Best time to water plants during summer to prevent damage and maximise growth

Gardening is a year-round joy, but summer brings its own set of tasks, with watering at the top of the list to ensure your garden remains a blooming marvel.

Ensuring your plants get enough water is crucial for their survival and flourishing, as plant experts from Phostrogen highlight that plants are 80 percent water, relying solely on their roots for hydration.

Phostrogen's plant specialists emphasise the importance of proper watering, especially during the scorching summer months when plants and vegetables become parched and may require watering twice daily depending on their position.

A common blunder among gardeners during the summer is watering at incorrect times, which can be detrimental to plant health.

QVC's gardening guru Mark Lane warns against one of the "worst mistakes" made by gardeners: watering "at the wrong time" during periods of intense heat, reports the Express.

The optimal time for watering has been a topic of debate; Phostrogen advises watering in the morning during spring and autumn, but suggests evening might be better in summer to avoid scorching the plants under the full sun.

Watering in the evening also reduces evaporation, ensuring plants receive the full benefit of the water provided.

Contrastingly, Mark Lane advocates for early morning watering, between 5:00 and 9:00am, when temperatures are cooler, as "the best time" to water plants.

Mark suggested that watering early in the morning will "result in less water lost to evaporation" as the day gets hotter.

Alongside the timing, he stressed that the amount of water is also crucial. Despite plants experiencing thirst in high temperatures, lessening the quantity is advised during the peak heat periods.

Henry Bartlam, the founder of Dig, recommended steering clear from giving "plants a daily light sprinkling of water".

Instead, he proposed that it's "better to give them a good soak every couple of days (especially in warmer weather) than a quick splash every day".

However, there lacks an exact science to it - if the soil appears well-hydrated and doesn't fast dehydrate, "you've probably done a good job".

He issued caution not to over saturate the soil with water as it could be detrimental to the plants and equally waste precious water.