Without outside irrigation, neither potted nor bedding plants can survive a hot weather period without precipitation. But if you water incorrectly, you can do more harm than good to your plants.
Jürgen Herrmannsdörfer from the Federal Association of Retail Gardeners (BVE) explains how important the right time is for watering: “It’s best to water the plants between three and four in the morning because that’s when the soil is coolest. This way the water seeps deep into the earth to the roots.”
If you don’t want to get up at this time, you should either use an irrigation system with a timer – or give the plants water when you get up at six o’clock.
Watering in the blazing midday sun, on the other hand, is a waste of resources: “The soil and air are far too warm and 50 percent of the water evaporates instead of reaching the roots.”
Because of the burning glass effect, the leaves could actually burn under the water drops.
Watering at 8 p.m. is also not ideal: “Watering in the evening can attract snails and cause fungal diseases because the leaves don’t dry overnight.”
That’s why you should always water perennials, hedges and vegetable plants so that the leaves don’t get wet – so don’t use a lawn sprinkler, but rather a watering can and hose.
Tomato fruiting requires a lot of water, so hobby gardeners can be very generous when watering.
The original for this article “Professional gardener reveals when you should really water your plants” comes from chip.de.