WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Carex buchananii, WUCOLS IV

How often to water curly top sedge in California

In July in the Central Valley, established curly top sedge in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.9 gallons a week. Curly top sedge is an evergreen sedge from New Zealand, with fine, upright leaves in copper-bronze to cinnamon-brown that curl at the tips. Clumps reach 1 to 2 feet tall. Its roots should not dry out, so it wants moist, well-drained soil. The brown color is natural, not a sign of thirst.

PerennialRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water curly top sedge, month by month

Your city
Plant width
2 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 curly top sedge 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 foot 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 inches down at the edge of the clump means curly top sedge needs water, since its roots should not dry out
  • The copper-brown leaf color is natural, so judge thirst by the soil rather than by how brown the clump looks
  • Leaves that go limp and lose their upright stance over dry soil can point to a thirsty clump
  • Water left standing over the crown after irrigation means too much at once, since this sedge does not tolerate submersion
  • Small insects clustered deep in a dense clump can be aphids or mealybugs, a problem more common in hot climates than a watering fault

How to water it

  • Water at the base of each clump with drip emitters, wetting the soil rather than the fine leaves
  • Soak the root zone about 8 inches deep, then water again before the top 2 inches dry
  • Mulch around the clumps to hold moisture through summer, keeping the mulch off the crowns
  • Plant in organically rich soil that stays moist but drains, in full sun to part shade
  • Run drip line through a massed planting so every clump in the group gets wet

Through the seasons

Keep a new curly top sedge evenly moist through its first summer, since it can be slow to settle after transplanting. Established clumps still want soil that stays moist. It is evergreen, holding its copper-brown leaves through winter, with good color in fall. Cut it back in late spring to refresh tired growth. Summer and early fall, before the rains, are when irrigation matters most. Winter rain covers the cool months on the coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates curly top sedge moderate water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Curly top sedge suits a large container, where its fine copper leaves contrast with green plants. Check the mix 2 inches down every few days in summer, and daily in inland heat, since the roots should not dry out. Water until it drains from the holes. Do not leave the pot standing in a full saucer, because the plant does not tolerate submersion. As an evergreen, it keeps using some water in winter, so check the mix after dry spells. Expect to replace a potted clump after a few years, since it can be short-lived.

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

Curly Top Sedge: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.78–––
Feb0.530.650.81–––
Mar0.871.091.15–––
Apr1.181.521.4–––
May1.462.081.61–––
Jun1.612.481.74–––
Jul1.612.671.98–––
Aug1.492.391.86–––
Sep1.241.81.49–––
Oct0.871.181.15–––
Nov0.470.560.84–––
Dec0.310.340.65–––
Year1217.1115.5–––

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 curly top sedge. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

DahliasDahlia spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernsNephrolepis cordifolia (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyDayliliesHemerocallis spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBegoniasBegonia & ssp. & cvs. (shade in the desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCalla LiliesZantedeschia aethiopica SHADE IN DESERTmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBicolor MonkshoodAconitum cammarummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGarden MonkshoodAconitum napellusmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySnowdrop WindflowerAnemone sylvestrismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain SandwortArenaria montanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySwamp MilkweedAsclepias incarnatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyOrange MilkweedAsclepias tuberosamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreater MasterwortAstrantia majormoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHardy BegoniaBegonia grandismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWax BegoniaBegonia semperflorensmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than curly top sedge in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

AgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyIrisesIris germanicalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyYarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain AlyssumAlyssum montanumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver SageSalvia argentealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPurple MulleinVerbascum phoeniceumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilvery YarrowAchillea clavennaelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFern Leaf YarrowAchillea filipendulinalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Native YarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWoolly YarrowAchillea tomentosalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPerennial HollyhockAlcea rosea cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain Lady's MantleAlchemilla alpinalow 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 curly top sedge, 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 curly top sedge in summer?

In July, established curly top sedge in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days in the Central Valley and about every 7 days on the south coast. 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 curly top sedge need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established curly top sedge needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 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 curly top sedge change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates curly top sedge separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, not evaluated 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 my curly top sedge dead or just brown?

Brown is its normal color. Copper-bronze to cinnamon-brown leaves with curled tips are what this sedge looks like when healthy. Judge it by the soil moisture and by fresh leaves in spring, not by color.

How long does curly top sedge live?

It is often short-lived, lasting about 2 to 3 years. It self-seeds, so young plants may replace old clumps. Good watering will not make an old clump last for many more years.

Is curly top sedge a grass?

No, it is a sedge. Sedges have solid, triangular stems, while grasses have round, usually hollow ones. It is grown for its leaves, since its flowers are small and insignificant.

Can curly top sedge grow at a pond edge?

It is used along pond and stream margins and in rain gardens. It does not tolerate being submerged. Keep the crown above the waterline.

Do deer eat curly top sedge?

Deer tend to avoid it. That makes it useful where browsing strips other plants. Deer resistance does not change its need for moist soil.

How should I plant curly top sedge for best effect?

It looks best in groups or massed. Its brown leaves need green foliage or bright flowers nearby for contrast. Plant the group in one bed so a single watering suits every clump.

More plant watering guides

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Sources