WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Vaccinium hybrids and cvs (CA native and non- native spp.), WUCOLS IV

How often to water blueberries in California

In July in the Central Valley, established blueberries in loam need a deep watering about every 5 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 12 gallons a week. Blueberries are shrubs for acidic soil, with fine roots that dry readily near the surface. They need steady moisture as berries develop, while the shallow root mat also needs drainage and air. Saturated ground can leave shoots limp even when soil is wet.

ShrubCalifornia nativeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water blueberries, 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 blueberries 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 1 to 2 inches down under the mulch signals that the blueberry root mat needs water
  • Dull leaves with scorched edges can accompany a dry root zone during summer heat
  • Berries that shrivel before coloring can indicate water stress, so check the soil beneath the bush
  • Shoot tips still limp in the morning over wet soil can indicate waterlogged or rotting roots
  • Pale leaves with green veins can reflect alkaline or overly wet soil rather than thirst

How to water it

  • Wet the top foot of soil across the blueberry bed, covering the shallow root mat rather than a single spot
  • Run drip tubing along both sides of each bush to spread moisture beneath the canopy
  • Cover the roots with 3 to 4 inches of bark mulch, leaving the crown clear
  • Use a raised bed or mound with acidic amended mix where native ground is heavy or alkaline
  • Widen the watered strip as the blueberry canopy fills out and roots spread sideways

Through the seasons

Keep a new blueberry root ball evenly moist through its first summer and widen coverage as roots spread. Established bushes still need steady moisture because their roots remain shallow. Irrigation matters from spring bloom through harvest and afterward as next year's fruit buds form. Southern highbush can retain leaves in mild coastal winters and lose them inland. Winter rain usually supplies coastal and Central Valley plants; check through dry gaps. WUCOLS rates blueberries high water in the Central Valley and moderate water on the north-central coast, the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS marks them as not suited to the high desert. WUCOLS marks them as not suited to the low desert.

In pots

Blueberries take to containers well, and many California gardeners grow them that way to keep the soil acidic. Use a large pot, close to half barrel size for a mature bush, filled with an acidic peat and bark mix. Check the top inch every few days in summer heat and water until it runs from the drainage holes. Do not leave the pot standing in a full saucer, because these roots rot in stagnant water. Through winter keep the mix barely damp and check it after dry windy spells, even when the bush is bare.

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

Blueberries: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.640.780.78––
Feb0.531.040.810.87––
Mar0.871.741.151.3––
Apr1.182.431.41.61––
May1.463.321.611.95––
Jun1.613.971.742.29––
Jul1.614.271.982.51––
Aug1.493.821.862.33––
Sep1.242.881.491.86––
Oct0.871.881.151.33––
Nov0.470.890.840.9––
Dec0.310.550.650.68––
Year1227.3815.518.41––

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

HydrangeaHydrangea macrophylla & cvs.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 JulyBlood Twig DogwoodCornus sanguineahigh 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 blueberries 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 blueberries, 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 blueberries in summer?

In July, established blueberries in loam need a deep watering about every 5 days in the Central Valley, about every 11 days on the south coast 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 do blueberries need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established blueberries need 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 blueberries change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates blueberries separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, high water in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, moderate 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 water blueberries after planting?

Check the nursery root ball itself, even when the bed around it is damp. Peat-based nursery mix can repel water after drying out. Apply water slowly until it moistens the ball instead of running around it.

Do blueberries in grow bags dry out faster?

Yes. Fabric sides allow drying around the root ball as well as from the top. Choose enough volume for a mature bush and shade the bag sides at hot inland sites.

Can you overwater blueberries?

Yes. Roots deprived of air in saturated soil can rot, leaving shoots limp despite wet ground. Pause watering and address drainage before adding more; a raised bed can help where native soil stays waterlogged.

Can blueberries share irrigation with strawberries?

They can share a line if separate emitters maintain suitable moisture in each planting. Keep blueberry roots in acidic soil and strawberry crowns clear of mulch.

Why are my blueberry leaves yellow with green veins?

Test the blueberry bed's pH and check drainage before adding iron. Alkaline irrigation water can gradually raise pH even in an acidic potting mix.

More plant watering guides

SteviaDelphiniumCoast RedwoodVariegated Sweet FlagChameleon HouttuyniaBaby's TearsBellflowerVine Maple

Sources