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Why watering your plants at midday won't damage their leaves

It is a long-held idea that midday watering will scorch plants' foliage and damage their health – but this isn’t supported by the evidence, says James Wong

By James Wong

10 May 2023

Woman cares for plants, watering green shoots from a watering can at sunset. Farming or gardening concept. Bottom view.

rbkomar/Getty Images

AS A botanist, gardening has – unsurprisingly – fascinated me since I can remember. However, it isn’t only the mysteries of plants that I find so full of wonder, but also the colourful, and often puzzling, human behaviour we see in the world of horticulture.

Steeped in centuries of received wisdom, gardening’s many “rules” have been repeated so often they can seem like incontrovertible truths. This is despite scientific trials demonstrating that many have little basis in fact, so following them may be unnecessary at best and could give you inferior results at worst.

A classic example is the long-held idea that …

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