Binkalette
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Location: Minnesota - zone 4a

Best time to water vegetables and herbs?

What time of day is it best to water the plants? I've heard morning and evening, but which of the two is better? Do you ONLY get water on the dirt and avoid wetting the leaves, or do you want to wet the leaves as well?

I'm growing Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Pumpkins, Red Bell peppers, Parsley, Oregano, Basil, Lavender and some white and purple alyssum flowers. Any special recommendations for any of them?

Thanks!

DoubleDogFarm
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Hello again,

I use a pump sprayer and try to avoid getting the foliage wet.

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/DSC02021.jpg[/img]

I water several times a day when needed.

GardenJester
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morning might be prefered because you don't want things too wet overnight as it might encourage fungus, snails etc. water before the morning sun hits your garden would be ideal.

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gixxerific
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I prefer to water in the morning before the sun comes up.

If you water at night as said it begs for fungus, if you water in the middle of the day you risk high rates of evaporation which is wasteful not to mention the suns rays can be magnified and actually burn your leaves.

So morning it is for me, get a timer if that doesn't fit your schedule. I had to get a timer myself or else I would have to get up at 4:00 to water plants, and I don't like to get up at 4:00 :lol:

And yes watering the soil is better that soaking the foliage, again with the fungus. Unless you are foliar spraying something like compost tea, and even at that morning would be the best time.

DoubleDogFarm
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I'm with you guys, I usually water in the morning, before going to work.
not to mention the suns rays can be magnified and actually burn your leaves.
gixxerific, I have to relook this up, I think that has been proven wrong.

DoubleDogFarm
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Apparently possible on hairy leaves but not on smooth leaves. The hairs hold the water up off the leaf and acts like a magnifier

SarahSarah
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I water in the morning before I go to work, and I try not to get the leaves wet (especially my tomato plants)

Binkalette
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Ok, thanks guys :) Good to know, I'll water in the AM and skip the leaves.

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applestar
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I don't feel like looking them up right now, but in past discussions, it became apparent that watering schedules need to be adjusted for local climatic conditions, especially during the summer -- perhaps not so much right now in spring.

Where humidity is high, watering earlier in the day so as to avoid wet leaves during the night is advocated, whereas,

In dry climates, watering in the evening and WETTING the foliage seems to be essential to prevent drying out overnight.

Also, where temperature becomes excessively hot, midday micro-misting was recommended for lowering the temperature. (I used this advice to my advantage last spring when we had a sudden heat wave in the high 80's and hit 90's and I was concerned about my cool weather crops.)

Note, also that when container gardening, you'll need to water more frequently -- as much as 2x a day -- during the height of the summer. This of course depends on size of, soil mix used, and number of plants in the containers.

DoubleDogFarm
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That's the prettiest part of the day. You get to see the sunrise, the birds waking up, all sorts of wonderful things happening (or so I've been told!).
Now that's funny :!: :lol: :lol:

elementfiftyfour
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I water my garden with a soaker hose for half an hour at 6 AM then again at 1 PM. I have to give them a little water during the day so they don't wilt too much. The summer heat here in New Orleans can be pretty rough on vegetables. I also water my hanging and potted plants in the morning with the watering can but not in the afternoon as I'm at work by then.

In my experience and from just word of mouth I have learned not to get the plants wet in the peak sunny parts of the day as it seems to "burn" the leaves probably from too quick evaporation. Micro magnification may be part of the problem too. I never really researched it too much.

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gixxerific
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Marlingardener wrote:We water in the morning. Although with the high winds and very hot sun we sometimes (?) have here in Texas, we occasionally have to water again late afternoon. If we do, we try to do it when the sun is lower in the sky and we don't wet the leaves. This isn't frequent, but it does save some plants.
Gixx, you don't want to get up at 4 am? That's the prettiest part of the day. You get to see the sunrise, the birds waking up, all sorts of wonderful things happening (or so I've been told!).
I get up at or before 6 EVERYDAY that's good enough I still get to see the sunrise and I normaly wake the birds up. :lol: Actually on work day's I'm up before 5:00. So close enough.

Joyfirst
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I wonder what is the best time to water in coastal dry areas?

Joshua
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I am a new gardener. Live in Minnesota and bought a house that has about a 30'x30' garden.
I need a way to water it.
What is the best type of sprinkler for gardens?
I was going to purchase a sprinkler and timer for my garden, as I am gone at work all day.
I was thinking about getting a standard sprinkler. that sends water up into the air (from left to center to right, back to center, to left, ect. Is this the wrong typ of sprinkler for a garden? Is a rotating sprinkler with a stand better or worse?

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Greywolf
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Location: Western Tennessee

Here in the Memphis TN area, I got pretty much in the habit of watering just before sundown - which is backwards to what most have said here.

We have considerable humidity, but that doesn't stop wilting during the day. In the mornings everything is wet on the surface no matter what, and the object is to get water on everything so that during the day there is a reserve of water. Soil dries out quick here. But I avoid watering more frequently than every other day. I've seen it ninety degrees still, hours after the sun goes down. The humidity tends to hold the temperature a lot longer than you would find in a dry climate. It's a lot like living in the Tropics! Until november...

In the winter the temperatures drop right down into the twenties.

That is all going to change, I think. I'm using lot's of black plastic for the first time, and I really don't know what to expect.

Will it hold water in? Will it cause problems getting water into the soil? Will it generate too much heat around the plants? I dunno.

The plants DID seem to like being sprayed with water last year, I never saw any rot to speak of. Lots of drooping leaves after mid-afternoon though - letting the sun lower and misting them seemed to snap them right back. We're talking a hundred or more in the shade...

It's already been above eighty a few times and it's going to be hot for nine more months. I guess I'll have to see what comes.

OH! And on the pumpkins: I hope you have LOT'S OF SPACE...
I did pumpkin last year, and some of those vines topped out at over forty feet long! Every time I thought I had tilled enough, they ran out to the edge of the garden plot and were heading out into the lawn, I'm not kidding even a tiny bit!

Pumpkin vines will grow in a sort of "Christmas Tree" pattern, spreading out from the beginning of the vine and reaching farther and farther. If I did them again, I would pick two spots about thirty feet apart, drop one seed in each place, and train the vines to a point about fifteen feet to one side of eachother. Think "Overlapping or Adjacent Triangles".

They really do get humongous!



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