WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Celtis sinensis, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Chinese hackberry in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Chinese hackberry 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. Chinese hackberry is a fast-growing, deciduous to semi-evergreen shade tree from eastern China, Japan and Korea, 40 to 60 feet tall with a low, wide canopy. Its finely toothed leaves turn yellow in fall, and small orange to reddish brown fruits follow spring flowers. It is tough, but its roots can damage paving and it can naturalize by seed.

TreeRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water Chinese hackberry, 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 Chinese hackberry 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 a foot down under the canopy in summer means Chinese hackberry can take a deep soak
  • Leaves yellowing and dropping early in a long dry spell can indicate drought stress
  • Seedlings appearing around the garden come from bird-spread fruit, not water
  • Dense, contorted twig clusters on branch tips are witches' broom, not a water issue

How to water it

  • Water deeply and infrequently so roots grow down
  • Let the upper soil dry well between soakings
  • Plant in full sun in well-drained soil
  • Keep it away from driveways and sidewalks
  • Prune young trees to a single strong trunk

Through the seasons

Water a young tree regularly through its first few summers. Established trees are tough and need only occasional deep soaks near the coast, with steadier water in the hotter Central Valley, South Inland and the deserts. Leaves turn yellow in fall and drop. WUCOLS rates Chinese hackberry low water on the north-central coast. In the Central Valley, South Inland, the high desert and the low desert it carries a moderate water rating. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the south coast.

In pots

Chinese hackberry is a large shade tree that only fits a pot as a young sapling, so treat a container as a short stop. Use a deep container with a well-drained mix. Water when the top few inches dry, and soak until it drains. In summer, check every couple of days, since fast growth uses water quickly. Do not let it stand in water. Plant it out early, well away from paving.

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
0.761.52.33.00.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.761.52.33.00.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Chinese Hackberry: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.4–0.780.740.78
Feb0.210.65–0.870.930.93
Mar0.351.09–1.31.461.52
Apr0.471.52–1.611.891.95
May0.582.08–1.952.392.45
Jun0.642.48–2.292.852.79
Jul0.642.67–2.513.042.85
Aug0.62.39–2.332.792.6
Sep0.51.8–1.862.142.08
Oct0.351.18–1.331.461.49
Nov0.190.56–0.90.930.96
Dec0.120.34–0.680.650.68
Year4.817.11–18.4121.2721.08

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 Chinese hackberry. 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 Chinese hackberry 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 Chinese hackberry, 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 Chinese hackberry in summer?

In July, established Chinese hackberry in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley 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 Chinese hackberry need per day?

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

Yes. WUCOLS rates Chinese hackberry separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, not suited to this region in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, moderate water 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.

Will Chinese hackberry roots damage paving?

Its roots can damage driveways, sidewalks and roads. Plant it well away from paving. Deep, infrequent watering encourages deeper roots.

Is Chinese hackberry invasive?

It can naturalize by seed, and it is a noxious weed in parts of South Africa and Australia. Pull seedlings. Native hackberries are an alternative.

Is Chinese hackberry messy?

Dried fruits falling to the ground can be a litter problem. Plant it away from patios. Wildlife eats the fruit.

How fast does Chinese hackberry grow?

It grows fast to 40 to 60 feet with a wide canopy. It can live a long time. Prune young trees for strong structure.

Does Chinese hackberry need full sun?

Yes, it thrives in full sun and hot summers. Shade can leave weak wood that dies back. Give it an open site.

More plant watering guides

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Sources