From: songbird@anthive.com   
      
   bill wrote:   
   > When we water the tomato plants does it matter if we water the leaves?   
      
     yes.   
      
      
   > Do the tomato plants "feel" the water when it's "on" the leaf?   
      
     i don't think plants have a nervous system, but they do communicate   
   via chemical signals in various ways.  do they "feel"?  i do not know.   
      
      
   > Can they absorb the water from the leaf?   
      
     yes, a small amount, depends upon plant type/species.   
      
      
   > Or only from the ground (roots)?   
      
     mostly from the ground.   
      
     consider this, some plants are indeed water plants and grow   
   while being entirely submerged.  also there are the arid dessert   
   plants which have a very thick and waxy coating so that they   
   don't lose much water from the leaf surfaces.   
      
     as to the question should you water the leaves that also has a   
   lot of possible answers.  in some cases watering the plant will   
   rinse off dust and other debris, it may also cool the plant down   
   which during really hot weather can be a help for pollinating.   
   i do this with the tomatoes during hot weather and get a crop   
   when many others don't and a part of that is due to me being   
   willing to get the plants wet.  the downside is that it can also   
   encourage disease problems.  this season being a pretty bad one   
   so i'm seeing disease pressure that is worse than normal.   
      
     such is life...   
      
      
     songbird   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)