It’s winter and the landscape is desolate and brown, but don’t waste this opportunity to lay out your garden agenda for the upcoming season! Now is the ideal time to be planning your activities for the new growing season, which will be here before you know it.
Did you know that there are certain times of the day that are better than others for routine gardening tasks? Yes, we all know that we prepare our beds and plant in the spring, water and weed in the summer, and prune and divide plants in the fall. But some tasks are better performed during certain times of the day.
Morning, defined between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., is the best time for harvesting, dividing and pruning. Harvesting is best in the morning because plants are at their best; they haven’t yet experienced the stress caused by sun and heat, and they are refreshed from the night temperatures and moisture in the soil. Vegetable and fruit stems and leaves, in particular, are stiffer and they will stay fresher if harvested in the morning.
Dividing plants, digging them up and cutting or separating their roots, is extremely hard on them. Morning is also the best time for this chore for the same reasons cited above – plants are fresher during cooler temperatures. After dividing your plants, be sure to replant them immediately and water them well.
Pruning plants also is done best in the morning; again, it is the time when stems and leaves are stiffer. Cutting limp plants can cause poor cuts and the cuts won’t heal over as quickly later in the day because sap flow is slower. Of course, when cuts don’t heal, insects and diseases can easily invade the plant.
Watering and spaying can be done in either the morning or late afternoon. Remember when you water to soak the soil and not the leaves, and morning is the ideal time to do this. However, late afternoon, before 6 p.m., is also a good time, as long as the leaves have adequate time to dry before nightfall. We do not want our plants to stay wet overnight, because they are at increased risk for disease, especially fungus.
Spraying pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers is best done morning or late afternoon for two very good reasons. Winds are generally calmer during those times, so it is easier to be more accurate in your spraying. Also, chemicals can injure foliage in the strong sun, especially the spray of pesticides and even fertilizers, so avoid the middle of the day when doing this task.
Late afternoon, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., is the best time for gardening if you have a job which prevents you from working on your garden in the morning. And transplanting is always best done in the late afternoon; an overcast sky is even better. New plants will likely wilt in the heat because of water loss during the process, and if the plant has a delicate root ball that dries out, it may even die. Plants simply do not perform well when they have been stressed for any period of time, so if you have the option, prep your garden in the morning and plant in the late afternoon.
Our busy schedules and, of course, the weather often dictate when we can get out in our yards to perform our garden tasks, but if we have the opportunity to plan our activities, keep these opportune times for certain tasks in mind. Your plants will benefit and thank you!
