When is the right time to water vegetable plants

RHYSDAD

First thing in the morning as the plants metabolic rates rockets at the first glimpses of sun on a new day. At night the plant 'sleeps' and therefore the water drains away before the plant has a chance to use it efficiently.....

ukbill69

RHYSDAD wrote: »

First thing in the morning as the plants metabolic rates rockets at the first glimpses of sun on a new day. At night the plant 'sleeps' and therefore the water drains away before the plant has a chance to use it efficiently.....

Thats ok if it isnt a hot day, you would have to get up at 4am to do this. Sun dries the water out before it gets to the roots.

steady__eddie

4 A.M. ? In actual fact, you're quite right, that's when I water mine. I have to be in work for six anyway and it takes me a long time to get my act together every morning nowadays. After the watering is done, my teabag has infused sufficiently in the cup so I settle down to feed the fish for ten minutes whilst keeping an eye out for the straggler snails making their way home after a night out on the town.
Best time of the day.

jeferey

I water my tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in the greenhouse every morning before 6:00 - I leave for work at 6:30.
I water the allotment at night after 7:30 usually - I think it just depends when you have time.

morg_monster

steady_eddie, that sounds like a very nice start to the day!

I'm another evening waterer, usually between 8 and 9 but its getting earlier. To make it easier to water the tomatoes in growbags and other plants in pots that need a lot of water I cut the bottoms of pop bottles and upturn them into the soil; this means I can bung in up to 2L at a time and don't have to hang around waiting for a small amount to be absorbed at a time; makes it so much quicker. And the water doesn't sit on the surface to be evaporated, gets straight to where it's needed.