How often to water cabbage on a stick in California
In July on the south coast, established cabbage on a stick in loam needs a deep watering about every 7 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.4 gallons a week. Cabbage on a stick is an endangered Hawaiian plant with a thick, succulent stem, swollen at the base and topped by a rosette of shiny, spoon-shaped leaves. Fragrant, cream to yellow trumpet flowers open among the leaves in fall. Growers give it fast drainage and shelter from frost and cold, wet winters.
How often to water cabbage on a stick, month by month
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.
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.
How to tell it needs water
- Soil or mix dry 2 inches down in warm weather means it is time to water
- Soil that stays wet for days in cool weather is the condition to avoid, since cold, wet winters harm this plant
- Blackened or collapsed leaves after a cold night point to frost damage, not a watering problem
- Scorched patches on leaves in full afternoon sun suggest it needs the part sun to light shade it prefers
How to water it
- Water the soil around the base of the stem, not into the leaf rosette
- Soak until water drains through, then let the top couple of inches dry before watering again
- Plant in fast-draining soil, raised above any spot where winter water collects
- Grow it in part sun to light shade, sheltered from frost and winter rain
Through the seasons
Water a new plant carefully through its first warm season, letting the soil dry a little between soakings. In the wild it grows on rocky Hawaiian sea cliffs with little soil, in dry coastal grassland and shrubland. Flowers appear in fall. Young plants can bloom in their first year, but most take two or three years. Winter brings the most risk, since frost and cold, wet soil can harm it. WUCOLS rates it moderate water on the south coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the north-central coast, the Central Valley, South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.
In pots
Cabbage on a stick is often grown as a potted plant, which makes it easy to shelter in winter. Use a fast-draining mix and a pot with open drainage holes. Check the mix 2 inches down every few days in summer, and water when it is dry. Water until it runs from the holes, then empty the saucer so the swollen stem base never sits wet. Move the pot under cover before cold, wet weather and on nights when frost threatens. In winter, water sparingly.
- A year
- no figure
- Reference
- Sacramento climate table
- Counts
- Plant need, before sprinkler losses
WUCOLS lists Cabbage on a Stick as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.
Monthly water need by climate zone
Cabbage on a Stick: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone
| Month | N. Coast | C. Valley | S. Coast | S. Inland | Hi Desert | Lo Desert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | – | – | 0.78 | – | – | – |
| Feb | – | – | 0.81 | – | – | – |
| Mar | – | – | 1.15 | – | – | – |
| Apr | – | – | 1.4 | – | – | – |
| May | – | – | 1.61 | – | – | – |
| Jun | – | – | 1.74 | – | – | – |
| Jul | – | – | 1.98 | – | – | – |
| Aug | – | – | 1.86 | – | – | – |
| Sep | – | – | 1.49 | – | – | – |
| Oct | – | – | 1.15 | – | – | – |
| Nov | – | – | 0.84 | – | – | – |
| Dec | – | – | 0.65 | – | – | – |
| Year | – | – | 15.5 | – | – | – |
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 not evaluated in the Central Valley, like cabbage on a stick. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.
Lilyleaf LadybellsAdenophora liliifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
ArnicaArnica montananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Frilly BergeniaBergenia ciliatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Basket PlantCallisia fragransnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Forest SedgeCarex sylvaticanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Umbrella DracaenaDianella ensifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Rusty FoxgloveDigitalis ferrugineanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Big-Flowered FoxgloveDigitalis grandifloranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Woolly FoxgloveDigitalis lanatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Sunset FoxgloveDigitalis obscuranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Male FernDryopteris filix-masnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Alpine Sea HollyEryngium alpinumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Purple SpurgeEuphorbia dulcisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Queen of the MeadowFilipendula ulmarianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
DropwortFilipendula vulgaris (Filipendula hexapetala)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
GentianGentiana scabra procumbensnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingTurn this into minutes on your water days
Every city page has a calculator that takes cabbage on a stick, 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 much water does cabbage on a stick need per day?
In July on the south coast, established cabbage on a stick needs about 0.2 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.8 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 cabbage on a stick change across California?
Yes. WUCOLS rates cabbage on a stick separately for each of the six California climate zones: not evaluated in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated 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.
Is cabbage on a stick a palm?
No. It is sometimes sold as Hawaiian palm, but it belongs to the bellflower family. Its trunk is a thick, succulent stem, not a palm trunk.
Is cabbage on a stick endangered?
Yes. It is listed as endangered in the United States, and only a tiny wild population has been known on Kauai. Most plants now grow in gardens and nurseries, raised from hand-pollinated seed.
Why does my plant not set seed?
Its native pollinator, thought to be a long-tongued moth, may be extinct. Growers move pollen by hand with a small brush. If it works, the base of the flower swells within a couple of days.
What do cabbage on a stick flowers smell like?
The cream to yellow flowers have a mild, sweet scent often compared to honeysuckle. They open in clusters of 3 to 8 among the leaves in fall.
Can cabbage on a stick take frost?
Treat it as frost tender. Growers of its near twin, Brighamia rockii, shelter plants from winter moisture and cover them below freezing. A pot that can move under cover is the safest choice.
How tall does cabbage on a stick get?
Most plants reach 3 to 6 feet, and only rarely much taller. The stem usually stays single, and branched plants are uncommon in cultivation.
More plant watering guides
Sources
- WUCOLS IV plant water use classification for Brighamia insignis, the University of California survey California agencies use for landscape plan reviewRead August 23, 2026 on wucols.ucdavis.edu
- Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, adopted text and appendices, effective 2025-01-02 · monthly reference evapotranspiration per city, Appendix CRead August 23, 2026 on water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Water-Use-And-Efficiency/MWELO-Rulemaking/Final-MWELO-Text-and-Appendices_20250103.pdf
- UC Statewide IPM Program, irrigation scheduling using evapotranspirationRead September 30, 2026 on ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/ENVIRON/evap.html
- Shaw and Pittenger, Landscape Irrigation System Evaluation and Management, UC Cooperative Extension, 2009Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2013-02/160836.pdf
- Pittenger, Water Management in Gardens and Landscapes, UC Riverside, 2017Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2017-03/258022.pdf