WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Jasminum officinale f. grandiflorum (Jasminum grandiflorum), WUCOLS IV

How often to water common jasmine in California

In July in the Central Valley, established common jasmine in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 7.6 gallons a week. Common jasmine is a semi-deciduous vine that twines up supports to about 15 feet on arching, square stems. Its leaves split into five or seven small leaflets. Sweetly fragrant white flowers with pink-tinged buds open at the shoot tips from mid-spring into fall. It does well in sun with average watering and good drainage.

ShrubRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water common jasmine, month by month

Your city
Plant width
4 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 common jasmine 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 the plant covers, 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 plant width

A shrub with its width marked from one side to the other and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the plant, from the tips of the leaves on one side to the tips on the other.

Water the whole area the plant covers, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that area.

A wider plant means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While it is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Soil dry 2 to 3 inches down at the base of the vine signals that common jasmine needs a soak
  • Limp shoot tips and fewer new flower clusters in summer heat can indicate a dry root zone
  • Leaves yellowing over soil that stays wet can indicate poor drainage around the roots
  • Some leaf drop in a cold winter is normal for this semi-deciduous vine and not a sign of thirst
  • Blackened shoot tips after a hard freeze reflect cold damage rather than a water problem

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the vine with drip or a slow hose, keeping the trellis and foliage dry
  • Soak the root zone about a foot deep, then let the top couple of inches dry before the next watering
  • Plant in soil with good drainage, adding a low mound where clay holds water
  • Mulch the root area to keep it cool while the vine climbs into the sun
  • Widen the watered area as the base of the vine spreads

Through the seasons

Keep a new common jasmine evenly moist through its first summer while roots establish and the vine climbs. Established plants take deeper soakings with the surface allowed to dry between them. The long bloom from mid-spring into fall is when water use runs highest. It is semi-deciduous and may lose some leaves in cold weather. WUCOLS rates common jasmine low water on the north-central coast. It rates moderate water in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert. Winter rain usually covers the cool months on the coast and in the Central Valley.

In pots

Common jasmine can climb a trellis set in a large container, which brings the fragrance close to a door or patio. Use a pot with drainage holes and a well-drained mix. In summer heat, check the mix an inch or two down every few days and water when it is dry there. Water until excess drains, then empty the saucer. Trim long shoots to keep the vine in scale with its pot. In winter, water lightly and protect the pot in hard freezes below about 15 degrees F.

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

Common Jasmine: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.40.780.78––
Feb0.210.650.810.87––
Mar0.351.091.151.3––
Apr0.471.521.41.61––
May0.582.081.611.95––
Jun0.642.481.742.29––
Jul0.642.671.982.51––
Aug0.62.391.862.33––
Sep0.51.81.491.86––
Oct0.351.181.151.33––
Nov0.190.560.840.9––
Dec0.120.340.650.68––
Year4.817.1115.518.41––

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 moderate water in the Central Valley, like common jasmine. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

RosesRosa hybrids..bushmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAzaleasRhododendron spp. (CA native and non-native spp.)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCamelliasCamellia japonica (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGardeniasGardenia spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBird of ParadiseStrelitzia reginae (shade in desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHibiscusHibiscus rosa-sinensismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySago PalmCycas revolutamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyStar JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyArborvitaeThuja occidentalis ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBambooBambusa spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyLilacsSyringa hybrids (including Descanso hybrids)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySpireaSpiraea spp. (CA native and non native spp.)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyButterfly BushBuddleja davidii and hybridsmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed BuckeyeAesculus paviamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWestern ServiceberryAmelanchier alnifoliamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than common jasmine in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

LavenderLavandula spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRosemaryRosmarinus officinalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyOlive TreesOlea europaea 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 JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWild PrivetLigustrum vulgarelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCoralberrySymphoricarpos orbiculatus (SHADE)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue Leaf WattleAcacia salignalow 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 common jasmine, 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 common jasmine in summer?

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

In July in the Central Valley, established common jasmine needs about 1.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 4.3 gallons a day for a plant 8 feet across. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for common jasmine change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates common jasmine separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, moderate 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.

Is common jasmine evergreen?

It is semi-deciduous, so it can drop some of its leaves in cold weather and regrow them in spring. Water less while it is partly bare.

How long does common jasmine bloom?

Bloom starts in mid-spring and keeps going into fall, with clusters at the ends of the shoots. The buds and the backs of the petals are tinged pink. Steady summer moisture supports the new shoots that carry the flowers.

How does common jasmine climb?

It twines around its supports. Give it a trellis, wire or post to wrap around. Guide young shoots onto the support while they are flexible.

How cold hardy is common jasmine?

It takes temperatures down to about 15 degrees F. In colder spots, plant it against a sheltered wall or grow it in a pot you can move. Water sparingly through winter.

Is common jasmine the same as poet's jasmine?

They are closely related and sometimes sold under each other's names. Poet's jasmine grows larger, with smaller, broader-petaled flowers that bloom only in summer.

More plant watering guides

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Sources