WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Acacia baileyana, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Bailey acacia in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Bailey acacia in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 19 gallons a week. Bailey acacia, also called fernleaf acacia, is a fast-growing evergreen tree from Australia with feathery, silvery blue-gray leaves on weeping branches. Bright yellow puffball flowers cover it in late winter and early spring. It is a low water tree once established, short lived for a tree, and best kept away from wild areas where its seeds can spread.

TreeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water Bailey acacia, 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 Bailey acacia 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

  • Soil dry 2 feet down beyond the canopy in a first or second summer signals that a young Bailey acacia needs a deep soak
  • Feathery leaves turning dull and dropping inside the crown in a long, hot spell can indicate drought stress
  • Yellowing foliage and dieback over soil that stays wet point to overwatering or poor drainage
  • Leaves wilting at the branch tips on a hot afternoon in a newly planted tree can indicate a dry root ball

How to water it

  • Water beyond the canopy edge with a slow soaker or ring of emitters, not at the trunk
  • Soak a young tree 18 inches to 2 feet deep, then let the soil dry well down before the next soak
  • Plant in full sun to filtered shade in well-drained soil, such as a slope
  • Keep it out of lawns and other frequently watered beds once established
  • Move emitters outward in the first years as the wide canopy spreads

Through the seasons

Water a young Bailey acacia deeply through its first summer or two while roots spread. After that, rain plus occasional deep soaks in long dry spells carry it. It is evergreen and flowers in late winter and early spring, when rain usually does the watering on the coast and in the Central Valley. Once established it handles frost to about 15 to 20 degrees F. Expect a life of about 30 years. WUCOLS rates Bailey acacia low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Bailey acacia grows too fast and wide to stay long in a container. A young tree can live in a large, deep pot for a season before planting out. Check the mix a few inches down and water when it is dry, which can be every few days in summer heat. Water until it drains, then empty the saucer. In winter, water lightly, since rain and cool weather slow drying.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
1.07gal per sq ft in JulyLow water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
6.84 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.270.540.801.10.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.270.540.801.10.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Bailey Acacia: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.310.31––
Feb0.210.260.320.35––
Mar0.350.430.460.52––
Apr0.470.610.560.64––
May0.580.830.640.78––
Jun0.640.990.690.92––
Jul0.641.070.791––
Aug0.60.950.740.93––
Sep0.50.720.60.74––
Oct0.350.470.460.53––
Nov0.190.220.330.36––
Dec0.120.140.260.27––
Year4.86.846.27.37––

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 low water in the Central Valley, like Bailey acacia. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Olive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFig TreesFicus carica ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCrape MyrtleLagerstroemia spp., hybrids & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPomegranate TreesPunica granatumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyEucalyptusEucalyptus polyanthemoslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPine TreesPinus canariensislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTexas Red OakQuercus buckleyilow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPortuguese OakQuercus faginealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySoapbark TreeQuillaja saponarialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyNecklace TreeSophora affinislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver WattleAcacia dealbatalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen WattleAcacia decurrenslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlackwood AcaciaAcacia melanoxylonlow water, Central Valley1.07 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 Bailey acacia, 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 Bailey acacia in summer?

In July, established Bailey acacia in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 days on the south coast and about every 22 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 Bailey acacia need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Bailey acacia needs about 2.7 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 11 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 Bailey acacia change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Bailey acacia separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, low 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 Bailey acacia invasive in California?

It has reseeded in parts of California and is considered a high invasive risk in some areas. Avoid planting it near wildlands or open space. Pull seedlings while they are small.

How long does Bailey acacia live?

It is relatively short lived for a tree, often about 30 years. It makes a strong show over those years. Plan and plant its successor in time.

When does Bailey acacia bloom?

Bright yellow, rounded flower clusters open in late winter through early spring. Long, beanlike seedpods follow. Winter rain usually covers its water needs during bloom near the coast.

How big does Bailey acacia get?

It grows quickly to 20 to 30 feet tall and often a bit wider. It can be trained as a small single trunk tree or left low as a large shrub. Give it room to spread.

Is there a purple-leaf Bailey acacia?

Yes, a purple-leaved form has purple new growth. It grows and is watered much like the green form. Both are best kept away from wild areas.

More plant watering guides

Bottle TreeBlue Hesper PalmQuaking GrassShrubby Hare's EarDwarf PoincianaBottle BrushEuropean Gray SedgeRiver She-Oak

Sources