WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Eschscholzia californica, WUCOLS IV

How often to water California poppy in California

In July in the Central Valley, established California poppy 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 poppy is the state flower, a short-lived perennial often grown as a cool-season annual. Silky, cup-shaped flowers in orange to creamy yellow wave on tall stems above feathery blue-green leaves from late winter into summer. It needs very little water beyond winter rain, self-sows freely and needs full sun and soil that drains.

PerennialCalifornia nativeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water California poppy, 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 poppy 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

  • Young seedlings wilting in a long dry spell before the rains return call for one deep soak
  • Foliage turning straw-brown after bloom is the normal summer rest, not a call for water
  • Flowers closed on a cloudy day or in the evening are normal, not a sign of stress
  • Yellowing, collapsing plants in soil that stays wet point to overwatering, since poppies need good drainage
  • Seedlings vanishing overnight after sowing usually means quail found them, not that the soil dried

How to water it

  • Sow seed in fall or after the first winter rains, scattered on bare soil in full sun
  • Lay twigs or branches over sown ground until the seedlings outgrow the stage quail like to eat
  • Let winter rain do most of the watering, adding a deep soak only if rain fails while plants are young
  • Stop watering once flowering ends and the leaves turn brown
  • Grow it in lean, well-drained sand or loam rather than rich garden soil

Through the seasons

Sow in fall or early winter so rain carries the seedlings through the cool months. Plants grow through winter and bloom from late winter or spring into summer, then the foliage turns straw-brown. In the ground they need little or no summer water, so let them rest or self-sow. Cultivars in white, red or pink may not persist or reseed. WUCOLS rates California poppy very low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

California poppy grows well in a wide container in full sun. Sow seed straight into a gritty, fast-draining mix in fall. During cool-season growth, water when the top inch of mix dries, and let excess run out the holes. Empty the saucer so the mix never stays soggy. In spring warmth, check the pot every couple of days. After bloom, let it dry and fade, then resow in fall.

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 Poppy: 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 poppy. 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 JulyCypress SpurgeEuphorbia cyparissiasvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia ButtercupRanunculus californicusvery 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 poppy, 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 poppy in summer?

In July, established California poppy 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 poppy need per day?

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

Yes. WUCOLS rates California poppy 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 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.

Why do my California poppies close up?

The flowers close at night and in rainy or cloudy weather, then open again in sun. This is normal and has nothing to do with water.

Should I deadhead California poppies?

Deadheading regularly brings more flowers and limits spread by seed. Leave some flower heads if you want the patch to reseed. The capsules split open to release many tiny black seeds.

Is California poppy an annual or a perennial?

It is a short-lived perennial in mild climates, often grown as a cool-season annual. It self-sows freely, so a patch can return year after year from seed.

When should I plant California poppy seeds?

Sow in fall, or after the first couple of rains in late fall or early winter. Quail love the seed and seedlings, so cover the area with twigs until the plants size up.

Can you overwater California poppy?

Yes. It is a very low water plant that needs good drainage, and soggy soil harms it. Once the leaves brown in summer, stop watering until fall.

More plant watering guides

California BuckeyeItalian ArumToyonTree of HeavenFox Tail AgaveSaltbushParry's AgaveOleander

Sources