WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Hemerocallis spp. & cvs., WUCOLS IV

How often to water daylilies in California

In July in the Central Valley, established daylilies in loam need 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. Daylilies form fans of arching leaves above thick, fleshy roots. They need steady moisture while flower stalks rise and buds develop, despite the small reserve held in their roots. A soft crown or loose leaf fan over wet soil calls for a drainage check before another soaking.

PerennialRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water daylilies, 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 daylilies 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 to 3 inches down at the clump edge signals that a daylily needs water
  • Shriveled buds can follow dryness, heat or insect feeding, so check soil and buds before changing irrigation
  • Outer leaves yellowing from the tips can accompany drought, disease or normal aging rather than proving thirst
  • Smaller flowers and fewer opening buds can accompany dry roots, while each bloom fading after a day is normal
  • A soft crown with leaf fans that pull loose over soggy soil can indicate rot

How to water it

  • Water the full daylily clump and just beyond it, expanding the circle as new fans spread
  • Soak the top foot of soil so moisture reaches below the surface around the fleshy roots
  • Use drip or a slow hose at soil level to keep open blooms dry
  • Mulch around the fans while leaving the crown clear of damp mulch
  • Plant on a low mound or raised bed in clay, covering the crown with about an inch of soil

Through the seasons

Keep a new daylily division evenly moist through its first summer while roots establish beyond the planting hole. Established fans have a larger root system, but still need moisture as flower stalks rise and bloom. Continue soil checks afterward as the clump builds roots and new fans. Dormant types lose leaves as days shorten; evergreen types keep foliage through mild winters. Coastal and Central Valley rain can supply cool-season moisture, but keep checking in the deserts. WUCOLS rates daylilies moderate water in all six climate zones.

In pots

Daylilies need a roomy container for their fleshy roots and expanding fans. Check the top couple of inches often in California summer heat. Water when that layer dries, soaking until excess runs from the drainage holes. Empty the saucer so the crown does not sit over trapped water. Through winter, keep the mix barely moist. Dormant clumps need little water, while evergreen fans still warrant checks during dry weather.

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
0.761.52.33.00.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.761.52.33.00.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.780.780.740.78
Feb0.530.650.810.870.930.93
Mar0.871.091.151.31.461.52
Apr1.181.521.41.611.891.95
May1.462.081.611.952.392.45
Jun1.612.481.742.292.852.79
Jul1.612.671.982.513.042.85
Aug1.492.391.862.332.792.6
Sep1.241.81.491.862.142.08
Oct0.871.181.151.331.461.49
Nov0.470.560.840.90.930.96
Dec0.310.340.650.680.650.68
Year1217.1115.518.4121.2721.08

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 daylilies. 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 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 JulyEnglish DaisyBellis perennismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than daylilies 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 daylilies, 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 daylilies in summer?

In July, established daylilies in loam need a deep watering about every 5 days in the Central Valley, about every 7 days on the south coast and about every 6 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 do daylilies need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established daylilies need 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 daylilies change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates daylilies 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, moderate water in the South Inland zone, moderate water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water 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 water a newly planted daylily division?

Soak once to settle soil around the roots and remove air pockets. Check the small root mass separately from the surrounding bed during warm weather. Widen coverage as the new fan establishes.

How long should I run drip on daylilies?

Daylily fans spread beyond the original emitter as crowns multiply. Test moisture beside the newest fans and about a foot down after running drip.

Do daylilies grow from bulbs?

No. They grow from crowns with thick roots that can be lifted and divided. Divide after flowering or in early spring, avoiding the middle of summer heat.

Why did my daylily buds fall off?

Open a dropped bud and look for thrips or aphids before increasing water. A heat wave can also interrupt bloom even when the ground looked damp earlier. If buds are free of insects and soil is dry, restore even moisture.

Do daylilies need fertilizer?

They do not necessarily need feeding. Where useful, one light spring application is enough for most gardens. Excess nitrogen can favor leaves over flowers, and the bed should be watered after feeding.

Do daylilies need water after flowering?

Keep checking reblooming daylilies between flushes because new flower stalks can still be developing. Remove spent stalks while leaving green fans intact.

More plant watering guides

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Sources