WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Quercus chrysolepis, WUCOLS IV

How often to water canyon live oak in California

In July in the Central Valley, established canyon live oak in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 19 gallons a week. Canyon live oak is an evergreen California native oak found in canyons across much of the state. Most trees reach about 40 feet, with taller, faster trees in wetter northern mountains. Its leathery leaves, smooth or toothed even on one tree, are dark green above and fuzzy gold-white beneath. It tolerates clay and serpentine soils.

TreeCalifornia nativeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water canyon live oak, 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 canyon live oak 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

  • Dry soil a foot down around a first-year canyon live oak in summer heat means it can use one slow, deep drink
  • New growth wilting on a sapling in a heat wave can signal thirst
  • Yellowing leaves and dieback near lawn sprinklers point to too much summer water
  • Leaves of two shapes on one tree are normal, not a sign of stress

How to water it

  • Water a young tree deeply and let the soil dry far down between soakings
  • After a few years, let summer rain-free months pass without irrigation
  • Choose sun or part shade and any soil that drains, even clay or serpentine
  • Let the tree's own leaf drop build a mulch layer
  • Keep frequent sprinklers away from the trunk

Through the seasons

Give a young tree deep, spaced-out soaks for its first few summers. After that, it needs little or no summer water, least of all near the coast. It stays evergreen all year, and it tolerates clay and serpentine soils that stop many trees. Canyon live oak carries a very low water rating from WUCOLS on the north-central coast. For the Central Valley, the south coast and South Inland, the WUCOLS rating is low water. Both desert zones are ones WUCOLS marks it as not suited to.

In pots

An acorn of canyon live oak can sprout in a tall pot, but the tree soon needs open ground. Fill a deep container with gritty, fast-draining mix. Soak it whenever the upper few inches have dried, and let every drop run out. Summer pots need a look every few days. Do not let water pool beneath it. Winter rain usually covers an outdoor pot. Move the seedling into the ground while it is young.

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
0.270.540.801.10.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.270.540.801.10.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Canyon Live Oak: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.040.160.310.31––
Feb0.050.260.320.35––
Mar0.090.430.460.52––
Apr0.120.610.560.64––
May0.150.830.640.78––
Jun0.160.990.690.92––
Jul0.161.070.791––
Aug0.150.950.740.93––
Sep0.120.720.60.74––
Oct0.090.470.460.53––
Nov0.050.220.330.36––
Dec0.030.140.260.27––
Year1.26.846.27.37––

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 canyon live oak. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

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 canyon live oak, 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 canyon live oak in summer?

In July, established canyon live oak in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 days 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 canyon live oak need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established canyon live oak needs about 2.7 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 11 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 canyon live oak change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates canyon live oak separately for each of the six California climate zones: very low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, 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 does my canyon live oak have different leaves?

Its leaves can be toothed or smooth, sometimes on the same tree. That is normal. Both kinds are dark green on top.

How big does canyon live oak get?

It usually grows to about 40 feet. In the Sierra and on the north coast it can reach 60 feet. In the south it stays smaller.

Does canyon live oak grow in clay?

Yes, it tolerates clay and serpentine soils. Good drainage still helps. Avoid frequent summer water.

What are other names for canyon live oak?

It is also called maul oak, iron oak, hickory oak and goldencup oak. Those names hint at its tough wood. It is a classic canyon tree.

Where does canyon live oak grow naturally?

It grows from southwestern Oregon to Baja California and east into Nevada and Arizona. It covers a wide range of elevations and soils. It is common in California canyons.

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Sources