip: If getting up at 6 a.m. to water your plants isn't your speed, install drip irrigation or soaker hoses. You can set them to run on a timer and they will deliver water directly to the soil, not the leaves. This makes your water travel farther because it reduces evaporation. This helps keep your plants healthy by keeping water away from the leaves.

How much water do plants need?

A rule of thumb for a vegetable garden or raised bed is one inch of water per week. That's about 60 gallons of water for every 100 square feet of garden. By installing a rain gauge or checking local weather information, you can track your rainfall to see if Mother Nature has given you weekly inches of rain. Or you can measure the old-fashioned way: take off your gardening gloves and stick your finger in the soil. If the dirt feels dry two inches below the surface, you need to water.

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Test Garden Tip: Mulch slows evaporation, so your soil stays moist longer. A two-inch layer of mulch on top of your soil means you need to water less.

Best watering tips.

Many common fungal and bacterial plant diseases spread rapidly in wet conditions. You can't help when the rain drenches your plants, but you can minimize disease by keeping the leaves as dry as possible when you water. The best way to give your plants a drink is to put water in the soil near the base of the plant with a hose or watering can. Do not pour water from above the plants. And don't use overhead sprinklers. When delivering soil through a sprinkler, not much water reaches the soil, and completely wet leaves can cause problems.

Aim for slow, deep watering so moisture has a chance to soak into the soil. Water should penetrate deep into the soil. Depending on the size of the plant and the type of soil, you may need to water every so often. Drip irrigation and soaker hoses are ideal for irrigating gardens this way. Plus, these systems save you money on your water bill because they keep water at the bottom of the plant with little waste. A watering wand over a hose will help keep water at the base of the plants.

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Aim for slow, deep watering so moisture has a chance to soak into the soil. Water should penetrate deep into the soil. Depending on the size of the plant and the type of soil, you may need to water every so often. Drip irrigation and soaker hoses are ideal for irrigating gardens this way. Plus, these systems save you money on your water bill because they keep water at the bottom of the plant with little waste. A watering wand over a hose will help keep water at the base of the plants.

Watering container plants.

Plants in containers dry out much faster than plants in the ground. Pots absorb heat, which compresses plant roots, and the soil in them dries out much faster than soil in the ground. Container plants usually need to be watered daily. In very hot climates, you may need to water twice a day, especially in smaller containers. Do a finger test to see if the potting mix feels dry two inches down. If that happens, or if you see wilting plants, grab a watering can.

New plants need extra water.

Plants you've recently added to your garden or a container will need to be watered more often than mature, established plants. New plants need time to develop more roots that can absorb large amounts of water from the soil. A perennial, tree, or shrub that has been in the ground for less than a year needs regular watering, which comes from rainfall. Water as needed, which is when the soil feels dry, but before you see signs of wilting. If any plant looks wilted, give it a deep drink immediately.

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Tips for watering indoor plants

The rules for watering house plants are different. The best time to water indoor plants depends more on the time of day and the type of plant and the season. Some houseplants grow in the summer and spring and go dormant in the fall and winter, so they need less water when their growth slows down.

Many popular houseplants, such as monstera and philodendrons, come from tropical areas where it rains in sheets. They need regular watering to keep them looking good. Houseplants native to arid regions (think snake plants and succulents) allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Make it a habit to check your houseplants once a week to see if they need water. Check for wilting of leaves and test the top inch of soil with your finger to see if it is dry enough to need a drink.

Test Garden Tip: Indoor plants are more likely to be overwatered than underwater. Too much water will drown your plants. A good rule of thumb is to let the top inch of soil dry out between waterings.