When is the best time of day to fertilize my flower and veggie garden? Some say morning, others say evening. ?

OFFICIAL WORD FROM A MASTER GARDENER! Some say morning, others say evening? So now you got me, %26amp; as a State certified Master Gardener I can not tell a lie.

Evening, late afternoon..... wrong. Never send your plants to bed wet. Or even damp. Why?

BOTRYTIS FUNGUS.

RUST

CYST NEMATODE.

DOWNY MILDEW.

MOSAIC VIROS.

BLOSSOM FALL

PINK ROOT

FUSARIUM WILT

SCAB

COMMON SMUT

SPOTTED WILT VIRUS.

FUSARIUM WILT.

PHYTOPHTHORA ROOT ROT.

BROWN ROT.

OAK ROOT FUNGUS.

GUMMOSIS.EUTYPA DIEBACK.

GRAY MOLD ROT.

Just to name a few. When plants and soil are wet or damp when darkness sets in that's when the nasties come out to play. No parent would put their child to bed in wet clothes and no gardener should but their garden away wet either.

If you have automatic irrigation it's fine to start the program cycle just before dawn. The plants will quickly dry with the morning sun.

Fertilizing is the same thing. Plants process food with the help of sunlight. The root system is more active and can move the goodies around where they are needed. As the temperature increases so does the developmental rate of the plant.

Morning or night? Here's an easy way to remember which is best. Would you like to sit out in your garden all night dressed in wet jammies?
When is the best time of day to fertilize my flower and veggie garden? Some say morning, others say evening. ?
Morning is better to water and fertilize.

The idea is If you do it at night, especially with cooler nighttime temps, plants are more susceptible to diseases. don't ever water too late in the morning, bec you can also make your plants get sunburned/steamed from the water and heat combination
Reply:Morning is the best time. Not only are your gardens and lawns LESS susceptible to diseases they are less susceptible to mold too, if they have a chance to dry slightly
Reply:I like to water in the late afternoon to dusk time frame. And as you should always water it in when you fertilize I vote for evening.



Which ever time you go with be sure and follow with a good watering.
Reply:whatever time you decide to fertilize you need to remember to water well. Most home gardeners over-fertilize, which can cause your plants moisture stress, remember that most chemical fertilizers are salts. Just give them plenty of moisture when you fertilize and you should be ok, I would suggest the evening since I live in a desert area and water is scarce so you don't just want it to evaporate away in the sun.