What is the best way to water?

[PennyinOk]

I water in the early evening using soaker hoses.

 

[adeledamate]

Personally we have always deep watered at the base in the morning. IME, watering directly on the leaves can cause many problems with plants from pests looking to take a drink from the water to powdery mildew and other diseases. Watering the in early morning seems to be better than the evening so that any water that does touch the plant has a chance to dry out during the day.

A good deep watering once a week is all my plants get. I nor they can afford to get water anywhere else but directly at the base.

I found that if I know it's going to be really hot the next day watering in the evening is better to lessen the chances of leaves getting burned if water gets on them in an a.m. watering. I too water directly at the bases.

 

[adeledamate]

We make rows out of the dirt to plant our plants in, so we just dam the ends with more dirt and put the hose in it. The hose fills up the row and waters the plants on both sides. That's how we've done it my whole life, seems to work well! I cant access photobucket to show you a pic, but I have pics in my Garden Progression thread.

This is exactly what my dad did while I was growing up. My siblings and I would have boat races, usually a walnut shell halves, while the rows were filling up. Good memories.
I have raised beds/boxes so can't water in the same way.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

This is a good topic, and one that I was considering asking in order to see how others feel. Here is my opinion:

Sometimes it depends upon what is practical. I have more time to water in the evenings, so that is what I'm doing now, although I know it is in some ways better to water in the mornings and I used to do that.

Sometimes I wonder if it isn't better to give the plants a chance to absorb the water over-night as opposed to letting the sun compete with them in the morning.

I do try to direct the water to the roots and maybe some day I will have at least a partial drip irrigation system. In my experience, drip works very well. Yet, I also have to say that I like to be out there observing things when I am watering, and watering according to how dry the soil is in any one spot.

I don't think there is a perfect answer. I think the answer is different depending upon what is most important to you and even that may change.

So, to sum up, I don't think there are any winners or losers in this debate.

 

[Dace]

I agree with the others that there is not one perfect answer...that said, I prefer to hand water in the mornings so that if certain plants get wet, they have a chance to dry. I also tamp down little wells around the base of nearly all my veggies, so that I can put the hose in real close and fill the well. I fill each well two times and then spray the things I think like to be sprayed.

I also enjoy watering in the evening if the day has been really hot but I do worry about my plants staying wet all night and encouraging disease.

 

[DawnSuiter]

Hi, new here and all, but I've been trying different methods of watering for 3 years now, and it seems bugs are less when we water the base only. This year we're using rainwater exclusively to water, and I'm using cheap or old garden hose to run through my rows, with holes punched in it at the location of the plants, then I just dump a gallon or so of water in the end of the hose (depending on how many rows it travels) and all the work is done.

we will upgrade to raised rainwater barrels at each planting location so I can just open the line from the barrel and no more carrying rainwater jugs.

 

[blurose]

I use soaker hoses on my garden beds and hand spray nozzle water the herbs and other potted plants, plus anyplace else the soaker hose misses. I soaker hose the garden in the evening and spray-nozzle water both morning and evening.

 

[luckyducky]

Since I have a small raised bed ( 4'x10'), I only use a watering can, seems to be doing the trick, I have boatloads of tomatoes growing from the plants I have, and my other veges and herbs and flowers look terrific also. I tried watering with a hose at first, but, I thought I was flooding my garden too much, ( some of my seeds ended up in the square 3 down from where I planted them.
My raised bed gardening is a trial by error this year, hopefully next year I will learn much from my mistakes this year, and work out the kinks by then also.
I am also using a tub to fill the watering can from, and athough it isn't rain water, ( some of it is...), I think letting the water sit for a couple of days, is nicer it is nice and warm then, more comparable to rain water?? Ice cold water from the well isn't fun for me to get on me, and my animals don't care much for ice cold water on them either, so I figured, what is good for us, must be good for the plants. Of course, please feel free to correct me if I am wrong, I DO want to learn.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

You're right luckyducky. Plants prefer water that is at a similar temperature as the air.

 

[vfem]

I flip flop, I'm afraid. Sometimes in the morning if I get up early enough before the baby. Then its done by 9am. On an off hand day where I didn't have a minute to breath in the morning I water at night before the chickens get put up. Always watering at the base.

Everything around here revolves around my daughter and the chickens! LOL