The best time of day to water your garden

March 13, 2025

Early morning is the best time to water, and it's worth knowing the actual reasons rather than just the rule, because the reasons tell you what to do on the days when the rule doesn't fit.

Less of it goes up into the air

Water put on a bed at 2 o'clock on a hot afternoon starts evaporating off the surface before it gets anywhere. Put the same water on at 6 in the morning and the air is cooler and stiller, so a far higher proportion of it soaks in and reaches the roots. On a run of hot days that difference is substantial, and it's the main argument for the morning.

The leaves have all day to dry

This is the other half of it and it matters more than people think. Wet foliage overnight is what a lot of fungal problems need to get started, and mildew, black spot and the various leaf rots all take hold on leaves that stay damp for hours in the dark. Water in the morning and the foliage dries within the hour. Water at 8 at night and it stays wet until sunrise.

So if you take one thing from this, take that one. The problem with evening watering isn't the evening, it's the wet leaves overnight, and watering carefully at the base of the plant removes most of the risk.

Two claims about this that are not true

You'll see it said that water droplets on leaves in the sun act like lenses and burn the foliage. They don't, at least not on a normal garden plant, and it's one of the most repeated bits of gardening folklore going.

You'll also see it said that morning watering builds deeper roots. Root depth is decided by how deeply and how often you water, not by what time you do it. A long soak twice a week grows deep roots whether you do it at dawn or at dusk, and a daily sprinkle grows shallow ones either way.

When the afternoon is the right answer

If a plant is genuinely wilting on a 40 degree afternoon, water it. A wilting plant is losing more than it's taking up and waiting until tomorrow morning for the sake of a rule can cost you the plant. The same goes for pots in the middle of summer, which will often want water twice a day, and the second one is an afternoon one whether you like it or not.

Late afternoon is a reasonable second best in summer too, as long as you water at the base and the foliage has time to dry before dark.

Getting the watering itself right

Water at the base rather than over the top. The roots are where the water is needed and the leaves are where the trouble starts.
Soak, don't sprinkle. A light daily splash wets the top centimetre and keeps the roots up there with it. A long soak twice a week wets the whole root zone and pulls them down.
Check before you water. Push a finger into the soil to about 5cm. If it's damp down there, skip it.
Mulch. A decent layer over the bed cuts evaporation off the soil surface right down, and it's the cheapest way to water less often.
Put a timer on it if you've got a system. Set it for first light and it happens whether or not you're up, which is the honest reason most people don't water in the morning.

Shop related products

Easy Wetta Garden Mulch 50L. Mulch treated so water soaks through rather than running off the top of it.
Neutrog Whoflungdung Mulch 20kg. A finer composted mulch that feeds the soil while it covers it.
Pope 4 Piece Watering Set. Fittings for getting the hose where you want it without a puddle at the tap.
Pope Partner Sprinkler. For a lawn or a larger bed, run early and moved around.

Did you know we also stock tap timers in the shop, from a simple 2 hour mechanical one right through to a four outlet digital, along with soaker hose in four lengths, poly pipe, inline filters and soil moisture meters. They're not on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf, or come and have a look through the garden centre. A timer is the thing that actually gets people watering at dawn.