WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus (SHADE), WUCOLS IV

How often to water coralberry in California

In July in the Central Valley, established coralberry in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. Coralberry is a dense, suckering deciduous shrub native to woods of the eastern and central United States. It grows 2 to 4 feet tall and up to 6 feet wide with graceful arching stems. Its greenish white flowers are small, but clusters of pink-purple berries follow and feed wildlife. Its shredded bark adds winter interest, and WUCOLS notes that it wants shade.

ShrubRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water coralberry, 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 coralberry 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 3 inches down under the shrub in summer means coralberry can take a drink
  • Leaves wilting in afternoon sun point to too much heat and dry soil
  • New shoots popping up around the shrub are suckers, not a water problem
  • Leaves browned by deer browsing point to animals, not drought

How to water it

  • Water deeply, then let the soil dry between soakings
  • Plant in shade, as WUCOLS advises
  • Use average, well-drained soil, loamy or rocky
  • Cut out underground stems if you do not want it to spread
  • Use it as a groundcover on slopes for erosion control

Through the seasons

Water a new shrub regularly until it spreads. Established plants handle moist to dry conditions, with occasional deep water in summer, more on the north-central coast where WUCOLS rates it higher. Berries color in fall and hold into winter. WUCOLS rates coralberry moderate water on the north-central coast. The Central Valley and South Inland carry a low water rating. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the south coast, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Coralberry can grow in a large planter in shade, where its arching stems and pink berries show well. Use a well-drained mix rich in compost. Water when the top couple of inches feel dry, letting the excess drain. In summer, check every few days. Keep the saucer empty. Trim stray stems and suckers as they appear. In winter, while bare, water only when the mix dries.

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
0.400.811.21.60.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.400.811.21.60.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Coralberry: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.16–0.31––
Feb0.530.26–0.35––
Mar0.870.43–0.52––
Apr1.180.61–0.64––
May1.460.83–0.78––
Jun1.610.99–0.92––
Jul1.611.07–1––
Aug1.490.95–0.93––
Sep1.240.72–0.74––
Oct0.870.47–0.53––
Nov0.470.22–0.36––
Dec0.310.14–0.27––
Year126.84–7.37––

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 coralberry. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

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 JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue Leaf WattleAcacia salignalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySand SagebrushArtemisia filifolialow 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 coralberry, 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 coralberry in summer?

In July, established coralberry in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 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 coralberry need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established coralberry needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.7 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 coralberry change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates coralberry separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, not evaluated 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.

Does coralberry need shade?

WUCOLS notes that it needs shade. It tolerates full to partial sun elsewhere. In California heat, shade keeps it healthier.

Does coralberry spread?

Yes, it suckers and forms colonies, and it can be weedy. Remove rhizomes to control it. It makes a good slope cover.

Why doesn't my coralberry have berries?

It needs more than one genetic strain nearby to fruit. Plant several from different sources. Berries are pink-purple.

Do deer eat coralberry?

Yes, it is heavily browsed by deer. Protect young plants. Wildlife also eats the fruit.

Is coralberry poisonous?

It has low severity poison characteristics, and the fruits are the poisonous part. Eating them can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Keep pets from chewing it.

More plant watering guides

AgapanthusGeraniumsOlive TreesFig TreesCrape MyrtleWisteriaLantanaSalvia

Sources