Why You Should Stop Watering Your Plants in the Middle of the Day

You’re doing it wrong. That’s what I tell most gardeners when I see them outside on a hot day, sunscreen and sunhat in hand, enthusiastically tossing petunias and tomatoes into the ground in the hot sun overhead. That’s what I say, shaking my head in disbelief as I walk past a neighbor’s house where the sprinklers inexplicably turn off at 2pm.

When the weather is great, I want to be outside, in it. If the plants were outdoors in a nursery, planting them in the ground is even better, right? And why don’t they have a sip of water when it’s really hot outside?

Because plants are not people. Plants have different rules.

Why planting is stressful for plants

Violation of the environment or the roots of a plant is a whole situation. Some tolerate it better than others – roses seem to be immune to movement, but your cucumbers and poppies don’t like it at all. They need time to adjust. So much so that you can’t take a plant grown inside and just plant it in the ground and hope for the best; you have to go through a process called hardening , where you slowly expose them to real sunlight over the course of a week. Even after they have hardened, you want to give your plants the best chance of survival, so any stress reduction possible is critical to their well-being.

Shade is a good way to help plants take a break from the stress of the sun on a busy day. To this end, cloudy days are the best for landing. If this is not possible, planting at the beginning of the day or at dusk is optimal, so that the plants have a short break before the harsh light of the midday sun. Evening is when I plant everything I can, so they have the whole night and morning to recover.

If the plants do suffer when they are in the ground, a temporary shading structure can give them a breather, whether it be an umbrella or a sunshade that you can get from your local nursery.

Water your plants early or late in the day

Watering in the middle of the day, especially sprinkler irrigation, is inefficient. Part of the water is lost through evaporation, which is wasteful. It’s also bad for your plants. When you water, the roots move towards the water, which often means the roots move towards the surface of the soil, where they are more affected by heat. Water on the plants themselves is problematic, as it can lead to fading in the sun. It also makes it easier for the disease to spread from plant to plant or from soil to plant.

The best way to help your plants is to water deeply, at the roots , early or late in the day, avoiding extreme heat and sun. You want enough sunlight left so that your plants can dry out before dark, as wet plants at night are a recipe for disease.

If your plants look especially miserable in the middle of the day and are dry, shade is the most helpful thing you can offer while waiting to water them until late at night. Check to see if there is water where it is thought to be, at the roots. Stick your finger into the soil as deep as you can and see if it stays wet. If yes, then shade is all your plant needs. If its pit is dry six inches down, then you can water, but do it deeply so that the roots do not dry out. You only need to do this once; don’t over water with over watering because it can cause more problems than under watering.

Even your lawn will prefer an early or late soak instead of a midday mist. Scott’s , one of America’s largest lawn products companies, advises, “Watering your lawn in the morning (before 10 a.m.) is the best time for your lawn; it is cooler here and winds tend to be calmer, so water can soak into the soil and be absorbed by grass roots before it can evaporate. If you need to water in the evening, try between 4 and 6 pm, which should give the blades of grass time to dry out before dark.”

Go out to the garden early for best results

When you get home from the garden center, take your plants and place them in a shady spot until you have the right planting conditions, be sure to water them in the morning. In their little planters, you need to make sure the soil, not the plant, is really well watered. Soak them until water starts to run out of the bottom and then wait for them to dry before watering them again.

Then plant them in the ground before the sun is high overhead and water them well, making sure their roots are hardened. If it’s going to be a real fever, create a temporary shadow over them. Then start regular watering early in the day for best results.