WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Callicarpa bodinieri, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Bodinier beautyberry in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Bodinier beautyberry 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. Bodinier beautyberry is an upright, deciduous shrub from China, grown for clusters of glossy violet berries that ring the stems in fall. Lilac flowers open along the new growth through summer. It likes average soil kept moderately moist, with good drainage, rather than a dry bank or a soggy low spot.

ShrubRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water Bodinier beautyberry, 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 Bodinier beautyberry 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 dry 3 to 4 inches down under the mulch at the edge of the root zone means it is time for a deep soak
  • Leaves that fade, wilt and brown at the edges in summer heat point to a dry root zone
  • A thin berry crop after a dry summer can follow long, mild water stress, though too much shade also cuts fruiting
  • Wilting while the soil is still wet can mean roots are dying from overwatering or poor drainage, so check before watering again
  • Golden yellow leaves dropping in fall is normal for this deciduous shrub and is not a sign of thirst

How to water it

  • Water the soil under the branches with drip or a slow hose rather than overhead spray
  • Soak until water reaches about a foot down, then let the top few inches dry before the next soak
  • Spread wood chip mulch over the root zone, kept a few inches back from the stems
  • Plant in well-drained soil in full sun for the best berries, away from low spots where water stands after rain
  • Move emitters outward as the shrub widens so the roots at the edge get water too

Through the seasons

Keep a new beautyberry's root ball evenly moist through its first summer while roots grow into the bed. Established shrubs take deeper, more widely spaced soakings. Leaves come out in spring, lilac flowers open from June to August, and the berries color by September. Steady moisture through summer supports that flower and berry crop. The leaves turn yellow and fall, and the berries hang on into early winter. Winter rain covers the cool months on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates it moderate water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Bodinier beautyberry grows 6 to 10 feet tall, so a pot suits a young plant or a short stay before planting out. Use a large container with drainage holes. In summer heat, check the mix 2 inches down every few days, and daily during Central Valley heat waves. Water until it runs from the holes, then empty the saucer. A pot that stays wet for days after a soak drains too slowly. Once the leaves drop in fall, the bare shrub uses far less water, so let the mix dry further between soakings.

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
0.671.32.02.70.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.671.32.02.70.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Bodinier Beautyberry: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.78–––
Feb0.530.650.81–––
Mar0.871.091.15–––
Apr1.181.521.4–––
May1.462.081.61–––
Jun1.612.481.74–––
Jul1.612.671.98–––
Aug1.492.391.86–––
Sep1.241.81.49–––
Oct0.871.181.15–––
Nov0.470.560.84–––
Dec0.310.340.65–––
Year1217.1115.5–––

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 Bodinier beautyberry. 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 JulyBambooBambusa spp.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 July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than Bodinier beautyberry 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 Bodinier beautyberry, 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 Bodinier beautyberry in summer?

In July, established Bodinier beautyberry in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley and about every 11 days on the south coast. 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 Bodinier beautyberry need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Bodinier beautyberry 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 Bodinier beautyberry change across California?

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

Why does my beautyberry have so few berries?

Shade is a common cause, since fruiting is best in full sun and stems grow leggy in too much shade. A lone shrub also sets less fruit, because plants in groups cross-pollinate better. A long dry summer can thin the crop too, so keep the root zone from drying out deeply during bloom.

When should I prune Bodinier beautyberry?

Prune in late winter or early spring, taking out the oldest stems at the base. Flowers and berries form on the current season's growth, so this timing does not cost you fruit. Water after pruning only if the soil below is dry.

Are beautyberry berries poisonous?

They are listed as not poisonous, but they taste bitter. Birds tend to leave them alone until other food runs short. That is why the display often lasts into early winter.

Can I cut beautyberry stems for arrangements?

Yes. Stems loaded with berries are often cut in fall for indoor arrangements. Each cut removes part of the garden display, so take stems from crowded parts of the shrub.

Why are there spots on my beautyberry leaves?

Leaf spot is one of the few problems this shrub gets, along with stem diseases and black mold. Spots alone do not mean the shrub needs more water or less. Water at the soil line so the foliage stays dry between soakings.

More plant watering guides

Spanish IrisItalian JasmineArabian JasmineEastern Black WalnutSpiny RushJapanese KerriaHyacinth BeanSpotted Deadnettle

Sources