There are quite a few things that can help your plants thrive as well as have them struggle; a watering routine is one of the more important ones. As you water your plants, you might start wondering, “Is it better to water plants in the morning or evening, or even at night?”.
The time of the day you water your plants does play a role in the overall well-being of your houseplants. However, this is more a case for outdoor plants.
Watering in the morning is generally considered the best, both for indoor and outdoor plants. Reality is, watering them at any other time of the day won’t necessarily harm them, especially as far as indoor plants are concerned. However, there are things you should consider if you are watering your plant’s midday.
Morning vs. Evening… What is the catch anyway?
Morning is best; evening or late afternoon is not the worst. When we talk about outside plants, ideally, the watering should happen when the sun isn’t too strong.
If you water your plants in the early morning, the soil will soak up the water nicely (the water won’t evaporate as much).
If you water the plants in the afternoon, evening, the soil will soak up the water just as nicely. However, the water from the leaves won’t necessarily dry / evaporate as fast, but the difference shouldn’t be drastic.
If you water midday larger amount of water might evaporate from the soil, leaving less for your plants. This is both because the sun will speed up the evaporation process, and the soil is already being warmed up (also speeding up evaporation). Leaves might get scorched by the sun if wet too with some plant species.
How About Indoor Houseplants – Is it Better to Water Plants in the Morning or Evening?
Houseplants are generally more forgiving – at least as far as the time of the day goes. If nothing else, you can water them midday as long as you move them away from direct sunlight.
The modern way of life might make watering your plants in the morning harder. Not to mention it can feel more like a chore than a way to relax with your plants. There is nothing wrong if you don’t water your plants in the morning.
Watering them in the early morning gives the plant enough time to soak up the water during the day and all the excess water to run out of the pot. Late afternoon is OK, too, as long as the leaves have enough time to dry. Most houseplants are generally more touchy than outside plants.
When you are watering your houseplant, just keep in mind not to let it be exposed to direct sunlight after you have watered it (unless you are bottom watering and water didn’t come into contact with leaves). Any drop of water on the leaves can lead to scorching of the leaves, some plants are really susceptible to this.
Now you know when its best to water your plants… How about how much to water them and how to avoid overwatering?
