Watering your yard. Best in Morning? Best in evening? Tell me why you feel your time is the best time?

Question

I have seen this question come up several times. Half say A.M., half say P.M. but no body ever tells me how or why they come to that conclusion? Please tell me whice you fell is the best time AND WHY YOU feel your time is the best time? Please give me a GOOD HORTICULTURAL reason for your choice. Morning? Evening? and why?

Answer 1

MASTER GARDENER WITH THE ONLY HORTICULTURAL SOUND REASON TO IRRIGATE IN THE MORNING.

powdery mildew (10 different types)
downy mildew
brown rot
gray mold
phytophthora brown rot
black spot
white mold
shot hole
leaf curl
bacterial canker
apple scab
pear scab
vascular wilts
phytophthora root and crown rot
armillaria root rot
crown gall
common smut
damping off

Just to name A FEW of the diseases that grow and attact plant when they remain cold and wet during the night.

U.S. Dept of Ag, U.S. Dept of Forestry, every state university extension and every licensed or certified horticultural expert in the U.S. and Canada all agree that irrigation should be done in early MORNING so plants are not allowed to remain wet any longer then necessary.

There is not one valid hort. reason to irrigate at night.

IRRIGATE IN THE MORNING! PERIOD! END OF DEBATE!

Answer 2

If the yard is in full sun during the day you should water at night. If you have some shade then evening or early morning. If the grass is wet when the sun is the hotest it will cause the grass to 'sunburn'. You should never water grass in the heat of the day as it will just burn up your lawn completely. You should water after the sun goes down in most cases and not so much that it runs off. A slow soaking watering is best.

Answer 3

I agree with Garden Dok and anyone else that said to water in the MORNING! You always want to water your lawn in the early morning hours.

Depending on where you live you may not be allowed, by law, to water in the evening, but more importantly, watering at night encourages fungi.... the reason: If you water at night, it does not allow the turf to dry out, so the water sits there all night through the next morning. This is a great opportunity for fungi that are present in your lawn to take off and reproduce. Pythium, brown patch, etc are all fungi that will kill your lawn and make it look horrible in the process.

Many fungi require water to reproduce, it is essential for disease development, so if they attack your lawn, they could also attack your landscape plants!

Read this article http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/LH040, it will tell you why to water in the morning. Also check with your local government or HOA to see if and when there are water restrictions for your neighborhood.

Answer 4

Thank you for asking this question! I've wondered the exact same thing. I've always been told evening, but have never been given a reason as to why.

I water when I get home from work, because all of my plants are droopy when I get home... but I have noticed some spots on my leaves, and now I see that they are from the sun and water spots... I guess I should wait until the sun goes down to water... hopefully my droopy plants won't suffer more by waiting for water.

Thanks!

Answer 5

Well, i couldn't give you an horticultural reason, but my Mom always says it's better in the morning, as the plants are not heat up from a whole day sunlight. It makes sense, right?

Answer 6

Unless you're using a soaker hose, morning is best for watering.

"The best time to water is in the morning, but the warnings against mid-day watering are over done. Late evening is probably the worst time to water, as it leaves the foliage damp at night when molds and fungi are most active".
Excerpt supplied by: http://www.gardenweb.com/sesbania/watering.html

Answer 7

Either early morning or late evening is fine. It's better to water in the evening if you can because the ground will have the entire evening to soak up the saturation. IF you water in the morning, you will need to do it again in the evening because the sun will evaporate the water and cause the ground to soak it up even faster. It's better to water your lawn in the evening after the sun has gone down.

Answer 8

Same thing here. I went to the hospital friday and sunday because of this. And they sent me home. Although my contractions were 2 minutes apart. They aren't that strong and i'm not dilated at all. Went to the doctor yesterday and still 0. I wish us both Good Luck.

Answer 9

Morning .... when it is cool, and the water has the best chance to soak into the ground befor evaporating ....
Watering in the evening can lead to the grass staying wet , causing
mold , fungus , and viral infections to occur .....

Answer 10

I'll list them from what I think is the order from best to worst:

Early Morning (around or before sunrise) - Best
Evening - 2nd best, can cause mold, fungus, and slug problems
Daytime - Worst, can burn plants, water acts like a magnifier