WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Ranunculus californicus, WUCOLS IV

How often to water California buttercup in California

In July in the Central Valley, established California buttercup in loam needs a deep soak only about once a month or less: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across. California buttercup is a native perennial with lobed, bright green leaves and glossy yellow flowers that open from late winter into spring. It grows while the rains come, then dies back and rests through the dry summer. An established clump needs very little water beyond rain, and summer irrigation does it no favors.

PerennialCalifornia nativeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water California buttercup, 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 California buttercup 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

  • During a long rainless spell in winter or spring, soil dry 2 to 3 inches down around a leafy clump means it is ready for a soak
  • Leaves that wilt in a spring warm spell, with dry soil below, point to thirst during its growing season
  • Leaves yellowing and dying back in late spring or early summer mark the start of summer dormancy, not a need for more water
  • Leaves that wilt and yellow out of season while the soil stays wet point to root rot rather than thirst

How to water it

  • Water California buttercup only while it is in leaf, and only when rain falls short
  • Soak the clump and the soil around it to about 8 inches deep, then let the top few inches dry before checking again
  • Stop watering as the leaves yellow and leave the dormant plant dry through summer
  • Plant it in sun or part shade in almost any soil, including clay, among dry-summer natives such as blue-eyed grass
  • Keep it out of beds that get summer water for thirstier plants

Through the seasons

A new California buttercup needs soil checks through its first spring while roots settle. After that, rain carries it in most years. Leaves and flowers come from late winter into spring, and that is the only time it uses much water. In summer the plant dies back to the ground and rests, so cut the old leaves off and leave it dry. Winter rain covers the cool months on the north-central coast, the south coast and in the Central Valley. A dry spell during growth is the one time a soak helps. WUCOLS rates California buttercup very low water on the north-central coast, 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

California buttercup works in a pot as a winter and spring plant. While it is in leaf and flowering, check the mix 1 to 2 inches down every few days in warm spells and water when it is dry there. Soak until water runs from the drainage holes, then empty the saucer. When the leaves yellow in late spring, cut them off and stop regular watering. Keep the pot mostly dry and out of the hottest sun through summer. Resume watering when new leaves appear.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
0.27gal per sq ft in JulyVery low water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
1.71 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.070.140.200.270.04JAN0.07FEB0.11MAR0.15APR0.21MAY0.25JUN0.27JUL0.24AUG0.18SEP0.12OCT0.06NOV0.03DEC0.070.140.200.270.04JFM0.15AMJ0.27JAS0.12OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 0.27 in Jul, 1.71 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

California Buttercup: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.040.040.080.08––
Feb0.050.070.080.09––
Mar0.090.110.110.13––
Apr0.120.150.140.16––
May0.150.210.160.2––
Jun0.160.250.170.23––
Jul0.160.270.20.25––
Aug0.150.240.190.23––
Sep0.120.180.150.19––
Oct0.090.120.110.13––
Nov0.050.060.080.09––
Dec0.030.030.070.07––
Year1.21.711.551.84––

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 very low water in the Central Valley, like California buttercup. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

AgaveAgave americana (and thick-leaved relatives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyVoodoo LilyDracunculus vulgarisvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia PoppyEschscholzia californicavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCypress SpurgeEuphorbia cyparissiasvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyItalian ArumArum italicumvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyFox Tail AgaveAgave attenuata (and thin-leaved relatives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCactusOpuntia spp. & cvs. (CA natives and non-natives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyOak TreesQuercus agrifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBig SagebrushArtemisia tridentatavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyFoothill PinePinus sabinianavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Scrub OakQuercus berberidifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyInterior Live OakQuercus wislizenivery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue OakQuercus douglasiivery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyNuttall's Scrub OakQuercus dumosavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCreosote BushLarrea tridentata ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyPurple SageSalvia leucophylla ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 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 California buttercup, 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 California buttercup in summer?

In July, established California buttercup in loam needs a deep watering about once a month or less in the Central Valley, about once a month or less on the south coast and about once a month or less 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 California buttercup need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established California buttercup needs about 0.0 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.1 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 California buttercup change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates California buttercup separately for each of the six California climate zones: very low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, very low water in the Central Valley zone, very low water in the South Coastal zone, very low 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.

Why did my California buttercup disappear in summer?

It is summer dormant, so the leaves die back as the soil dries. The roots are resting, not dead. Cut the old leaves to the ground and do not water to bring it back. Fresh leaves return after the summer rest.

When does California buttercup bloom?

It flowers from late winter into spring. The glossy, deep yellow flowers carry 9 to 17 petals on leafless stems. Bloom ends as the plant heads into summer rest.

Does California buttercup spread?

It reseeds itself readily. Let the seed heads dry on the plant, and seedlings often come up in place in late winter or spring. Pull extras while they are small if you want a tidy bed.

Will California buttercup grow in clay soil?

Yes. In the wild it often grows in clay between blue oaks, and it also takes serpentine. It handles fast or slow drainage. Clay holds rain longer, so it rarely needs a soak there.

Where does California buttercup fit in a garden?

Use it in meadows, borders and wild corners with native annuals and bulbs. Good partners include blue-eyed grass and shooting stars. Place it where its summer gap will not leave a bare hole in a key spot.

More plant watering guides

Interior Live OakBlue OakNuttall's Scrub OakVariegated Century PlantDesert AgaveThread Leaf AgavePalmer AgaveButterfly Agave

Sources