WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Dryopteris dilatata, WUCOLS IV

How often to water broad buckler fern in California

In July in the Central Valley, established broad buckler fern in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.9 gallons a week. Broad buckler fern is a vigorous woodland fern. Its finely cut fronds rise upward and outward from a central crown, reaching about 2 to 4 feet. Fronds turn golden yellow in fall, and the plant is deciduous to semi-evergreen. It wants shade and rich soil that stays moist but drains, and it does not tolerate drying out.

PerennialRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water broad buckler fern, 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 broad buckler fern 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 foot 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 an inch down beside the crown in summer signals that broad buckler fern needs water
  • Frond tips curling and turning crisp brown can indicate the root zone has dried
  • Whole fronds yellowing in midsummer, well before fall color, can follow dry soil or too much sun
  • Soft, blackened new fronds at the crown in soggy ground point to poor drainage
  • Spots or rusty patches on fronds kept wet from overhead suggest a fungal problem rather than thirst

How to water it

  • Water the soil around the crown with drip or a soaker hose under the fronds
  • Moisten the root zone about 8 inches deep and water again as the top inch begins to dry
  • Mulch with leaf litter or compost to keep the roots cool and the soil evenly moist
  • Plant in rich, slightly acid soil with good drainage, in dappled to deep shade
  • Widen the watered ring as the crown grows and the fronds reach farther out

Through the seasons

Keep a new broad buckler fern evenly moist through its first summer while the crown settles. Established plants still need soil that never dries out, from the spring flush through summer. Fronds turn golden yellow in fall and may die back over winter, and demand drops while the plant rests. Coastal and Central Valley winter rain usually covers that rest period. WUCOLS rates broad buckler fern high water on the north-central coast. It rates moderate water in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Grow broad buckler fern in a wide pot of rich, moisture-holding mix with open drainage holes, set in shade. Pots dry much faster than ground soil, so check the mix daily in hot inland weather and water when the top inch feels dry. Water until it drains through, then empty the saucer so the crown is not left sitting wet. Grouping pots together holds a little more humidity around the fronds. In winter, as fronds die back, water only enough to keep the mix from drying out.

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

Broad Buckler Fern: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.60.40.780.78––
Feb0.840.650.810.87––
Mar1.391.091.151.3––
Apr1.881.521.41.61––
May2.332.081.611.95––
Jun2.582.481.742.29––
Jul2.582.671.982.51––
Aug2.382.391.862.33––
Sep1.981.81.491.86––
Oct1.391.181.151.33––
Nov0.740.560.840.9––
Dec0.50.340.650.68––
Year19.217.1115.518.41––

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 moderate water in the Central Valley, like broad buckler fern. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

DahliasDahlia spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernsNephrolepis cordifolia (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyDayliliesHemerocallis spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBegoniasBegonia & ssp. & cvs. (shade in the desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCalla LiliesZantedeschia aethiopica SHADE IN DESERTmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBicolor MonkshoodAconitum cammarummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGarden MonkshoodAconitum napellusmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySnowdrop WindflowerAnemone sylvestrismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain SandwortArenaria montanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySwamp MilkweedAsclepias incarnatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyOrange MilkweedAsclepias tuberosamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreater MasterwortAstrantia majormoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHardy BegoniaBegonia grandismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWax BegoniaBegonia semperflorensmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than broad buckler fern in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

AgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and 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 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 JulyWoolly YarrowAchillea tomentosalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPerennial HollyhockAlcea rosea cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain Lady's MantleAlchemilla alpinalow 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 broad buckler fern, 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 broad buckler fern in summer?

In July, established broad buckler fern in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days in the Central Valley, about every 7 days on the south coast and about every 6 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 broad buckler fern need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established broad buckler fern needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.1 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 broad buckler fern change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates broad buckler fern separately for each of the six California climate zones: high water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, moderate water 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.

Can broad buckler fern take sun?

It grows best in dappled to deep shade. Hot afternoon sun scorches the fronds and dries the soil fast. Plant it under trees or in the shade of a wall.

Is broad buckler fern evergreen?

It is deciduous to semi-evergreen. The fronds color up golden in autumn and can die down in cold weather. New fronds rise from the crown in spring.

Why does my fern have rusty spots?

Rust, leaf galls and fungal spots can occur on this fern. Water the soil rather than the fronds so the leaves dry quickly. Remove badly spotted fronds.

How big does broad buckler fern get?

It reaches about 2 to 4 feet tall with a similar spread. Leave room for the fronds to arch out. A larger crown needs a wider watered area.

Can broad buckler fern grow in clay?

Yes, it grows in clay or loam as long as the soil is rich and drains well. Work in compost so clay does not stay waterlogged. Avoid low spots where water stands after rain.

Will deer eat broad buckler fern?

It is listed as deer and rabbit resistant. Browsing is rarely the cause of damaged fronds. Look at soil moisture and sun exposure first.

More plant watering guides

Swamp White OakScarlet OakEscarpment Live OakBurr OakChinquapin OakPin OakEnglish OakRed Oak

Sources