“What time of the day is best to water your garden?” Question from Joy of Delta, Ohio
Answer: Timing is everything when it comes to good irrigation. In areas with regular rain and higher humidity, the best summer watering time is in the cool early morning when soil-water retention is highest. Early moisture prepares plants for hot midday temperatures. In turn, watering at the hottest time of day—between 12 noon and 3:00 pm—is the least effective time to water because more evaporation occurs and plants take in less water in high heat and sun. Midday watering in high sun can also damage the leaves of some plants. Watering late in the day can encourage various diseases and other problems, unless you live in an arid climate where watering in the evening is preferable for soil-water retention.
Good Soil Amendments for Water Retention
To reduce the need to water, add good garden soil amendments, such as coconut coir, peat moss, and compost, improve soil porosity and moisture retention, which increases water uptake by roots. OMRI Listed® Black Gold® Just Coir is pure, organic, processed coconut coir that holds a lot of water to bring added moisture to garden beds and containers. Black Gold® Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss also has a high water-holding capacity, but it also has a low pH, so apply it to more alkaline soils or where acid-loving plants will be grown. Vegetable and flower gardeners rely on OMRI Listed® Black Gold® Garden Compost Blend to add needed water-holding organic matter to the soil. Compost also makes high-quality light mulch.
I hope that this information helps!
Happy gardening,
Jessie Keith
Black Gold Horticulturist