WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Jubaea chilensis, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Chilean wine palm in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Chilean wine palm 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. Chilean wine palm is a slow-growing feather palm with long gray-green fronds. Its massive gray trunk can reach 4 to 6 feet across at the base. It comes from dry, scrubby woodland on the ravines and ridges of central Chile and is one of the hardiest palms. Deep, infrequent soakings in well-drained soil suit it far better than frequent light watering.

TreePalm or cycadRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water Chilean wine palm, 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 Chilean wine palm 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

  • Soil dry 6 inches down beneath the crown of a young wine palm signals that it needs a deep soak
  • Slow growth in a young palm is normal for this species, so judge thirst by the soil rather than by size
  • A few lower fronds yellowing and falling on a mature palm are normal, since old leaves drop cleanly and leave a smooth trunk
  • Yellowing fronds over soil that stays wet for days point to poor drainage, since this palm needs well-drained ground

How to water it

  • Water a young palm over its root ball and a ring just beyond it with a slow hose or drip
  • Soak the soil about 18 inches deep, then let it dry well down before the next soak
  • Place emitters a foot or more out from the broad trunk base so water never collects against it
  • Plant in full sun in fast-draining soil, mounding heavy clay so water never stands around the base
  • Widen the watered ring as the trunk thickens and the crown spreads

Through the seasons

A newly planted Chilean wine palm needs deep soakings through its first two or three summers while its roots spread into the native soil. Established palms on the coast handle long dry spells, while those in the hot interior need regular deep summer soakings. It stays evergreen, and summer brings small flowers followed by round yellow fruit. Winter rain covers the cool months on the coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates Chilean wine palm low water on the north-central coast and on the south coast. It rates moderate water in the Central Valley and South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

A young Chilean wine palm grows slowly enough to live in a large, deep pot for several years. Use a gritty, fast-draining mix and check it 3 inches down every few days in summer, more often in hot inland sun. Soak it until water runs from the holes, then let the top few inches dry before the next soak. Empty the saucer after each watering. In winter, water only when the mix has dried well below the surface.

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
0.671.32.02.70.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.671.32.02.70.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Chilean Wine Palm: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.40.310.78––
Feb0.210.650.320.87––
Mar0.351.090.461.3––
Apr0.471.520.561.61––
May0.582.080.641.95––
Jun0.642.480.692.29––
Jul0.642.670.792.51––
Aug0.62.390.742.33––
Sep0.51.80.61.86––
Oct0.351.180.461.33––
Nov0.190.560.330.9––
Dec0.120.340.260.68––
Year4.817.116.218.41––

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 Chilean wine palm. 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 JulySago PalmCycas revolutamoderate 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 July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than Chilean wine palm 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 Chilean wine palm, 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 Chilean wine palm in summer?

In July, established Chilean wine palm 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 Chilean wine palm need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Chilean wine palm 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 Chilean wine palm change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Chilean wine palm separately for each of the six California climate zones: low 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, 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.

How fast does Chilean wine palm grow?

Slowly, especially while young, when it can look sparse for years. Older palms develop the massive gray trunk that makes the species striking. Extra water will not speed up its naturally slow pace, so water for health rather than size.

How cold can Chilean wine palm handle?

It is one of the hardiest palms and has taken at least 14 degrees F in cultivation. Old specimens grow in Northern California gardens. Cold damage is uncommon, so fronds browning in summer point to water or drainage first.

Are Chilean wine palm fruits edible?

The small, hard, round fruits have meat that tastes like coconut. They follow the summer flowers and ripen to yellow. Plan for fruit drop beneath the crown when siting the palm near paving.

Why is it called wine palm?

Its trunk holds large amounts of sugar that was once made into wine in Chile. That use, along with seed harvesting and a small native range, has made it an endangered species in the wild.

Does Chilean wine palm need trimming?

Mature palms shed old fronds cleanly, leaving a smooth gray trunk. Remove only fronds that are fully dead. This slow grower needs every green leaf it has.

More plant watering guides

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Sources