WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Cinnamomum camphora, WUCOLS IV

How often to water camphor tree in California

In July in the Central Valley, established camphor tree in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 47 gallons a week. Camphor tree is a large evergreen shade tree from Japan and Taiwan. Crushed leaves and twigs smell strongly of camphor, and young bark is bright green tinged with red, aging to dark gray-brown. It handles urban conditions but drops messy berries, has surface roots, and self-seeds freely, becoming very weedy in some regions.

TreeRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water camphor tree, month by month

Your city
Canopy width
10 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 camphor tree 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 under the branches, 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 canopy width

A tree with its canopy width marked across the widest branches and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the branches, from the tips of the outer leaves on one side to the tips on the other. A tape works, or pace it out.

Water the whole circle under the branches, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that circle.

A wider canopy means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While the tree is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • When the ground under the crown is dusty a foot down in summer, camphor tree can use a long, slow watering
  • Leaves yellowing and dropping where the soil stays wet point to root rot
  • Young camphor seedlings sprouting in beds come from berries birds carried
  • A young tree with drooping new shoots in a hot, dry spell may be thirsty

How to water it

  • Run a slow hose or drip ring at the canopy edge so water soaks deep
  • Allow the soil to dry out between waterings to protect the roots
  • Keep it well back from paving and foundations because of surface roots
  • Space main branches well apart while the tree is young
  • Pull seedlings as soon as you spot them

Through the seasons

Give a young tree regular water through its first summers. Established trees need deep, infrequent soaks, less on the south coast and more in the hot interior. It stays evergreen and drops messy berries after flowering, so site it away from patios. The south coast gets a low water rating from WUCOLS for camphor tree. Moderate water is the rating for the north-central coast, the Central Valley, South Inland and the low desert. WUCOLS marks the high desert as not suited.

In pots

Camphor tree is a big shade tree that only fits a container while young. Pick a deep pot with a fast-draining mix. Pour water in once the top few inches have dried, and stop when it runs out the base. In summer heat, look at it every few days. Never let it sit in water, since wet roots rot. Move it into the ground early, well away from walks and pipes.

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
0.711.42.12.90.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.711.42.12.90.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Camphor Tree: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.310.78–0.78
Feb0.530.650.320.87–0.93
Mar0.871.090.461.3–1.52
Apr1.181.520.561.61–1.95
May1.462.080.641.95–2.45
Jun1.612.480.692.29–2.79
Jul1.612.670.792.51–2.85
Aug1.492.390.742.33–2.6
Sep1.241.80.61.86–2.08
Oct0.871.180.461.33–1.49
Nov0.470.560.330.9–0.96
Dec0.310.340.260.68–0.68
Year1217.116.218.41–21.08

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 camphor tree. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Citrus TreesCitrus spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese MapleAcer palmatummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAvocado TreesPersea americanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMagnolia TreesMagnolia grandiflora ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPalm TreesSyagrus romanzoffiana (Arecastrum romanzoffianum)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyApple TreesMalus spp. (edible) e.g, 'Anna' (low chill variety for low desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPeach TreesPrunus spp. ediblemoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPersimmon TreesDiospyros kakimoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAmur MapleAcer ginnalamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernleaf MapleAcer japonicummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBox ElderAcer negundomoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyNorway MapleAcer platanoidesmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed MapleAcer rubrummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyChinese MapleAcer truncatummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed BuckeyeAesculus paviamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed HorsechestnutAesculus x carneamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than camphor tree in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

Olive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFig TreesFicus carica 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 JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPomegranate TreesPunica granatumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyEucalyptusEucalyptus polyanthemoslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPine TreesPinus canariensislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTexas Red OakQuercus buckleyilow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPortuguese OakQuercus faginealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySoapbark TreeQuillaja saponarialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyNecklace TreeSophora affinislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBailey AcaciaAcacia baileyanalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver WattleAcacia dealbatalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen WattleAcacia decurrenslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow 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 camphor tree, 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 camphor tree in summer?

In July, established camphor tree in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 days on the south coast and about every 9 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 camphor tree need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established camphor tree needs about 6.8 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 27 gallons a day under a 20 foot canopy. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for camphor tree change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates camphor tree separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Is camphor tree invasive?

It self-seeds easily, and birds spread its berries. It has become very weedy in some regions. Pull seedlings and consider natives.

Why does camphor tree smell?

Crushed leaves and twigs release a strong camphor scent. The wood and leaves are a commercial source of camphor. It is an easy way to identify it.

Do camphor tree roots cause problems?

Surface roots can be an issue. Plant it away from paving and foundations. Deep watering encourages deeper roots.

Is camphor tree messy?

The berries that follow flowering can be quite messy. Plant it away from foot traffic. Rake them up.

What problems affect camphor tree?

It resists most pests, though scale and mites can appear. Root rot follows wet soil. Do not overwater.

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Sources