WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Ipomoea acuminata, WUCOLS IV

How often to water blue dawn morning glory in California

In July in the Central Valley, established blue dawn morning glory in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 2.2 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 0.8 gallons a week. Blue dawn morning glory, also called blue dawn flower, is a vigorous evergreen twining vine with velvety, lobed leaves. From late spring to fall its large flowers open blue purple each morning and fade toward pink by evening. It needs only occasional irrigation, and its trailing stems root wherever they touch the ground.

PerennialVineRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water blue dawn morning glory, month by month

Your city
Plant width
2 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 blue dawn morning glory 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 several inches down at the base of the vine during summer bloom means it is ready for a deep soak
  • Large leaves still hanging limp in the cool of the morning, over dry soil, can point to a thirsty root zone
  • Leaves stippled with tiny light dots in hot, dusty weather point to spider mites, which hit water-stressed vines hardest
  • Leaves that yellow and stems that wilt while the soil stays wet point to poor drainage or root trouble, not thirst

How to water it

  • Water the base of the vine with drip or a slow hose instead of spraying the foliage on its support
  • Soak the root zone deeply, then let the top few inches dry before the next soak
  • Plant it in full sun in soil that drains well, away from low spots where water stands
  • Mulch the root area to keep dust down and hold moisture through hot spells
  • Keep the watered area at the base, and cut back stems that trail across damp soil before they root

Through the seasons

Water a new vine through its first summer, until its roots spread well past the planting hole. After that it needs only occasional irrigation. The vine stays evergreen in mild winters and flowers from late spring into fall, when summer soil checks matter most. The leaves take frost to about 20 to 25 degrees F, and colder weather can knock the vine down before it rebounds. WUCOLS rates blue dawn morning glory low water in the Central Valley, where winter rain covers the cool months. It rates moderate water in South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the north-central coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the south coast, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Blue dawn morning glory can grow in a large container with a trellis, though this vigorous vine soon fills a small pot with roots. In California summer heat, check the mix 2 inches down every few days and water when it is dry there. Soak until water runs from the drainage holes, then empty the saucer. A potted vine that dries out often is prone to spider mites, so check the leaf undersides. In winter, growth slows and the mix stays damp longer, so water sparingly.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
1.07gal per sq ft in JulyLow water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
6.84 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.631.31.92.50.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.631.31.92.50.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Blue Dawn Morning Glory: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan–0.16–0.78––
Feb–0.26–0.87––
Mar–0.43–1.3––
Apr–0.61–1.61––
May–0.83–1.95––
Jun–0.99–2.29––
Jul–1.07–2.51––
Aug–0.95–2.33––
Sep–0.72–1.86––
Oct–0.47–1.33––
Nov–0.22–0.9––
Dec–0.14–0.68––
Year–6.84–18.41––

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 low water in the Central Valley, like blue dawn morning glory. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

BougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWisteriaWisteria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyIrisesIris germanicalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyYarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain AlyssumAlyssum montanumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFlowering WoodbineLonicera periclymenumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver SageSalvia argentealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPurple MulleinVerbascum phoeniceumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilvery YarrowAchillea clavennaelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFern Leaf YarrowAchillea filipendulinalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Native YarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)low 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 blue dawn morning glory, 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 blue dawn morning glory in summer?

In July, established blue dawn morning glory in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley 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 blue dawn morning glory need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established blue dawn morning glory needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 4 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 blue dawn morning glory change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates blue dawn morning glory separately for each of the six California climate zones: not suited to this region in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, not evaluated in the South Coastal zone, moderate water 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.

Is blue dawn morning glory invasive?

It can be. The vine spreads fast, and a stem that trails over bare soil puts down roots there. It has been declared a noxious weed in many parts of the world, so plant it only where you can contain it.

Is blue dawn morning glory poisonous?

Yes. It is listed as harmful if eaten, for people and for pets. Wear gloves when you handle or prune it.

Why do blue dawn flowers turn pink?

The flowers open a vivid blue purple in the morning. Through the day they lighten to violet blue and then turn dark pink. The color shift is normal and is not a sign of a watering problem.

Will blue dawn morning glory survive frost?

The leaves take frost down to about 20 to 25 degrees F. Colder weather can knock the vine down, but the plant can rebound afterward. Leave damaged stems in place until spring, then prune.

When should I prune blue dawn morning glory?

Prune it in spring. It is a vigorous twiner that can climb 20 feet or more, so cut it back enough to keep it on its support. Pull up any stems that have rooted into nearby beds.

Can blue dawn morning glory cover a fence?

Yes. It can quickly cover a chain link fence, a utility pole or even a building. That vigor is also the risk, so give it a support it cannot escape from.

More plant watering guides

Baltic RushRocky Mountain JuniperTrailing LantanaSweet BayEnglish LavenderSpanish LavenderTrue MyrtleLimber Pine

Sources