WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Livistona australis, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Australian fountain palm in California

In July on the north-central coast, established Australian fountain palm in loam needs a deep watering about every 13 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 29 gallons a week. Australian fountain palm, also called cabbage palm or Gippsland palm, is a single-trunked fan palm from eastern and southeastern Australia. Its long-stalked, fan-shaped leaves form a rounded crown, and small cream or pale yellow flowers appear in clusters among the leaves. Among palms commonly planted in California, it is rated mostly disease resistant.

TreePalm or cycadRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water Australian fountain palm, month by month

Your city
Canopy width
10 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for Australian fountain palm and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1.5 feet of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area under the branches, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure canopy width

A tree with its canopy width marked across the widest branches and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the branches, from the tips of the outer leaves on one side to the tips on the other. A tape works, or pace it out.

Water the whole circle under the branches, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that circle.

A wider canopy means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While the tree is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • When a soil probe slides easily only a few inches before hitting dry ground in summer, Australian fountain palm needs water
  • The oldest fan leaves browning early in a long dry season can mean the roots ran short
  • Fronds turning yellow while water stands around the trunk point to soggy soil
  • New leaves emerging full and green show the watering routine is working

How to water it

  • Soak a broad circle around the trunk, then wait for the surface to dry
  • Lay a ring of drip emitters out under the fan leaves
  • Give it soil that drains and space for a tall, single trunk
  • Cut off fronds only once they are completely brown
  • Keep the summer routine steady rather than on and off

Through the seasons

Give a young palm regular water through its first summers while roots spread. Established palms want moderate, deep watering through the dry months rather than frequent light sprinkles. It forms a single trunk topped by a rounded crown of fan leaves. WUCOLS rates Australian fountain palm moderate water on the north-central coast, on the south coast and in South Inland. The Central Valley, the high desert and the low desert are marked not suited for it by WUCOLS.

In pots

Australian fountain palm can live in a large, heavy container for some years while young, making a fine patio fan palm. Use a well-drained mix. Water whenever the upper two inches have dried, until water flows out below. During summer heat, check it every few days. Never leave the pot in a full saucer. In winter, water only after the mix dries, and shelter the pot in a hard frost.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Australian Fountain Palm for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Australian Fountain Palm as not suited to this region for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Australian Fountain Palm: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37–0.780.78––
Feb0.53–0.810.87––
Mar0.87–1.151.3––
Apr1.18–1.41.61––
May1.46–1.611.95––
Jun1.61–1.742.29––
Jul1.61–1.982.51––
Aug1.49–1.862.33––
Sep1.24–1.491.86––
Oct0.87–1.151.33––
Nov0.47–0.840.9––
Dec0.31–0.650.68––
Year12–15.518.41––

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated not suited to this region in the Central Valley, like Australian fountain palm. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Sugar MapleAcer saccharumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueensland KauriAgathis robustanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCherimoyaAnnona cherimolanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple Orchid TreeBauhinia variegata (purpurea)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingToogBischofia javanicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingClustered Fishtail PalmCaryota mitisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWhite SapoteCasimiroa edulisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFilbertCorylus maximanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSpotted GumCorymbia maculata (Eucalyptus maculata)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDove TreeDavidia involucratanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRoyal PoincianaDelonix regianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingTriangle PalmDypsis decaryinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain White GumEucalyptus dalrympleananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRainbow EucalyptusEucalyptus degluptanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRoxburgh FigFicus auriculatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingIndian BanyanFicus benghalensisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes Australian fountain palm, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How often should I water Australian fountain palm in summer?

In July, established Australian fountain palm in loam needs a deep watering about every 11 days on the south coast and about every 9 days in the South Inland zone. Sandy soil holds less water, so waterings come closer together. Clay stretches them. Check the soil before each watering and skip one after a soaking rain.

How much water does Australian fountain palm need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established Australian fountain palm needs about 4.1 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 16 gallons a day under a 20 foot canopy. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for Australian fountain palm change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Australian fountain palm separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not suited to this region in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not suited to this region in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Is Australian fountain palm prone to disease?

It is rated mostly disease resistant among palms common in California. Good drainage still matters. Overwatering invites root trouble.

What other names does Australian fountain palm have?

It is also called cabbage palm, Australian fan palm and Gippsland palm. All refer to the same species. Check the botanical name when buying.

Where is Australian fountain palm native?

It is native to eastern and southeastern Australia. It is a single-trunked fan palm. Its crown is rounded.

Should I trim Australian fountain palm?

Cut off only fronds that are completely brown. Green fronds keep feeding the trunk. Leave the crown full.

Can Australian fountain palm grow inland?

WUCOLS rates it for South Inland but marks it not suited to the Central Valley and the deserts. Choose another palm there. Water deeply in South Inland summers.

More plant watering guides

Chenille PlantCopperleafSugar MapleDesert RoseQueensland KauriGolden Trumpet VineCherimoyaJapanese Ardisia

Sources