Reasons to avoid watering your garden in the evening

Evenings in the garden are the perfect time to unwind; the air is cooler, the light is golden, and everything appears a little more serene. But when it comes to watering, timing does matter. While a late-day top-up might seem harmless, watering your garden at night could be doing more harm than good.

1. Damp leaves overnight invite trouble

Watering in the evening usually means your plants stay wet well into the night. Without sun and warmth to help evaporate the excess moisture, droplets sit on leaves, stems and soil until the next day. This may seem trivial, but damp leaves foster fungal infections. Once these infections take hold, they are tricky to manage and can quickly spread across your garden plants.

2. You attract night-time pests

By watering in the evening, you’re essentially inviting slugs and beetles, which feed at night and hide out during the day. Even worse, pests like fungus gnats and certain moths are drawn to damp soil where they lay eggs, setting the stage for future infestations in your garden. Moisture makes it easier for them to move around, and wet soil and leaves often signal a late-night buffet of tender stems and soft leaves.

3. Less effective hydration

Watering in the morning isn’t just about avoiding pests and disease. It is also the most efficient time to hydrate your plants. Cooler morning air allows the water to soak into the soil before the day heats up properly. This means roots have the moisture they need to face the afternoon sun, without the risk of evaporation stealing it away too soon.

Early mornings are ideal to water your plants just after sunrise, before the heat of the day kicks in. If you cannot water in the morning, the late afternoon is also an option, but you need to give the leaves enough time to dry before nightfall.