Question
Thanks for lending your knowledge to all of us brown thumbs, green thumbs, and in between thumbs.  I have learned a lot from many of your other questions/answers.

1.  Is there a right time of day and a wrong time of day to water my houseplants (I keep them in the house year round)?  

2. Do houseplants need to experience a period of darkness, or is it okay to keep them in a room where lights stay on all day and night?  

The information is all over the place when it comes to the above questions.

Answer
Hi Jillian,

Thank you for your compliment on my past answers here. That's what makes it worthwhile!

It really doesn抰 matter what time of day you water. There might be a slight advantage to watering early in the day so the plants have a chance to dry out some, but it is far more important to water on the right day than at the right time of day. If it is more convenient for you to water at night, go ahead and do it

There are some plants that require seasonal 12 hours per day of complete darkness to flower - Christmas Cactus and Poinsettias, for example. Most common foliage houseplants have no such requirement. It is generally best to give your plants about 8 hours of darkness per day, which fits with the night time schedule of most people. If you have lights on all night, it will probably be more damaging to your electric bill than your plants. If it is optional, turn the lights off at night, but if not, don't worry about it. It is more important to have the appropriate light intensity for your plants than light duration.

So there is no strict answer to either of your questions and that is probably why you are finding answers "all over the place." I hope my answer provides some clarity.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC