Watering plants

[onlyMark]

Quick question - summer temperatures in southern Spain can reach 40 degrees or so. Generally mid thirties is about it. The climate is dry and probably no rain or clouds over that time.
Is it best to water plants in the morning or in the evening?
I understand the amount will vary between the plants/flowers but most need at least some every day, or so it seems.
So, am or pm? Or doesn't it matter?

[bixaorellana]

The weather where I live in Mexico is similar in the dry season. I like to water in the mornings if possible, so any water splashed on the leaves can dry up before the sun is out in full force, turning each drop into a magnifying glass of leaf-burning heat. But hey -- if I notice a plant needs water at any time of the day, I'll give it some.

The city water where I live has been treated and arrives smelling of chlorine, so I keep water in buckets so the chlorine will evaporate out. Also, when it's really hot and dry &/or windy, I like to water pot plants by plunging them into the buckets so that there won't be air pockets in the soil. This is also a useful method if you're in a water restricted area, since you're getting far more use out of the water as opposed to pouring it through the plants and letting it run away.

[bjd]

I have been told that when it's hot, it's best to water in the evening, so that the plants have a chance to absorb the water without the sun burning them. And since it's a bit cooler at night, the water doesn't evaporate as quickly.

[bixaorellana]

That could be true, Bjd -- it's certainly logical. Some of my habits are left over from living in a very humid place, where the focus is often on not rotting the plants.

[Deleted]

In France, most people water in the evening so that the plants get their full dose of water rather than it evaporating as the day heats up.

[onlyMark]

I read that there is debate about the best option on a number of websites. There seem to be pros and cons for both.
I've decided, in the interests of diplomacy, that I'll water them half in a morning and half in the evening.

We'll see if only half grow then.

[Deleted]

I really think that this is too broad a question in terms of the many factors involved.

First off, different plants require different watering requirements.
Some like/need to be dry between waterings.
Some prefer to be moist at all times.
Some prefer to be watered in the a.m. , others in the evening.
Many of the comments refer to watering both the leaves as in foliage.
Not all plants need to be watered/showered but,need to have the soil watered as it goes directly to the roots which is where the growth is originating.
Watering of the foliage, while with some particular plants is fine, (ferns being a prime example is most welcome), but, this does not apply to all plants.

Again, it's too broad a question, and without a specific species of plant, it's location and many other variables, there is no one pat answer.

A prime example being.
Bixa, in Oaxaca, I in New Orleans,both grow the same exact plants for the most part.
Way different climate zones with regard to temperature and rainfall.
Her watering schedule and mine I know are vastly different based on these variables.

[onlyMark]

Casi, come over and look after my plants.

[Deleted]

On my way!!!!!!
Do I get to use the swimming pool?

The other thing that bears mentioning is, are you referring to potted plants in containers or plants in the ground?

[onlyMark]

You can sleep in the pool if you want as well.
In fact, in the height of summer and without air-con, it is recommended. We have had a guest who got up in the middle of the night all the time to cool off in there.

Potted and planted plants, we have.

[Deleted]

The type of soil that the plants are planted in also can make a difference with regard to maintaining moisture levels.
Some potting soils/mediums hold moisture for longer periods of time.
Some plants like having sandy soil (cacti and succulents) and it tends to dry out faster and drains faster.

The soil in my garden rarely if ever needs amending because it is so rich as I live near the river and it's delta silt.
Other sections of the city have a lot of clay and have to be amended.
I have turned down garden jobs in some particular sections of the city because it is so labor intensive having to dig through all that clay.

[Deleted]

casi, I wish I had your soil. I'd even settle for clay, because all I have is sand, sand, sand. Most of the stuff I plant grows poorly because I can't be there to water twice a day. We're making compost, growing cover crops and buying manure, but when you have about an acre in garden, it's hard to get it all done.

[bixaorellana]

Lizzy, clay is the worst! I've had sandy soil & amended it with peanut shells, but that's only practical if you live in a peanut producing area. Where I was, you could pull a pickup truck under a hopper & they'd fill the bed with the shells for free. See if anything listed here might be available in bulk in your area.

I moved back to Louisiana in 1989. In January of 1990 my area got 6 feet of rain. I was living in a subdivision where the houses were built on beds of red clay that had been trucked in from Mississippi. Plantings simply rotted in the ground. A nursery woman told me to get rotted manure and to plant directly into it. She said that trying to dig it in would only form bowls in the clay in which water would collect. She pointed out that the manure along with the plant roots growing through it would serve to break up, enrich, and eventually amend the clay. And so it was!

Anyway, back to watering ~ of course everything Casimira says needs to be taken into account, as there is no magic formula for all plants everywhere. One of the reasons I prefer to water in the morning is that my patio faces south and at that latitude each side gets all sun or all shade depending on the time of day. Also, the air is very dry, so if I can get things watered before the sun hits them, they've got a good boost to keep going all day and any water splashes will evaporate before the sun fries through them.

[Deleted]

I'm sure you have noticed that the gardens of London do not require much watering.