Watering Disagreement...

My dad decided to turn the sprinklers on today for the first time all season. Of course, my hops are now directly in the path of two sprinklers, one of which is only about 3 ft from my hops, hitting them with a little bit of pressure. I told my dad that getting water on the leaves (I've read) can burn the hops when hit by direct strong sunlight, and he keeps promising me (despite not knowing anything about hops) that it wont hurt them.

So do I have a problem here, or should I not worry about the water?

If you aren't in a desperately dry climate, you should only water in the early morning hours or in the afternoon/evening after the intensity of the sun dissipates. Tell him that any hourly landscaping guy could tell you that!

Even degree'd horticulturists and master gardeners debate this.

The safest approach is to water only in the early mornings allowing ample time for water to dry before sunlight, or worse, nightfall arrives. Thus mitigating chances of sunspotting (where the droplets create a lens like a magnifying glass and burns the leaves) or mold/mildew/disease growth.

But, other argue that the hottest part of the day is when plants need the water most and can often be stressed more if not watered at this time.

However the plain truth is that for all but those akin to bogs, 1 Inch of water a week is ample excepting only the hottest and dryest of regions.

My advice is to practice this on your hops and your lawn. Provide supplemental in-between watering only when or if the plants show sign of need. 1" a week will make for a healthier, deeper grown root system.