Day or Night? Watering on a Schedule
Day or Night?
Watering on a Schedule
Watering on a Schedule
It may not occur to some that the time of day would play a significant role on deciding when to water your houseplant but surprisingly it does. It can even make a difference in keeping your plants alive. In nature there isn’t a specific time in which it rains on outdoor plants. Rain showers are not partial to day or night. But from years of challenges to keep plants alive indoors and thriving, many plant parents have learned to put their plant family on a watering schedule. This type of scheduling focuses primarily on the time of day the plants will be watered and the amount of hours of sun the plant will receive before nightfall.
Water Scheduling involves managing the time when your plants are watered and the amount of hours of sun they get
Much like people, most houseplants are at their most active during the day and go dormant at night. The day hours are when plants will absorb the most amount of water. It’s important that most of this absorption happens during the daylight hours. This is not the case for outdoor gardeners. It’s actually better to water outside plants during the early morning hours or during the evening where the ground has cooled down enough that the water won’t instantly evaporate. This fact is especially true if you’re gardening in Texas and trying to water your plants during the midday sun. The water can be so hot on contact that it will just end up burning the leaves. Luckily this is not the case with the majority of indoor plants, in fact its the opposite. Night time watering can lead to a host of long term problems including root rot, fungal growth, and disease.
Most indoor plants should be watered during the day while outdoor plants can benefit from night-time watering
Root Rot
This is a common issue when it comes to watering at night. Houseplants absorb water from their roots. Once the water reaches the leaves, it evaporates through the stomata. This draw creates a “pull” that draws more water from the roots. During the night time there isn’t much demand for water from the stomata which means that the water sits and pools around the roots. This pooling will deprive the roots of oxygen while also providing an ideal environment for fungus to grow. There are some fungi that grow and eat away at the roots causing further decay. This is known as Root Rot. Root Rot is considered a plant disease and is very hard to treat. Prevention is the best method.
Water pooling around the roots of plants can result in decay known as Root Rot
Fungal Growth
Fungal growth can appear anywhere on a houseplant. There are a few common types of fungal growth which are powdery mildew, sooty mold (black or dark brown spots that appears on the upper surface leaves), and mushrooms (which normally grow in the soil and around the base of the plant). While it may be alarming to see a host of mushrooms popping out of the soil. The mushrooms do not pose a threat to your houseplant. Actually, they can signify that your plant may be overwatered or has poor drainage.
Mushrooms can grow out of the soil of your house plant when the soil contains too much water.
Diseases
Outside of causing plant diseases such as fungal growth and root rot, stagnant water and overwatering can promote diseases such as leaf spot, Oedema, and leaf scorch (or leaf burn).Some examples are when leaves turn brown and then drop off or when leaves remain green and drop off. You may find spots on the edges of leaves or find that the leaves are turning yellow. These are all signs of leaf spot. Oedema, or edema, is a condition where a plant has an abnormal water retention. Any time a plant takes up water faster than it transpires, it’s at risk for Oedema. Symptoms of Oedema appear in multiple ways. Water spots can appear on leaves and become bumps that rupture. The growths can rupture and have a powdery appearance or may become rust colored and appear as scaly patches.
Oedema is a plant disease caused when a plant takes in water faster than it transpires
Night-time Friendly Plants
For those wishing to schedule a night time plant ritual, there are a few members of the plant family that can handle and sometimes thrive in damp or soggy soil. Some of these common potted plants include ferns, umbrella plants, bromeliad, bamboo, and pothos. These are all great plants for those plant parents who enjoy a moonlit watering schedule.
Ferns, umbrella plants, bromeliad, bamboo, and pothose are examples of indoor plants that prefer night-time watering.
Would you like to get your plants on a watering schedule?
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