WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Yucca rostrata ssp. & cvs., WUCOLS IV

How often to water beaked yucca in California

In July in the Central Valley, established beaked 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. Beaked yucca is a slow-growing, tree-like yucca from rocky slopes in western Texas and northern Mexico. A dense pom-pom of narrow, silvery blue leaves sits atop a trunk that can reach 10 to 15 feet over many years. Mature plants send up stalks of waxy white flowers in spring or early summer, though not every year. It needs sun, fast drainage and very little water.

ShrubSucculentRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water beaked 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 beaked 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

  • Beaked yucca holding stiff, silvery leaves through a dry summer needs no extra water
  • Lower leaves yellowing and a soft trunk base in wet soil point to root rot from overwatering
  • Sudden collapse with tunnels at the base points to gophers, not drought
  • Dead leaves skirting the trunk are normal and form its fibrous covering

How to water it

  • Water a new plant deeply but rarely while roots establish
  • Plant in full sun, or at least half a day of sun, in sandy, fast-draining soil
  • Once established, give only occasional deep soaks in long, hot dry spells
  • Keep it out of lawns and away from sprinklers
  • Guard the roots with wire if gophers are active

Through the seasons

Water a new plant now and then through its first warm season. After that it needs very little water, and overwatering is the main risk. It is evergreen and hardy to about 0 degrees F. Flower stalks rise on mature plants in spring or early summer. Winter rain covers its needs on the coast and in the Central Valley if drainage is fast. WUCOLS rates beaked yucca very low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, on the south coast, in South Inland and in the high desert. The low desert carries a low water rating.

In pots

Beaked yucca makes a striking container plant while young, with its pom-pom of blue leaves. Use a gritty, fast-draining cactus-style mix in a heavy pot that will not tip. Water deeply only when the mix is dry all the way through. In summer heat, check it now and then. Never leave water in the saucer. In winter, keep the pot nearly dry and out of steady rain.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
0.27gal per sq ft in JulyVery low water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
1.71 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.280.570.851.10.04JAN0.07FEB0.11MAR0.15APR0.21MAY0.25JUN0.27JUL0.24AUG0.18SEP0.12OCT0.06NOV0.03DEC0.280.570.851.10.04JFM0.15AMJ0.27JAS0.12OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 0.27 in Jul, 1.71 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.040.040.080.080.070.31
Feb0.050.070.080.090.090.37
Mar0.090.110.110.130.150.61
Apr0.120.150.140.160.190.78
May0.150.210.160.20.240.98
Jun0.160.250.170.230.291.12
Jul0.160.270.20.250.31.14
Aug0.150.240.190.230.281.04
Sep0.120.180.150.190.210.83
Oct0.090.120.110.130.150.6
Nov0.050.060.080.090.090.38
Dec0.030.030.070.070.070.27
Year1.21.711.551.842.138.43

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 very low water in the Central Valley, like beaked yucca. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

OleanderNerium oleander ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyAgaveAgave americana (and thick-leaved relatives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCactusOpuntia spp. & cvs. (CA natives and non-natives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulySpanish BroomSpartium junceumvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyPearl AcaciaAcacia podalyriifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBig SagebrushArtemisia tridentatavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCypress SpurgeEuphorbia cyparissiasvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Scrub OakQuercus berberidifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyNuttall's Scrub OakQuercus dumosavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyVariegated Century PlantAgave americana var. marginatavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyDesert AgaveAgave desertivery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyThread Leaf AgaveAgave filiferavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyPalmer AgaveAgave palmerivery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyButterfly AgaveAgave potatorumvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulySisalAgave sisalanavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCentury PlantAgave spp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 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 beaked 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 beaked yucca in summer?

In July, established beaked yucca in loam needs a deep watering about once a month or less in the Central Valley, 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 beaked yucca need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established beaked yucca needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 0.4 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 beaked yucca change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates beaked yucca separately for each of the six California climate zones: very low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, very low water 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.

How tall does beaked yucca get?

It slowly forms a trunk 10 to 15 feet tall. The leaf rosette alone is 4 to 6 feet across. Expect many years to reach full size.

Why hasn't my beaked yucca flowered?

Only mature plants flower, and rosettes may not bloom every year. Flowers come in spring or early summer. Give it full sun and patience.

How cold can beaked yucca take?

It is one of the hardiest trunk-forming yuccas, to about 0 degrees F. Fast drainage helps it through winter. Wet, cold soil is a bigger danger to the roots.

Do gophers eat beaked yucca?

Yes, gophers are fond of it and can tunnel up the stem. Plant it in a wire basket where gophers are common. Check for mounds near the trunk.

What soil does beaked yucca need?

It needs sandy or rocky, fast-draining soil. It prefers alkaline conditions. Avoid low spots where water collects.

More plant watering guides

Nuttall's Scrub OakVariegated Century PlantDesert AgaveThread Leaf AgavePalmer AgaveButterfly AgaveSisalCentury Plant

Sources