WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Quercus muehlenbergii, WUCOLS IV

How often to water chinquapin oak in California

In July in the Central Valley, established chinquapin oak 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. Chinquapin oak is a white oak from the eastern and central United States, often found on limestone outcrops and rocky uplands. It grows into a wide, rounded tree 40 to 60 feet tall with light gray bark and leaves up to 7 inches long with coarse, rounded teeth. Unlike most white oaks, it handles alkaline soil, and a long taproot makes it hard to move.

TreeRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water chinquapin 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 chinquapin 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 young chinquapin oak in its first summers means it is ready for a slow soak
  • Leaves browning at the edges on a young tree during a heat wave suggest the roots ran dry
  • Leaves wilting by afternoon on a newly planted tree point to thirst
  • Yellowing leaves in soggy ground near a lawn point to too much water

How to water it

  • Water a young tree deeply, letting the soil dry well between soakings
  • Cut back to occasional deep summer soaks once the tree is established
  • Plant in full sun in well-drained soil, alkaline soil included
  • Plant it young, since the taproot makes later moves hard
  • Mulch the root zone and keep mulch off the trunk

Through the seasons

Water a young tree through its first few summers until the taproot reaches deep soil. After that, it needs only occasional deep water near the coast and more steady soaks in hotter zones. It leafs out in spring, bears acorns each year and drops its leaves in fall. WUCOLS rates chinquapin oak low water on the north-central coast, in South Inland and in the high desert. The Central Valley and the low desert carry a moderate water rating. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the south coast.

In pots

Chinquapin oak belongs in the ground, and its long taproot makes long stays in a pot a poor idea. A seedling can spend a season or two in a tall, deep container of well-drained mix. Water when the upper few inches dry, letting it drain fully. In summer heat, check every few days. Keep water out of the saucer. Plant it out early, while the root is still easy to handle.

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

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.4–0.310.30.78
Feb0.210.65–0.350.370.93
Mar0.351.09–0.520.581.52
Apr0.471.52–0.640.761.95
May0.582.08–0.780.952.45
Jun0.642.48–0.921.142.79
Jul0.642.67–11.222.85
Aug0.62.39–0.931.122.6
Sep0.51.8–0.740.862.08
Oct0.351.18–0.530.581.49
Nov0.190.56–0.360.370.96
Dec0.120.34–0.270.260.68
Year4.817.11–7.378.5121.08

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 chinquapin oak. 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 chinquapin oak 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 chinquapin 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 chinquapin oak in summer?

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

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

Yes. WUCOLS rates chinquapin oak 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 evaluated in the South Coastal zone, low water in the South Inland zone, low 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.

Does chinquapin oak grow in alkaline soil?

Yes, unlike most white oaks, it tolerates alkaline soil and prefers a pH of 6.5 to 8. That suits many inland soils. Good drainage still matters.

Can I transplant chinquapin oak?

A long taproot makes it difficult to transplant. Plant it young where it will stay. Water it well the first summers.

How big does chinquapin oak get?

It grows 40 to 60 feet tall and 50 to 70 feet wide. It makes a good shade tree for a large yard. Give it room.

Is chinquapin oak a good street tree?

It can be a good shade or street tree, though it is hard to find in nurseries. It is relatively pest free. It resists oak wilt.

Does chinquapin oak help wildlife?

Yes, it bears acorns every year and feeds and shelters many animals. Half of each acorn sits in a thin gray cup. Leave some acorns for wildlife.

More plant watering guides

DayliliesBegoniasIvyApple TreesPeach TreesPersimmon TreesGrapevinesArborvitae

Sources