WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Cornus sanguinea, WUCOLS IV

How often to water blood twig dogwood in California

In July in the Central Valley, established blood twig dogwood in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 12 gallons a week. Blood twig dogwood is a deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub, 8 to 15 feet tall, grown for the red color of its young stems in winter. Clusters of small white flowers open in spring, followed by purplish black fruit that birds eat and reddish purple fall leaves. It likes soil that stays moist but drains, and it needs steady water through summer.

ShrubRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water blood twig dogwood, 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 blood twig dogwood 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 2 to 3 inches down at the base of the clump signals that blood twig dogwood needs a thorough soak
  • Leaves wilting over dry soil on a warm afternoon can indicate thirst in this moisture loving shrub
  • Leaf edges browning in midsummer heat can follow a dry spell around the roots
  • Yellowing leaves over soil that stays waterlogged can indicate poor drainage, even for a shrub that likes moisture
  • Spotted leaves and dying tips on weak shoots can point to anthracnose rather than a water shortage

How to water it

  • Water across the whole clump of stems with drip or a soaker line, reaching the suckers at its edges
  • Soak the soil about a foot deep, then water again once the top couple of inches dry
  • Spread 2 to 3 inches of organic mulch over the root area to hold moisture through summer
  • Plant in moist, well-drained soil, adding compost to sandy ground that dries quickly
  • Widen the watered area as the shrub spreads into a thicket, or cut back suckers to keep it compact

Through the seasons

Keep a new blood twig dogwood evenly moist through its first summer while roots spread. Established shrubs still need regular deep soakings from spring growth through late summer, when the fruit ripens. Leaves turn reddish purple and drop in fall, and the bare red stems carry the show through winter. Winter rain usually supplies the dormant shrub on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates blood twig dogwood high water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the south coast, and it marks the high desert and the low desert as not suited to it.

In pots

Blood twig dogwood can grow in a large container, especially if cut back hard for fresh red stems. Use a wide pot with drainage holes and a rich mix that holds moisture. Check the mix an inch or two down often in summer heat, and water before it dries out. Water until excess drains, then empty the saucer so the roots do not sit in water. After leaf drop, water less but keep the mix from drying completely. Give the pot some afternoon shade in hot inland gardens.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
4.27gal per sq ft in JulyHigh water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
27.38 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
1.12.13.24.30.64JAN1.04FEB1.74MAR2.43APR3.32MAY3.97JUN4.27JUL3.82AUG2.88SEP1.88OCT0.89NOV0.55DEC1.12.13.24.30.64JFM2.43AMJ4.27JAS1.88OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 4.27 in Jul, 27.38 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Blood Twig Dogwood: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.60.64–1.24––
Feb0.841.04–1.39––
Mar1.391.74–2.08––
Apr1.882.43–2.58––
May2.333.32–3.12––
Jun2.583.97–3.67––
Jul2.584.27–4.02––
Aug2.383.82–3.72––
Sep1.982.88–2.98––
Oct1.391.88–2.13––
Nov0.740.89–1.44––
Dec0.50.55–1.09––
Year19.227.38–29.46––

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 high water in the Central Valley, like blood twig dogwood. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

HydrangeaHydrangea macrophylla & cvs.high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBlueberriesVaccinium hybrids and cvs (CA native and non- native spp.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyShell GingerAlpinia zerumbethigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBog RosemaryAndromeda polifoliahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyRed-veined EnkianthusEnkianthus campanulatushigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyAbyssinian BananaEnsete ventricosumhigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyClimbing HydrangeaHydrangea anomala petiolarishigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulySnowball HydrangeaHydrangea arborescenshigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyLacecap HydrangeaHydrangea aspera villosahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBrazilian Plume FlowerJusticia carneahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBananaMusa spp. (shade in low desert)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyWillowSalix spp. (shrubs)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyVine MapleAcer circinatumhigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBig Leaf MapleAcer macrophyllumhigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyWhite AlderAlnus rhombifoliahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyRed AlderAlnus rubra (Alnus oregona)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

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

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
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes blood twig dogwood, 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 blood twig dogwood in summer?

In July, established blood twig dogwood in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days in the Central Valley and about every 5 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 blood twig dogwood need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established blood twig dogwood needs about 1.7 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 6.9 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 blood twig dogwood change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates blood twig dogwood separately for each of the six California climate zones: high water in the North-Central Coastal zone, high water in the Central Valley zone, not evaluated in the South Coastal zone, high 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.

How do I keep blood twig dogwood stems red?

The youngest stems have the brightest color, and older stems fade to dull green. Cutting the shrub back hard each year, as some gardeners do, pushes out fresh red shoots in spring. Keep the soil moist while those new stems grow.

Why is my blood twig dogwood spreading?

It forms thickets from suckers as it matures. Dig out unwanted suckers at the edges to keep the clump in bounds. Water only the area you want it to fill.

Do blood twig dogwood flowers smell?

Yes. The small white spring flowers have an unpleasant scent, though they still attract butterflies. Plant it away from patios if the odor bothers you.

Are blood twig dogwood berries edible?

The purplish black fruits ripen in late summer and taste bitter. Birds eat them readily. Grow it for stems and wildlife, not as a fruit plant.

Can you overwater blood twig dogwood?

Yes, even though it likes moisture. Soil that stays waterlogged can starve the roots of air. Let the top inch or two dry before watering again, and improve drainage in heavy clay.

More plant watering guides

Abyssinian BananaEuropean BeechLeopard PlantTransvaal DaisyGiant GunneraWhite Ginger LilyClimbing HydrangeaSnowball Hydrangea

Sources