WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Eucalyptus gunnii, WUCOLS IV

How often to water cider gum in California

In July in the Central Valley, established cider gum 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. Cider gum is a fast-growing evergreen tree from Tasmania with peeling cream and brown bark. Young growth carries round, bright blue-gray juvenile leaves, while mature leaves are long, narrow and gray green. Small white flower clusters are followed by woody capsules. It wants full sun, slightly acidic soil and shelter while young.

TreeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water cider gum, 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 cider gum 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

  • A young cider gum with ground dry two feet down past its branch tips in an early summer needs a long soak
  • A sparse, drooping crown during a heat wave suggests the tree is short of water
  • Bark shedding in long strips is part of the tree's normal cycle
  • Leaves yellowing and shoots dying back where the soil stays wet point to too much water

How to water it

  • Set soakers in a broad circle well away from the trunk for a young tree
  • Wet the soil about 2 feet down, and allow it to dry thoroughly before repeating
  • Choose full sun and slightly acidic, free-draining ground, sheltered from wind while young
  • Keep it away from lawns and other wet areas once established
  • Cut back hard every year or two if you want to keep the round juvenile leaves

Through the seasons

Water a young cider gum deeply through its first summers while roots spread. Established trees are low water and need only occasional deep soaks in long dry spells. It is evergreen and fast-growing, and hard pruning keeps it in its juvenile blue-leaved stage. WUCOLS rates cider gum low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. South Inland carries the same low water rating. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Cider gum is often grown in a large pot for its blue juvenile foliage, kept small by regular cutting back. Use well-drained mix. Water when the top few inches are dry, soaking until water drains away. In summer heat, check every couple of days, since fast growth dries a pot quickly. Empty the saucer. In winter, water when the mix is dry and shelter the pot from wind.

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

Cider Gum: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.310.31––
Feb0.210.260.320.35––
Mar0.350.430.460.52––
Apr0.470.610.560.64––
May0.580.830.640.78––
Jun0.640.990.690.92––
Jul0.641.070.791––
Aug0.60.950.740.93––
Sep0.50.720.60.74––
Oct0.350.470.460.53––
Nov0.190.220.330.36––
Dec0.120.140.260.27––
Year4.86.846.27.37––

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 cider gum. 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 cider gum, 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 cider gum in summer?

In July, established cider gum 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 cider gum need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established cider gum 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 cider gum change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates cider gum separately for each of the six California climate zones: 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 evaluated in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not evaluated in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

How do I keep cider gum leaves round and blue?

Cut it back hard regularly, which keeps it producing juvenile foliage. Mature growth has long, gray-green leaves. Water well after a hard cut.

How big does cider gum get?

Left unpruned, it becomes a large tree over 40 feet tall. Cut back yearly, it can stay shrub-sized. Plan for its full size if you will not prune.

Why is my cider gum bark peeling?

Peeling cream and brown bark is normal for this tree. It reveals fresh bark beneath. No change in watering is needed.

What pests affect cider gum?

Eucalyptus gall wasp and psyllids, called suckers, can attack it. Silver leaf and honey fungus may also occur. Keep it unstressed with deep, infrequent water.

Can cider gum grow in a pot?

Yes, young trees are popular container plants for their blue foliage. Prune hard to keep them small. Water more often than trees in the ground.

More plant watering guides

Lamb's EarsMother of ThymeSweet AcaciaChaste TreeRoger's Red GrapeWhite Rain LilyDouble Knock Out RoseCat Thyme

Sources