watering

i have been told by my neighbors i water at the wrong time of day. i do at night and in the mornings. they say this is wrong. as long as i have gardened i have never killed a plant due to this way of watering . just depends on when i get to it either late afternoon or early morning.


when do you water and why??

just trying to figure out what is the best time to water.

I'm new to this - gardening just under one year, but my understanding is that if you water in the evening time, you promote fungus, by not allowing the watered grass, plants, flowers... the chance to dry out before evening.. when they will sit in the mosture longer.
We do water our grass in the mornings -actually we have our sprinkler system do it. I water my annuals and outdoor house plants whenever I get a chance since I have two small boys that keep me real busy, and the plants seem to do just fine. Maybe someone else will elaborate further. :)

Susan

I water early in the morning, because night watering can bring on fungus and/or diseases. By watering in the early morning hours you get less evaporation too...I've seen people watering in the middle of the afternoon, but less gets into the ground that way in the heat and sunshine...
From the Texas Smartscape website:
Water only when the plants need it. Do not water on a fixed schedule. Let the plants dry out between waterings (don't let them get bone-dry or wilted). Probe the soil and if it is dry in the top 4" to 5"; then it is time to water.

Remember, plants may show the same symptoms from being over watered as being under watered (e.g., yellow leaves and/or wilting). There is no other way to determine when a plant needs water other than to monitor the soil moisture. Water perennials separately from lawns if you are using an automatic watering system. Early morning is the best time of the day to water. Late evening or nighttime watering may encourage mildew and or fungus. Water deeply. A general rule of thumb is to provide (from rainfall and irrigation combined) a 1" to 2" depth of water every week in the summer; 1" to 2" depth of water every two weeks in the fall and spring and 1" to 2" per month in the winter. Use a rain gauge to determine how much water is being applied.

Pay attention to seasonal variations. When changing over from spring to summer, for example, the quick cutoff of all rainfall can be brutal to plants. Watch out for both over and under watering in the winter months.

Checking the soil is the only fail-safe way to know when to water.

I water any time of the day I can get around to it. I like soaker hoses and they get the water right where it needs to be most of the time. On the other hand, I have heard for years that using a sprinkler during the day can cause sunscald and night sprinkling brings on fungus. I've never had any problem with either one. I find that heat of the day sprinkling cools the air in the area being sprayed and that seems to reduce the stress on the plants. I never water in the winter unless we have a very unusually dry winter and an equally unusually warm spell of more than a day or two.

I water mostly in the evenings, and sometimes into the late night if need be. Both DH and I have full time jobs and we have 5 kids, so weekdays and most weekend days are full. We've not seen a problem because of our late night watering yet.