Is the warning against nightime watering of lawns an urban myth?

I water at night all the time. I find that it is the best time to water the lawn. The only thing you might have to worry about then it mold rowing it it is kept continuously wet. The day's sun should take care of any mold problem from over night watering though. Also, watering at night enables the plants to drink up the water more readily and efficiently since they do not have to compete against the quick evaporation of the day time. Anouther fact: I grew up in southern new jersy surrounded by farmers. All of the farmers watered their fields at night for the same reasons as I water my lawn at night. It is more efficient.

No it is not.......I will tell you why...

There are certain times when it is safe to water your plants/flowers. There is a risk to your plants/flowers if you water them at night. The water evaporates slower throughout the night since there is no sun and less heat. Thus making the water stagnant and more prone for fungus,bacteria and diseases to grow and to harm your plants/flowers. There may not be signs of this to you, but over time this can actually harm your grasses, flowers and plants. The reason why the rain does not harm it over night is because it is not an every night watering. But watering every night by a garden hose is of course. You should not water at the hottest point of the day either. For if you do this will scorch your plants and such because the water droplets attract the sun more, and places a concentraion of rays on your plants, flowers and grasses. Think about it this way, you get sunburned even more when you are wet or have oil on your skin.....it is like your "greens and colors" are getting sunburned as well. Your best times to water are early in the morning say around 7am or at early evening between 4-6pm. Since you have such a large lawn and many plants and such to water, I would advise you to invest in a sprinkler system with a timer to go off at the stated times above.....

In most areas it is recommended you do not water (with a garden hose) at night. The reason is simple, humidity builds up on your lawn over night, which can trap the tender blades of grass in too much water, causing a mildew like effect.

Rain water is different, because the minerals in the water are more pure than those out of a hose.

Have you considered having an irrigation connection added to your water hook up from the city? You might also consider putting in a lawn sprinkler system tied to a timer.

We water our yards in the early am 4:30ish. Before the hot sun rises on a daily basis now, but we have an irrigation connection which costs less than regular drinking water.

We also have a sprinkler system all over and the timer takes care of the watering.

Hope this helps some.

It is not a myth, but not always a problem in all areas. I've never encountered problems with late evening waterings in either my home in SC or my home now in IL. Of course, both areas are very dry during the day and typically any moisture in the soil is dried up early. If you haven't had a problem with it thus far and your daytime temps dry the soil fairly quickly in the AM, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Yes, a good soak every few days is better than light waterings.

And there is a difference in watering your lawn and plants and rain. Don't know why but everything likes rain better. Who knows?

watering at night can cause brown spot in your lawn, and when you mow, it can spread it all over your lawn. It is a fungus that is hard to get rid of. Most city water is treated with chemicals like chlorine or flourine so it is good for your teeth. Not so sure it is very good for your lawn. When i water my plants by hand i put the water conditioner in the water that you would use in setting up an aquarium. The plants seem to love it. If you have to water often, (which I would say water less often and more at a time) just start your watering around 3am and it won't sit overnight, but will have the cool to keep from evaporation.

In my area where we are usually in drought conditions we are required to water in the early morning or late evening only 2 days per week because watering in the sunlight results in too much evaporation of water.

It must depend on the location. I have developed a great distaste for the typical American Lawn simply because they require so much water that most of the country's climate won't provide unassisted, and I think it's important that we start to try to cooperate with nature. I think in parts of the country where rainfall is scarce lawns should be outlawed! (I'm sort of kidding, but sort of not!)

None. Actually, the US decided to go against the Mormons, if you want to be specific. The Mormons panicked because usually most governments were against them and drove them out. But the U.S. plans against the Mormons pretty much turned out to be a dud in most respects. The Mormons actually were pretty handy in a pinch, look up The Mormon Battalion sometime. The U.S. government did nothing to restore Mormon property but since the Mormons were headed toward what was considered Mexico, they asked Mormons if they would form up a military group and march against Mexico. The Mormons needed money at that time, moving across country is expensive, so many of them signed up for that service. They didn't have to, after all the US government wasn't exactly helpful to them but again, they needed the income so they signed up.

never heard that urban legend! sounds silly to me never water any lawn in full sun! when watering any plant never get water on the leaves during the afternoon, the rays from the sun will fry the leaves. like sunbathing in crisco and baby oil.. baaaaad idea!

Urban legend. Your water pressure should be about 60 80 lbs. If you are on public water, complain if it is low. And, if you waited until 10pm you would most likely have higher pressure, because no one else is using water.

Looks like God will take care of the yard, u should just water the flowers and the garden when needed.