What's the Best Time of the day
for you to Water Plants?

Introduction

Do you want to know what the best time to water your plants is? People give different answers, which may breed confusion in your mind.

How you choose to water your plant makes a lot of difference. Without any doubt, morning is the best time to water plants. To promote their health, you should water them at this time. The only exception to this rule is for succulents which prefer nighhtime watering.

Does the time of the day to water plants really matter?

The time of the day you choose to water the plant matters. Plants require water and sunlight to thrive. As the temperature level varies throughout the day, the time a plant best reacts to watering also varies.

There are four segments in a day:

1. Morning time – When morning light started to spread, and the sun is coming into the arch
2. Afternoon time – When the sun is at its peak, and everyone looks for the shade
3. Evening time – When the glaze of the sunlight has loosened and sunfall arrives
4. Night time – When it is pitch dark and you can usually see the moon

Starting the debate

1. Morning time

Watering plants in the morning ensures that the plant gets sufficient time to use the water optimally. The water will soak into the soil earlier in the day and be accessible to the roots. Moreover, the leaves will feel dehydrated later in the day, which prevents fungal growth.

There’ll be a sufficient amount of time for the plant to soak the water and then use that stored water later in the day. Hydrated plants can actually withstand extreme heat in a better way which means watering in the morning will let them face the afternoon better. Apart from that, watering in the morning also helps with the plant’s natural growth cycle.

2. Afternoon time

Well, you don’t want to stand under the blazing sun at noon, do you? It is less efficient to water at this time because of evaporation. Plants will not be able to use the water optimally as the sun will aid evaporation, leaving less water for the plant to absorb.

Another reason is that most people are occupied with some work during the day, making it difficult to water the plant in the afternoon.

3. Evening time

The evening is a good time to water plants, and the soil will be able to soak up most of the water simultaneously evading evaporation. Since there will be exposure to some sunlight during this time, the plant will get rid of moisture stuck on the leaves and save itself from possible fungal growth.

And in case you don’t have time to water the plants in the morning, or if you are always in a rush in the morning, it’ll be best for you to water the plants in the evening. This is a time when the sun is no longer scorching hot, allowing you to water the plants peacefully.

4. Nighttime

It is best to avoid watering plants at night. After all, doing so can leave moisture on the leaves and stems, aiding the growth of fungal diseases.

Pro-Tip

Watering in MORNING

Water your plants in the morning for best results

Caution

Watering at NIGHT!!!

Avoid watering at night as doing so helps fungus flourish which isn't good news!

Benefits of watering the plants in the morning

Gardening is a passion that can hardly sizzle out. Since plants are living organisms, owning them brings responsibility. Some people may find it more feasible to water their plants in the morning, while others may feel more comfortable watering them in the evening.

A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all, it teaches entire trust - **Gertrude Jekyll**

Since watering the plants in the morning is ideal, here are the benefits doing so offers:

• It helps with the plant’s natural growth cycle
• The growth rate and metabolism of plants are faster in the morning
• You save plenty of water as the evaporation rate will not be that high in the morning

Not to mention the benefits that you’ll be getting;

• You wake up early
• You stay fresh
• You have plenty of time to be productive
• You have a better work-life balance
• And of course, you’ll have better health

Let us summarize our discussion in the following table;

Sr No	Time of the day	Recommendation	Reason
1	Morning	Recommended (1st)	1. Helps with the natural-growth cycle 2. Plenty of time to use water 3. Minimum chances of fungal activity 4. Minimum loss of water due to evaporation
2	Afternoon	Not recommended	1. It’ll be very hot 2. Water will evaporate too much, thus requirement of water will not be fulfilled
3	Evening	Recommended (2nd)	1. Plenty of time to use water 2. Less chances of fungal activity as the sun will dry the leaves out
4	Night	Not recommended	1. High chances of fungal activity 2. Place can become soggy

Is it ok to water succulents at night?

Yes, it is perfectly ok and acceptable to water the succulents at night.

Oh wait, but aren’t succulents plants too? Yes, they are, and still, it is ok to water them at night. And in fact, nighttime is a better time to water instead of the daytime.

Since most succulents originate from deserts, they are accustomed to surviving with less water. They have a thick waxy layer in their body which helps them prevent evaporation.

Another reason for succulents is that they use the Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis process. It means that they only open their pores at night to minimize water loss.

So, it would be best if you didn’t worry about watering the succulents at night.

Conclusion!

The best time to water the plants is morning.

Watering in the early hours of the day will help:

• Prevent excessive evaporation
• Leaves and stems have plenty of time to dry themselves out, thus minimizing the risk of fungal growth
• Water will be used by plants optimally since they absorb water rapidly in the early part of the day

If you’re new to gardening and want to take care of your succulents, I think you should read more about the best ways to care for them. I recommend starting from this post about the ideal frequency of watering succulents!

Posted in: Watering Tips Gardening Tips Low-Maintenance Plants Beginner Succulents