Water Conservation Tip No. 6

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One of the first things cities do when water supplies get scarce is to limit watering to early morning, evening and nighttime hours. Here are thoughts on that topic.

Research studies over the years have shown that a large amount of water that is applied during the daytime in the summer is lost to evaporation and never goes into the ground in the first place.

Texas winds, when there are winds, generally are stronger during the daylight hours during the warmer months than they are at night. That makes uniform watering more difficult and it also increases the chance that water will blow onto paved surfaces and be lost into the storm sewers.

Water pressures are generally highest late in the evening and in very early morning. That means that the cities’ capacities are less likely to be strained by outdoor watering at those hours.

You have less chance of sunscald when you water early or late in the day. Mid-day watering can cause blistering as the sun’s rays magnify within the droplets.

Early morning watering is better for your plants as their leaves will dry off more quickly than if they were watered at night. Wet foliage is more likely to develop disease problems.

On the other hand, some cities have gone to year ’round restrictions banning watering between 10 AM and 6 PM at any time. There isn’t much sound reasoning behind that rule as very little water is lost at high cool-season humidities and low temperatures. It also increases likelihood of diseases and it makes freezing pavement much more likely during the winter since night temperatures are much lower.