Why can farmers get away with watering crops in full sunshine yet gardening experts tell us not to...?

Question

...as it scorches the plants?

Answer 1

Farmers are growing crops that are better suited for the zone they are grown in. They are also mot worried about the appearance of the plant the way that homeowners are.

Answer 2

To piggyback on the last answer, I'd like to add that farmer's crops have more shallow roots, as they are short season plants. It is desirable to grow your garden with deeper roots (I am not sure if you are talking about your ornamentals or your vege garden, but that changes the perspective too. I am assuming you are talking about your flower beds and landscape). Shallow roots can quickly take up water anytime of day and in fact, evening watering could be detrimental to the crops, as they can sit with 'soggy feet'. Your beds shoud be deeply watered a couple of times a week instead of shallowly watered every day.

I don't know what garden experts are telling you that daytime watering scorches plants. Daytime watering can scorch a little, but you should be watering the soil, not the leaves, anyway, as this is the area of the plant that needs the water. If you are talking about lawns, early morning is the best time, as cool evening temperatures cause less evaporation and the potential for fungus to develop.

Yes, daytime watering is ok, but plants are usually, in summer, more stressed in the heat of the day, where it is more difficult for them to take up the water and utilize it. When the temps drop, it's easy for the plant to use the available water.

Answer 3

Because the so called gardening experts are wrong. This is a persistent myth with not much basis in fact. Try an experiment: plant a small garden and water half of the plants during the day and half during the night, and see how it goes.

If there's any basis in fact for this practice, it MIGHT be that less of the water evaporates if you water during the night.

Good luck.

Answer 4

flower petals are most prone to scorchiing, so it probably makes no difference to most crops. i have rarely seen outdoor plants to have their leaves burned this way, but right now i can see a plant with leaves burned due to this - tha plant is in a terrarium where it gets heat, sunshine, and after spraing of water the droplets remain on leaves for quite some time and leaves are burned. so the burning is not a myth like Don M suggests...

if you water the soil in sunny time, water evaporates more from the hot soil- thats wasteful especially if you are using drinking water. but logically, if no water gets on leaves, they cant get burned, that goes without saying.

also if the water is too cold, the herbs with shalow roots will not like it while trees probably wouldnt notice.

Answer 5

The undersides of leaves have small pores, called stoma, which open and close to regulate water loss. This limits the uptake of water and nutrients when the higher daytime temperatures and solar radiation trigger the stoma to close. Watering will cool the leaves and allow the stoma to open and therefore allow the plant to transpire (breathe).

Answer 6

I've heard that watering in the daytime could make for some unsightly burn spots on ornamentals, but I do it all the time and have never noticed any spots. Some "rules" can safely be bent or broken. I can remember when we were told that if you pruned off tree branches you had to paint on that dark tarry stuff to prevent diseases -- now you're not supposed to put on anything. Not all popular rules have research to back them up.

Answer 7

Farmers don't have much of a choice now do they? Try to block out the sun over Iowa. Tell me how it goes.

Answer 8

it's still best not to water in the heat of the day, however farmers are watering such large fields that they not not have a choice!

Answer 9

those who can, do. those who can't call themselves experts.