WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Phoenix rupicola, WUCOLS IV

How often to water cliff date palm in California

In July on the south coast, established cliff date palm in loam needs a deep watering about every 11 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 35 gallons a week. Cliff date palm, also called India date palm or wild date palm, is an evergreen feather palm in the date palm genus. Like its relatives, it carries long, pinnate leaves with narrow segments, drooping clusters of yellow flowers and fleshy fruits. Of the six California zones, WUCOLS rates it for just two warm southern ones.

TreePalm or cycadRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water cliff date 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 cliff date 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

  • Dig a small hole beside the trunk: dry soil a hand's depth down in summer means cliff date palm wants water
  • Lower leaves turning brown ahead of schedule in a long dry stretch can mean the palm went thirsty
  • A trunk base sitting in puddles with yellowing leaves points to overwatering
  • Fruit dropping under the crown is normal and can be raked up

How to water it

  • Build a wide, shallow basin around the trunk and fill it slowly
  • Wait for the upper soil to dry before filling it again
  • Choose a sunny, warm spot with fast drainage
  • Trim only leaves that are fully brown, wearing gloves
  • Rake fallen fruit away from paths and patios

Through the seasons

Give a new palm regular water through its first summers while the root system spreads. Established palms want moderate, deep watering in the dry season, with steady care rather than long swings between wet and dry. Flowers hang in yellow clusters, and fleshy fruits follow. In WUCOLS, cliff date palm carries a moderate water rating on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the north-central coast or the Central Valley, and the same goes for both deserts.

In pots

While small, a cliff date palm makes a feathery accent in a big, weighty tub on a warm patio. Choose a fast-draining mix. Pour in water once the upper two inches feel dry, and keep pouring until it runs out the base. During summer, look at it twice a week or so. Tip out any water that pools beneath. Through winter, hold off until the mix has dried.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Cliff Date Palm for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Cliff Date Palm as not suited to this region for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Cliff Date Palm: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan––0.780.78––
Feb––0.810.87––
Mar––1.151.3––
Apr––1.41.61––
May––1.611.95––
Jun––1.742.29––
Jul––1.982.51––
Aug––1.862.33––
Sep––1.491.86––
Oct––1.151.33––
Nov––0.840.9––
Dec––0.650.68––
Year––15.518.41––

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 not suited to this region in the Central Valley, like cliff date palm. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Sugar MapleAcer saccharumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueensland KauriAgathis robustanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCherimoyaAnnona cherimolanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple Orchid TreeBauhinia variegata (purpurea)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingToogBischofia javanicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingClustered Fishtail PalmCaryota mitisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWhite SapoteCasimiroa edulisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFilbertCorylus maximanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSpotted GumCorymbia maculata (Eucalyptus maculata)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDove TreeDavidia involucratanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRoyal PoincianaDelonix regianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingTriangle PalmDypsis decaryinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain White GumEucalyptus dalrympleananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRainbow EucalyptusEucalyptus degluptanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRoxburgh FigFicus auriculatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingIndian BanyanFicus benghalensisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes cliff date 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 cliff date palm in summer?

In July, established cliff date palm in loam needs a deep watering about every 11 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 cliff date palm need per day?

In July on the south coast, established cliff date palm needs about 5.0 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 20 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 cliff date palm change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates cliff date palm separately for each of the six California climate zones: not suited to this region in the North-Central Coastal zone, not suited to this region in the Central Valley zone, moderate 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.

What other names does cliff date palm have?

It is also called cliff date, India date palm, East Indian wine palm and wild date palm. Check the botanical name when buying. It is a true date palm relative.

Where can cliff date palm grow in California?

WUCOLS gives it a rating only in the two warm southern zones. Elsewhere it is marked not suited. Choose another palm in those areas.

Does cliff date palm have fruit?

Like other date palms, it bears drooping clusters of yellow flowers followed by fleshy fruits. Rake up fallen fruit. Plant it away from patios.

How should I water cliff date palm?

Fill a wide basin slowly, then let the upper soil dry. Skip frequent light sprinkling. Keep the routine steady.

Can cliff date palm grow in a pot?

A young plant can live in a big, weighty tub for years. Choose gritty mix that drains fast. Add water after the top two inches dry.

More plant watering guides

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Sources