Discover the best time to water your plants

Growing plants means asking yourself questions you would never have thought of if you hadn't set foot in a garden center or nursery: Gardening: do I need a drainage layer? Should houseplants be misted? Luckily, Monstera is here to answer them. Today, we'll explain the best time to water your plants.

Morning is the best time to water your plants

Watering your plants in the morning can give you a good reason to get out of bed – Photo by Marta Dzedyshko – Pexels

The best time to water your plants is still in the morning. Plants go into a resting phase at night, just like we do. When the sun rises, they're ready to resume their activity. This means they can make the most of the water you give them. All types of plants—whether potted or in the ground, indoors or outdoors—prefer to be watered in the morning.

Watering in the morning also helps prevent certain diseases and pests. This is because water evaporates faster during the day than at night. By watering your plants before noon, you avoid creating an environment that's too humid, which can lead to fungal growth and infestations of slugs and snails.

Finally, outdoors, watering early in the day reduces the risk of frost. When you water your garden in the evening and temperatures drop below freezing at night, the water freezes and can damage the roots. By watering in the morning, any excess water will have had time to evaporate.

You don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to water your plants. You can do it while having your coffee or just before lunch. And to make sure you don't forget, you can set the reminders in the Monstera app to fit your schedule.

In the summer, water in the evening

Take advantage of your evening watering to admire the sunset

In the summer, you can also water your flowers, vegetable garden, and houseplants in the morning. But during heat waves, that isn't necessarily the best time. Instead, opt for evening watering to reduce how often you have to water them.

As we've mentioned, water evaporates faster during the day. This happens even faster when temperatures soar. The soil and roots don't have time to absorb the water. You'll therefore need to water thoroughly and frequently to meet your plants' needs.

This is especially true for potted plants grown outdoors. And the smaller the pot, the more often you'll need to water! Sometimes it takes just 24 hours for the potting soil to dry out again and change color. You'll then find yourself watering your geraniums or petunias every day.

This is also true for potted plants kept indoors during the warmer months. Unless you've cranked the AC all the way up, the temperature in your home will rise. The soil dries out faster, so you'll need to water more frequently.

Again, there's no need to change your routine or wake up in the middle of the night. Grab your watering can after dinner or before going to bed, when the sun is starting to set as well.

Do you water your garden at night but are tired of seeing your strawberries, sunflowers, and tomatoes devoured by slugs? Opt for spot watering rather than a sprinkler. Remove the spray nozzle from your watering can or set your hose to the jet setting. Then aim the stream directly into the soil at the base of the plant. This will reduce moisture—including on the leaves—and make the plants less attractive to slugs.

Can you water your plants during the day?

Water droplets on the foliage are harmless

We often hear that you should never water your plants during the day, especially when it's hot. This is due to the magnifying glass effect. Water droplets left on the foliage are said to concentrate the sun's rays. Once intensified, these rays would burn the leaves.

A drop of water is just as likely to turn the sun into a “death ray” as you are to be disfigured if you pull a face in a draft. While the magnifying glass effect can indeed reduce a car to ashes, the fire occurs when the object is moved away from the magnifying glass. Your water droplet, however, is stuck to the leaf.

The only risk would be for plants with fuzzy foliage: a drop of water clinging to the hairs could act as a magnifying glass. But don't panic—the drop will have evaporated long before it burns anything.

Watering during the day is even recommended for plants in small pots or seedlings. The former see their substrate dry out too quickly and may need an extra watering in the afternoon when temperatures are very high. Seedlings require constant moisture. And when temperatures exceed 30 °C, you may need to water them several times a day.