Daily gardening tip · Southern hemisphere · Saturday 12 September 2026 · early spring
Why to Avoid Watering Leaves in the Evening
As spring brings warmer weather, leaving plant foliage wet overnight can quickly invite destructive fungal diseases into your garden.
5 minuteseasydiseases
Water your garden in the morning rather than the evening whenever possible.
Aim the nozzle of your watering can or hose directly at the soil at the base of the plant.
Keep the stream of water low to avoid splashing water up onto the lower leaves.
If you must water late in the day, use a drip line or carefully pour water onto the ground without wetting the foliage.
Why it works
Fungal spores, which cause common diseases like black spot, need several hours of continuous moisture to wake up and infect a leaf. When you water in the evening, the leaves stay wet in the cool night air for hours. Morning watering allows the rising sun to quickly dry any stray moisture off the leaves, stopping fungal spores before they can grow.
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