WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Yucca baccata, WUCOLS IV

How often to water banana yucca in California

In July on the north-central coast, established banana yucca in loam needs a deep soak only about once a month or less: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across. Banana yucca, also called Spanish bayonet, is a native succulent of arid grasslands and woodlands from southeastern California to Utah, western Texas and northern Mexico. Its stiff, spine-tipped, bluish green leaves form low rosettes about 3 feet tall that cluster wider over time. Creamy white, purple-tinged flowers rise on stalks in spring or early summer, followed by large, fleshy fruit.

ShrubSucculentCalifornia nativeRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water banana yucca, 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 banana yucca 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

  • A rosette that looks firm and full needs no water, even in summer
  • Leaves folding inward or wrinkling after a very long dry spell can signal thirst
  • Lower leaves yellowing with a soft base point to rot from wet soil
  • A rosette that skips flowering for a year is normal, not a water problem

How to water it

  • Water rarely, and only after the soil is completely dry
  • Give a young plant a few deep soaks in its first summer
  • Plant in full sun in fast-draining, sandy or gravelly soil
  • Keep it far from lawn sprinklers and drip lines
  • Wear gloves and eye protection near the sharp leaf tips

Through the seasons

Water a new plant a few times through its first summer, deeply and far apart. Once established, it lives on rain in most of California, with only rare soaks in the hottest months. Flower stalks appear in spring or early summer, though rosettes may not bloom every year, and offsets slowly form clumps. WUCOLS rates banana yucca very low water on the north-central coast, on the south coast, in South Inland and in the high desert. In the low desert it carries a low water rating. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley.

In pots

Banana yucca can grow in a wide, heavy pot of fast-draining cactus mix. Water only after the mix is dry all the way through, then let every drop drain. In summer, a pot may need a soak every couple of weeks in heat. Never leave water in the saucer. Place the pot away from paths, since the leaf tips are sharp. In winter, rain is plenty or more than enough.

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

WUCOLS lists Banana Yucca as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Banana Yucca: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.04–0.080.080.070.31
Feb0.05–0.080.090.090.37
Mar0.09–0.110.130.150.61
Apr0.12–0.140.160.190.78
May0.15–0.160.20.240.98
Jun0.16–0.170.230.291.12
Jul0.16–0.20.250.31.14
Aug0.15–0.190.230.281.04
Sep0.12–0.150.190.210.83
Oct0.09–0.110.130.150.6
Nov0.05–0.080.090.090.38
Dec0.03–0.070.070.070.27
Year1.2–1.551.842.138.43

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 evaluated in the Central Valley, like banana yucca. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Formosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingChilean Feather BambooChusquea culeou (C. breviglumis)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlackbrushColeogyne ramosissimanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGlaucous Scorpion VetchCoronilla valentina glaucanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWillowleaf CotoneasterCotoneaster salicifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMadagascar SagoCycas thouarsii (SHADE)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingIrish HeathDaboecia cantabricanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingButterfly PalmDypsis lutescens (Areca)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple SpurgeEuphorbia dulcisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingUmbrella BambooFargesia murielaenot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlue Fountain BambooFargesia nitida (Sinarundinaria nitida) (BAMBOO)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPrickly HeathGaultheria mucronata (Pernettya mucronata)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingOtterbossieGossypium harknessiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBox-leaved HollyIlex crenatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBellyache BushJatropha gossypiifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain LaurelKalmia latifolianot 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 banana yucca, 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 banana yucca in summer?

In July, established banana yucca in loam needs a deep watering about once a month or less on the south coast and about once a month or less 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 banana yucca need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established banana yucca needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 0.3 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 banana yucca change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates banana yucca separately for each of the six California climate zones: very low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, very low water in the South Coastal zone, very low water in the South Inland zone, very low water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, low water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Is banana yucca fruit edible?

Its large, fleshy fruit was an important food for Native peoples, eaten raw or roasted. It was also dried and pressed into cakes for winter. The leaf fibers were used in baskets.

Does banana yucca bloom every year?

No, rosettes may not flower every year. Bloom comes in spring or early summer. Extra water does not force it.

Is banana yucca a California native?

Yes, its range starts in southeastern California and runs to Utah, western Texas and northern Mexico. It grows in arid grasslands and woodlands. It suits desert and dry gardens.

Does banana yucca spread?

It forms offsets that build into large clusters over time. Give it room to widen. Remove offsets to share or replant.

What soil does banana yucca need?

It needs fast drainage and tolerates sand. Heavy, wet soil rots it. Plant on a mound in clay.

More plant watering guides

YellowwoodNew Caledonian PineFormosa Sugar PalmArnicaNeemFrilly BergeniaBismarck PalmCabbage on a Stick

Sources