Help me not bake my tomatoes!

May 27, 2008 3:16 PM

I live in south/central (not coastal, not hill country) Texas. What time of day should I water my tomato plants?

I'm watering them with a soak hose, in an effort to use less water. They're planted in good dirt in a raised bed and the dirt is covered with a light colored (cypress) wood mulch, which should reduce the albedo. They aren't in direct sun (I know this is against the planting recommendations, but even "sun loving" annual or perrenial plants like snapdragons and mondo grass will wilt under the full power of the sun here.)

I'm afraid that if I water them in the morning using the soak hose, the water will get trapped under the surface of the cypress mulch and steam-bake the roots. But if I water them in the evening, aren't I introducing the possibility for mold?

The soak hose is RIGHT below the surface of the mulch, to the point where it actually wets the very thin layer of mulch covering it.

posted by SpecialK to home & garden (2 comments total)

If you're really worried about evaporation, water them at 4 or 5 pm, which will give the surface enough time to dry out before night. (In as much as anything ever dries out in humid Texas.) I don't think you'll have a problem with mold. Even if the mulch is damp in the morning, it'll dry out by the end of the day.

Honestly, though, if you're using a soaker hose you should be okay. Water once a week for an hour, provided that the plants are established. The water will go way down, and so will the roots. You won't lose any of that deep-watered-water to evaporation.
posted by mudpuppie at 3:48 PM on May 27

I do my gardening mainly in the Hill Country. I know you are probably hotter than where I am, but even in the height of summer, I have never had problems with either mold nor baking roots. In my experience, soil just doesn't get that hot below the surface, and in healthy soil, mold and decomposition is always happening. I would do the primary water in the morning, so they can prepare for the heat better. If they are wilting at the end of the day, I would follow that with a brief evening water.

You have probably heard this a million times already, but I would try a test plant in the sun (unless they are in containers). The right variety will take all the sun can dish out, with enough water.
posted by worstkidever at 6:03 PM on May 27