"Jake" Nospam@invalid wrote in message
...
On Sat, 21 May 2011 11:25:21 +0200, David in Normandy
wrote:

On 21/05/2011 08:39, Drobium wrote:
dimsey;922226 Wrote:
Is it better to water garden plants in the late evening or early
morning?

Yes!, to both! :-D

However, there is nothing stopping you from watering at any time of day,
so long as the water doesn't sit on the foliage and flowers in very very
hot sun.
This is where scorch problems can start.





What causes the scorch? Is it the water droplets acting as miniature
lenses focussing the sunlight onto the leaves burning / overheating them
or is it related to the water evaporating in the hot sun?

I've read different articles saying that both are the cause. Hairy
leaved plants like geraniums and poppies are most at risk from the
trapped droplet lens effect but in other cases, it's been suggested
that as the water evaporates from the surface of the leaf, it sucks
out water from inside the leaf as well.

All that said, I prefer to water at soil level if I can - drip systems
in containers and soaker hoses around the beds and borders make it
easy and can be left running unattended for as long as it takes. Even
better with a timer. I only water by hand now if I'm also feeding the
plants.



An old chapyears ago, said that he enjoyed six or seven cups of tea a day -
but not all in one go!

He applied his preferences to his watering regime.

Bill