WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Dracaena draco, WUCOLS IV

How often to water dragon tree in California

In July on the north-central coast, established dragon tree in loam needs a deep soak only about once a month or less: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy. Dragon tree is a slow, long-lived succulent tree from the Canary Islands and nearby Atlantic coasts. It carries rosettes of blue-green sword leaves on a thick gray trunk. It stores water in its trunk and thrives on deep, infrequent soakings. A root zone that stays wet is the quickest way to kill it.

TreeRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water dragon tree, 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 dragon tree 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

  • Soil dry 4 to 6 inches down around a young dragon tree means it is ready for a deep soak
  • Rosettes that look dull and limp at the end of a long hot spell can point to a thirsty young plant
  • Lower leaves in each rosette yellowing and falling one by one is normal shedding, not thirst
  • A soft, dark trunk base over soil that stays damp signals rot from too much water
  • Leaves turning yellow across the whole crown while the ground stays wet point to drowning roots

How to water it

  • Water infrequently but deeply, soaking the soil around the trunk and out to the edge of the rosettes
  • Let the soil dry well below the surface before the next soak, and stop watering once winter rain arrives
  • Plant in sandy or gravelly soil that drains fast, or on a mound where clay holds water
  • Keep lawn sprinklers and spray heads away from the trunk so the root zone never stays wet
  • Use gravel around the base instead of a thick organic mulch that holds moisture against the trunk

Through the seasons

Water a new dragon tree deeply but sparingly through its first summer, letting the soil dry between soakings. Once established it needs little summer water, and it grows slowly in any season. Flower panicles appear from late spring into early summer, followed by orange berries. Coastal rain usually handles the cool months, so irrigation can stop in winter there. WUCOLS rates dragon tree low water on the north-central coast and in South Inland, and very low water on the south coast. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the Central Valley, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Dragon tree grows slowly in a pot and can live for years as a patio or house plant. Use a fast-draining cactus mix in a pot with a large drainage hole. Check the mix every few days in summer heat, but water only once it is dry 2 to 3 inches down. Soak it until water runs out, then empty the saucer so the pot never stands in water. Water far less in winter. Move a potted tree under cover before a hard freeze, since it takes only brief cold near 20 degrees F.

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

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

Monthly water need by climate zone

Dragon Tree: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.15–0.080.31––
Feb0.21–0.080.35––
Mar0.35–0.110.52––
Apr0.47–0.140.64––
May0.58–0.160.78––
Jun0.64–0.170.92––
Jul0.64–0.21––
Aug0.6–0.190.93––
Sep0.5–0.150.74––
Oct0.35–0.110.53––
Nov0.19–0.080.36––
Dec0.12–0.070.27––
Year4.8–1.557.37––

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 not suited to this region in the Central Valley, like dragon tree. 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 dragon tree, 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 dragon tree in summer?

In July, established dragon tree in loam needs a deep watering about once a month or less on the south coast 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 dragon tree need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established dragon tree needs about 1.6 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 6.5 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 dragon tree change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates dragon tree separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not suited to this region in the Central Valley zone, very low water in the South Coastal zone, low 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.

Why won't my dragon tree branch?

It stays a single stem until it flowers or its growing tip is damaged. Two or more branches then form around the spent flower stalk. With its slow growth, that can take many years.

What is the red sap from my dragon tree?

It is a red resin that flows when the bark is cut or bruised. It is one source of the substance called dragon's blood. Some bleeding after pruning or damage is normal.

How cold can a dragon tree get?

It handles short dips to about 20 degrees F, and a brief freeze may mark the leaves without lasting harm. Keep the soil on the dry side through winter as well.

Can dragon tree grow near the ocean?

Yes. It tolerates wind and salt spray and makes a good seaside tree. On the south coast it needs very little summer water once established.

Are dragon tree berries poisonous?

Sources disagree. Some list the seeds as poisonous, while the California Poison Control System lists the plant as safe. Play it safe and keep the orange berries away from children and pets.

More plant watering guides

Single-Leaf Pinyon PineJoshua TreeSugar GumLemon Scented GumTipu TreeFrangipaniPink Trumpet TreeYellow Bells

Sources