WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Soleirolia soleirolii (SHADE), WUCOLS IV

How often to water baby's tears in California

In July in the Central Valley, established baby's tears in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days: about 2.2 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. Baby's tears is a creeping, moss-like groundcover in the nettle family, with tiny round leaves that form a soft green carpet. It needs shade, moderate temperatures, humidity and soil that stays moist, since direct sun scorches the leaves. Outdoors in mild areas it can spread several feet and is hard to remove once established.

Ground coverPerennialRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water baby's tears, month by month

Your city
Plant width
2 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 baby's tears 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 the plant covers, 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 plant width

A shrub with its width marked from one side to the other and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the plant, from the tips of the leaves on one side to the tips on the other.

Water the whole area the plant covers, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that area.

A wider plant means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While it is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Soil surface turning dry under the carpet in summer signals baby's tears needs water right away
  • Patches shriveling and going brown and crisp can indicate the mat has dried out
  • Bleached, scorched patches point to direct sun rather than water alone
  • Gray, rotting patches in soggy, airless soil suggest drainage trouble

How to water it

  • Water the carpet with a fine spray or soaker so the surface never fully dries
  • Keep the soil evenly moist, watering again as the top inch begins to dry
  • Plant in shade or bright indirect light in fertile, well-drained, moist soil
  • Edge it firmly, since every stem piece can root and spread
  • Avoid foot traffic, which crushes the tiny leaves

Through the seasons

Keep a new planting moist from the start. Established carpets still need steady moisture, especially in summer heat and dry wind. It is evergreen in frost-free areas and dies back but regrows where winters are colder. Shade is essential through California summers. Every rated western region, the north-central coast, the Central Valley, the south coast and South Inland, lists baby's tears as high water in WUCOLS. Neither desert suits it, and WUCOLS marks both the high desert and the low desert not suited.

In pots

Baby's tears thrives in a wide, shallow pot in bright, indirect light, indoors or on a shaded porch. Keep the mix evenly moist, watering when the surface just begins to dry. In warm weather, check daily. Drain well and empty the saucer so the roots do not sit in water. Trim edges that trail. In winter, water a little less as growth slows. Pinch off any stems that turn brown.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
4.27gal per sq ft in JulyHigh water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
27.38 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
1.12.13.24.30.64JAN1.04FEB1.74MAR2.43APR3.32MAY3.97JUN4.27JUL3.82AUG2.88SEP1.88OCT0.89NOV0.55DEC1.12.13.24.30.64JFM2.43AMJ4.27JAS1.88OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 4.27 in Jul, 27.38 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Baby's Tears: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.60.641.241.24––
Feb0.841.041.291.39––
Mar1.391.741.842.08––
Apr1.882.432.232.58––
May2.333.322.583.12––
Jun2.583.972.783.67––
Jul2.584.273.174.02––
Aug2.383.822.983.72––
Sep1.982.882.382.98––
Oct1.391.881.842.13––
Nov0.740.891.341.44––
Dec0.50.551.041.09––
Year19.227.3824.829.46––

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 high water in the Central Valley, like baby's tears. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Japanese Sweet FlagAcorus gramineushigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyRed GingerAlpinia purpuratahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyShell GingerAlpinia zerumbethigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBog RosemaryAndromeda polifoliahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulySiberian BuglossBrunnera macrophyllahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyMarsh MarigoldCaltha palustrishigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyUmbrella Sedge and PapyrusCyperus spp. (CA native and non-native species)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyUmbrella PlantDarmera peltata (Peltiphyllum)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyFoxgloveDigitalis purpurea cvshigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyLeopard PlantFarfugium japonicum cvs. (Ligularia tussilaginea cvs.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyTransvaal DaisyGerbera jamesonii & hybridshigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyGiant GunneraGunnera manicatahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyWhite Ginger LilyHedychium coronariumhigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese IrisIris ensatahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyRushJuncus aquatic spp. (native and non-native spp.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCardinal FlowerLobelia cardinalis hybrids and cvs. (CA native and non-native spp.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than baby's tears in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

DahliasDahlia spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyStar JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHoneysuckleLonicera japonicamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernsNephrolepis cordifolia (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyDayliliesHemerocallis spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBegoniasBegonia & ssp. & cvs. (shade in the desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyIvyHedera helixmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCalla LiliesZantedeschia aethiopica SHADE IN DESERTmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyStrawberriesFragaria spp. & cvs. (CA native and non-natives species)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBicolor MonkshoodAconitum cammarummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGarden MonkshoodAconitum napellusmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySnowdrop WindflowerAnemone sylvestrismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen Supreme ManzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Green Supreme'moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMassachusetts ManzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Massachusetts'moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes baby's tears, 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 baby's tears in summer?

In July, established baby's tears in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days in the Central Valley, about every 7 days on the south coast and about every 5 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 baby's tears need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established baby's tears needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.7 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for baby's tears change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates baby's tears separately for each of the six California climate zones: high water in the North-Central Coastal zone, high water in the Central Valley zone, high water in the South Coastal zone, high 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.

Can baby's tears take sun?

No, direct sunlight scorches its leaves. Grow it in shade or bright, indirect light. Shade also keeps the soil moist longer.

Is baby's tears invasive?

In mild areas it can be weedy and hard to eradicate, since stem pieces regrow. Plant it where it can be contained. Check edges often.

Can baby's tears grow indoors?

Yes, it is a popular houseplant and terrarium plant. In a terrarium it can crowd other plants. Keep the mix moist and the air humid.

Why is my baby's tears dying in patches?

Dry soil or direct sun are the usual causes. Soggy soil can also rot it. Check moisture an inch down.

Does baby's tears come back after frost?

It dies back in colder winters but rejuvenates in spring. In frost-free areas it stays evergreen. Keep the soil lightly moist through winter.

More plant watering guides

BlueberriesBig Leaf MapleJapanese Sweet FlagWhite AlderRed AlderRed GingerShell GingerBog Rosemary

Sources