hotwheels80

I'm trying to plan for a hot summer. I have thought about setting a second watering cycle for my banana plants to come on mid afternoon,besides the early morning. Someone told me that I would damage the plants by doing so. Is that true?

alias

It colud be, I have been thought to not water plant during hot weather beacause you can 'burn' it, and she will also languish. You can water it in the morning and in evening.

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Edi

hotwheels80

Ok, I was told the same. I'll set my timers to come on early morning and around dusk. Thanks for the info.

mksmth

its more "how" you water mid day then doing it mid day. If you overhead water the droplets can act as magnifying glasses and burn the leaves.

Mike

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kaczercat

yea like you said i've heard people water their plants not just bananas in the morning or evening. I've watered mine through out the day and maybe they just grow slower no other noticeable damage.

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Matt

palmtree

I water about 11am during the summer with no problems. Never seen unusually slow growth or damaged leaves. During hot days I water in the evening as well.

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Location: New York City, zone 7b

sunfish

What happens if it rains in the middle of the day ? Does it hurt plants ?

kaczercat

LOL so true.

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Matt

TommyMacLuckie

It doesn't matter. I water overhead in the day in SE Louisiana where it gets into the 140s plus and it doesn't "burn" the plants. If this was the case then how come nothing ever gets damaged during afternoon rain storms when the sun is shining and it's hot? The problem with 'common sense' is it makes no sense.

Regardless, best time is the morning, right before sunrise. It's just better for the plants period - best water pressure, less stress and the least amount of evaporation.

bananarama2

The one caveat I would add about mid-day watering is concerning the source of your water and its temperature. I water from a deep well, and sometimes the water runs pretty cold. In this case, I try to water at soil level only (say during a particularly hot spell), but like Tommy mentioned, the best time is early in the day. This provides the plant with enough moisture reserve to avoid wilting during the afternoon when the sun is hottest. In addition, I try to avoid watering after the sun goes down, so I don't cool the soil around the plant too much. So, often the bananas get a second little drink late afternoon, so the soil can warm up again. Note: Moist soil will hold heat much better than dry, helping plants in areas where the nights are often cool, such as the high prairies and some mountainous areas. My thoughts........

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TommyMacLuckie

I water my bananas all times of the day. But when it's usually quite warm it doesn't matter!

Carol2

Nahhhhhh. (Maybe inside a car or a greenhouse.)

pitangadiego

I water at the base of the plants, and water any time of day (or night) that I have time. Can't see any harm from any time. If it needs water, water it.

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Worm_Farmer

I was asked just this question yesterday. So I asked a question in response to their question. If you were running a marathon on a hot day, would you want a cup of water mid run? Or wait till you win the race and cool down first?

TommyMacLuckie

Yeaaaahhhhhh, actually. It gets incredibly hot in SE Louisiana in the sun in the summer. When they tell you it's 96 degrees out that's in the shade. Quite different in the sun. And also a big reason why the fruit here never reaches full maturity size wise - it's too hot.

TommyMacLuckie

Our cold water in the spring, summer and fall is between 75 and 85 degrees. That's part of why I never worry about when I water.

bananafarmer

I have some concerns about watering overhead,

I heard about some people here who stopped watering the bananas overhead because water collected in the middle of the plant inside, I suppose this water can also get very hot when its reached by sunrays.

By time the middle of the plant was fouling, so these people stopped watering their bananas overhead.

momoese

On really hot dry days I have set up misters to keep up the humidity. I figure as the water evaps it rises up under the leaves. They seem to stay open a little more when I do this.

TommyMacLuckie

You have to keep in mind that it rains during the daytime hours on bananas in the wild and on plantations as well. They don't die or go bad from being watered during the day the same as during the night from irrigation or rain.

So... it's not a problem. I've never heard of such a thing.

Velutina

Mandeville, LA (70448)
The highest recorded temperature was 107°F in 2000.

107F is a typical summer day here. Gets up to about 114F each year and a record high of 117F. Las Vegas is HOT, but has never reached anything close to 140F


I water in the morning and afternoon. I use drip irrigation, but use a hose on extra hot days to increase humidity and cool things down.

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Adam