What time of day should you water a plant?

What time of day should you water a plant?
I got this email from a friend.

The reason for NOT watering in the sun time, or noon, its because of the plant taking up water, they do it best in the morning....
Look at it this way and you're the plant... you've gone all night in the cold and dark. Okay, the days' coming and you'd like a drink of water, cause that's when you drink the best, and usefullness for the days to get the water into your system... but no one water's you...
you're HOT :( and dry and tired from standing in the sun and you're just about to wilt. No one comes along with a drink, it's hot, dry and the dust is getting on you... you feel yucky.
Finally at night 5 or 6pm someone water's you, but its getting dark and now you're all wet and its cold out side, and you want to sleep..
but all's you can think of its dark and you've got cold feet, and you're wet... and the fungus' are saying "hey, this is great, wet and dark and cold, I'll put up camp here.. move over pretty plant. desease's and bugs are movin in!" and all through the night you finally get to the morning you start to dry out again, but now your'e roasting again, cause the water's all gone...

But look at it again, if you get watered in the morning, you're getting a good drink for the day, you're energised, you're getting all that stuff to your veins and tubes into your leaves, you're all set for the day, and then the sun is a nice time, you're not parched, the soils moist...
and then the day starts to end, and you've had a nice time through the night, you're reasonably dry and you've slept through the night, and no deseases come to bug you and if they do you're strong enough to say"get lost looser" and come morning you're ready for some more water in the morning...
Watering from 1-3 isn't so bad, its just the evaporation is really HIGH at that time of day, and if it evaporate's so fast the plant does'nt get much of it, and it only wastes the precious water that is available!!!!

p.s sorry this is like a essay, just wanted to share this with you all.

 

Thanks princessazelia that makes good sense.

I have never understood why people said you should not water at midday. It may be inefficient but I could never see any reason why it was harmfull.

I have also been told by a knowledgeable gardener that watering plants does little more than just keep them alive. Whilst the same amount of water in the form of rain really makes them grow. Do others agree and if so why should this be.

 

Depends rather on the rain Pete - but yes in broad terms I would agree. Rain falls over the whole garden, not just one area as when you water - so 10 minutes reasonable rain provides 10 minutes to the whole garden, and cools whilst it is doing so - an hours watering with a hose, will give less water over all and a lot will be wasted - one of the reasons I use a sprinkler if I really need to - so I can get the equivelant of steady rain over an area for a longer period of time - but even that in a really dry period will soak down for a short way. Rain at its most effective is steady and prolonged - a deluge washes away over the surface and a mizzle does nothing more than increase the humidity.

Most people when they water do not give enough - and it only moistens the surface - and much of that is lost through evaporation or encourages the roots close to the surface, which is not what you want.

Me I start watering early in the season - and then keep it up - rather than waiting til its bone dry and its survival mode. Works for me and I am on clay

 

Agree with Fran, water well before the dry weather comes. soil here at foot of north cotswolds very light and dries out quick. Suns dropped down now and my lovely beauties await their Adams ale

 

They banned sprinklers here on Monday, but at the moment you can still use a hose if you dont leave it unattended. Having said that I tend to water only certain plants and then, when I do, I soak them right down to the roots. I'd rather cover a small area and thoroughly soak it, than try to spread it around, then I perhaps dont water that area again for a week or more.
Also if a plant looks dry I water it anytime of the day, if the evaporation is high at midday, then it is also high for the plant, so if its dry it needs water.

 

Whatever works for you and your plants Pete.