WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Bambusa spp., WUCOLS IV

How often to water bamboo in California

In July in the Central Valley, established bamboo in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 7.6 gallons a week. Clumping bamboo forms a dense screen above a mat of shallow roots and rhizomes. Steady moisture supports new canes and keeps the leafy canopy full. Its blades can roll lengthwise as the clump dries, giving an early reason to check the soil.

ShrubBambooRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water bamboo, month by month

Your city
Plant width
4 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 bamboo 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

  • Leaves rolled lengthwise into narrow tubes can signal thirst when the soil inside the clump is dry
  • Soil dry 2 to 3 inches down inside the clump signals that the shallow root mat needs water
  • Leaves still rolled the next morning warrant a soil check before another hot afternoon
  • Short, thin new canes can accompany dry conditions during shooting, but do not diagnose thirst by cane size alone
  • Yellowing canes over persistently soggy soil can indicate drainage trouble around the rhizomes

How to water it

  • Water the full clump footprint and the ground just beyond it as the rhizomes spread
  • Soak the top foot of soil, then let the surface dry slightly before watering again
  • Use drip tubing or a soaker loop beneath the bamboo canopy, which can intercept overhead spray
  • Leave fallen bamboo leaves as mulch, add wood chips where needed, and use a raised bed if the rhizome area drains poorly
  • Move emitters outward as the clump widens, covering the whole strip once the screen closes

Through the seasons

Keep a new bamboo root ball consistently moist through its first summer while rhizomes spread into the surrounding ground. Established clumps still need soil checks, especially as new canes emerge. Bamboo holds an evergreen canopy, though older leaves yellow and fall as they are replaced. Coastal and Central Valley winter rain can supply moisture; check the soil during dry winter spells in the deserts. WUCOLS rates Bambusa low water on the north-central coast and moderate water in the other five zones.

In pots

Bamboo can fill a container with roots quickly, leaving little mix to hold moisture in California heat. Check the top couple of inches often in summer, and water when they dry. Soak until excess runs from the drainage holes, then empty the saucer. Move pots away from hot masonry if reflected heat scorches leaf tips. Continue moisture checks during dry winter weather, and divide or repot a crowded clump when the mix no longer takes water.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
2.67gal per sq ft in JulyModerate water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
17.11 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.761.52.33.00.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.761.52.33.00.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Bamboo: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.40.780.780.740.78
Feb0.210.650.810.870.930.93
Mar0.351.091.151.31.461.52
Apr0.471.521.41.611.891.95
May0.582.081.611.952.392.45
Jun0.642.481.742.292.852.79
Jul0.642.671.982.513.042.85
Aug0.62.391.862.332.792.6
Sep0.51.81.491.862.142.08
Oct0.351.181.151.331.461.49
Nov0.190.560.840.90.930.96
Dec0.120.340.650.680.650.68
Year4.817.1115.518.4121.2721.08

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 moderate water in the Central Valley, like bamboo. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

RosesRosa hybrids..bushmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAzaleasRhododendron spp. (CA native and non-native spp.)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCamelliasCamellia japonica (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGardeniasGardenia spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBird of ParadiseStrelitzia reginae (shade in desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHibiscusHibiscus rosa-sinensismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySago PalmCycas revolutamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyStar JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyArborvitaeThuja occidentalis ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyLilacsSyringa hybrids (including Descanso hybrids)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySpireaSpiraea spp. (CA native and non native spp.)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyButterfly BushBuddleja davidii and hybridsmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed BuckeyeAesculus paviamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWestern ServiceberryAmelanchier alnifoliamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese AucubaAucuba japonica (SHADE)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than bamboo in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

LavenderLavandula spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRosemaryRosmarinus officinalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyOlive TreesOlea europaea 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 JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWild PrivetLigustrum vulgarelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCoralberrySymphoricarpos orbiculatus (SHADE)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue Leaf WattleAcacia salignalow 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 bamboo, 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 bamboo in summer?

In July, established bamboo in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley, 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 bamboo need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established bamboo needs about 1.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 4.3 gallons a day for a plant 8 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 bamboo change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates bamboo separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, moderate water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Why are my bamboo leaves curling?

Compare the leaves in afternoon heat with their appearance the next morning. Blades that reopen as temperatures fall do not establish a need for extra irrigation. Persistent rolling calls for checking beneath the clump before a deep soak.

Why is my bamboo turning yellow?

Look at which leaves are changing. Older interior leaves can yellow during normal replacement. Widespread yellowing on new growth deserves a drainage check, while pale leaves with green veins can indicate an iron problem in alkaline soil.

Is lucky bamboo the same plant?

No. Lucky bamboo is Dracaena sanderiana, a houseplant with stems that resemble bamboo canes. This outdoor clumping bamboo guidance does not describe its care.

Can I grow real bamboo indoors?

Bambusa needs strong light and moving air, and indoor plants can thin and shed leaves. Use the brightest available position and check the mix in a large, freely draining pot. Bamboo palm is a different plant, a Chamaedorea palm.

How do I keep a bamboo screen full at the bottom?

Check the ends of the irrigation line for dry ground as well as the middle of the row. Crowded old canes can also shade the lower growth. Thin older canes at ground level to admit light before assuming every bare patch needs more water.

More plant watering guides

Green Supreme ManzanitaMassachusetts ManzanitaMountain SandwortTall Oat GrassSwamp MilkweedOrange MilkweedGreater MasterwortJapanese Aucuba

Sources