WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Juniperus californica, WUCOLS IV

How often to water California juniper in California

In July in the Central Valley, established California juniper in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. California juniper is a native evergreen shrub or small tree of dry, rocky mountain slopes, usually 10 to 15 feet tall and often wider. Its scalelike foliage is bluish gray, its bark peels in gray strips, and its small bluish berries feed wildlife. It is very drought tolerant and alkali tolerant, and needs no water once established.

ShrubCalifornia nativeRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water California juniper, 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 California juniper 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

  • A newly planted juniper with soil dry a foot and a half down beyond its branches in its first summer is ready for a soak
  • Foliage turning dull and brown at the tips in a young plant's first hot summer can indicate a dry root ball
  • Browning from the inside out while the soil stays damp points to root rot from overwatering
  • Yellowing near lawn sprinklers suggests the root zone is too wet

How to water it

  • Water a young plant with slow, deep soaks well out from the trunk
  • Let the soil dry thoroughly before each soak in the first summer
  • Plant in full sun in fast-draining soil, including alkaline ground
  • Stop irrigation once it is established
  • Keep it away from lawns and frequently watered beds

Through the seasons

Water a new California juniper a few times through its first summer while roots go down. After that it needs no water, since its wild home gets little rain. It is evergreen and grows slowly. Winter rain is all an established plant needs in most regions. WUCOLS rates California juniper very low water on the south coast. It rates low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, in South Inland and in the high desert. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the low desert.

In pots

California juniper belongs in the ground, but a young plant can grow for a season in a deep pot of gritty mix. Water only when the mix is dry several inches down, then let it drain completely. In summer heat, check every few days. Never leave water in the saucer. Plant it out in a sunny, well-drained spot before roots circle the pot. Use a tall pot so the roots can go down.

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
0.300.610.921.20.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.300.610.921.20.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.080.310.3–
Feb0.210.260.080.350.37–
Mar0.350.430.110.520.58–
Apr0.470.610.140.640.76–
May0.580.830.160.780.95–
Jun0.640.990.170.921.14–
Jul0.641.070.211.22–
Aug0.60.950.190.931.12–
Sep0.50.720.150.740.86–
Oct0.350.470.110.530.58–
Nov0.190.220.080.360.37–
Dec0.120.140.070.270.26–
Year4.86.841.557.378.51–

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 California juniper. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

LavenderLavandula spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRosemaryRosmarinus officinalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyOlive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCrape MyrtleLagerstroemia spp., hybrids & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWild PrivetLigustrum vulgarelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCoralberrySymphoricarpos orbiculatus (SHADE)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue Leaf WattleAcacia salignalow 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 California juniper, 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 juniper in summer?

In July, established California juniper in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about once a month or less on the south coast and about every 22 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 California juniper need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established California juniper needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.7 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 California juniper change across California?

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

Yes, it grows on dry slopes in the coast ranges and Sierra and in desert mountains. It is part of pinyon-juniper and Joshua tree woodlands. It suits dry native gardens.

Are California juniper berries edible?

Its small bluish berries are listed as edible and are an excellent wildlife food. Birds and other wildlife use them. Leave them on the plant.

Does California juniper need summer water?

No, it needs no water once established. Summer irrigation can cause root rot. Water only during the first year.

Can California juniper grow in alkaline soil?

Yes, it is very alkali tolerant. Good drainage matters more than pH. Plant it in full sun.

How big does California juniper get?

Expect a slow-growing shrub or small tree that ends up roughly 10 to 15 feet high and as wide or wider. Growth is slow. Give it room to spread.

More plant watering guides

English WalnutBaltic RushRocky Mountain JuniperTrailing LantanaSweet BayEnglish LavenderSpanish LavenderTrue Myrtle

Sources