WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Caesalpinia pulcherrima (deciduous in desert), WUCOLS IV

How often to water dwarf poinciana in California

In July in the Central Valley, established dwarf poinciana 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. Dwarf poinciana, also called pride of Barbados, is a fast-growing, prickly shrub with fern-like leaves. Its red and orange flowers carry long red stamens. It loves heat and full sun and tolerates some drought once mature. It needs soil that drains well, and it drops its leaves in cold winters.

ShrubRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water dwarf poinciana, 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 dwarf poinciana 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 to 4 inches down near the stems in summer means dwarf poinciana is ready for a deep soak
  • Leaflets yellowing and dropping in midsummer heat, over dry soil, point to a thirsty shrub
  • Leaf drop after the first cold nights is normal, especially in the deserts, and is not a sign of thirst
  • Wilting and dieback over poorly drained soil can point to mushroom root rot
  • Sticky residue and small bumps along the stems point to scale insects rather than a watering issue

How to water it

  • Water deeply but infrequently through the growing season, the pattern this shrub does best on
  • Let the soil dry several inches down between summer soakings
  • Plant in full sun in soil that drains freely, never in a low, soggy spot
  • Keep water light from fall through winter while the shrub is bare or growing slowly
  • Lay drip emitters before the shrub fills in, since its prickly stems make later work painful

Through the seasons

Water a new dwarf poinciana regularly through its first summer, then switch to deep, occasional soakings. It flowers through the warm months, and where frost comes it blooms mostly from late summer into fall. Seed pods follow and split open when ripe. Cold winters strip its leaves, and desert plants usually stay bare until spring, so winter watering can nearly stop. WUCOLS rates dwarf poinciana moderate water in South Inland. Low water is its rating in the low desert, the high desert, the Central Valley, the south coast and the north-central coast.

In pots

Dwarf poinciana grows well in a large container in full sun, which helps where winters turn cold. Use a fast-draining mix. In summer heat, check the mix every couple of days and water deeply once the top 2 inches are dry. Let the excess run out, and do not leave the pot standing in a saucer. After leaf drop in winter, water only lightly, and move the pot to a sheltered spot during frost.

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
0.631.31.92.50.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.631.31.92.50.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Dwarf Poinciana: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.310.780.30.31
Feb0.210.260.320.870.370.37
Mar0.350.430.461.30.580.61
Apr0.470.610.561.610.760.78
May0.580.830.641.950.950.98
Jun0.640.990.692.291.141.12
Jul0.641.070.792.511.221.14
Aug0.60.950.742.331.121.04
Sep0.50.720.61.860.860.83
Oct0.350.470.461.330.580.6
Nov0.190.220.330.90.370.38
Dec0.120.140.260.680.260.27
Year4.86.846.218.418.518.43

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 dwarf poinciana. 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 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 dwarf poinciana, 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 dwarf poinciana in summer?

In July, established dwarf poinciana in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 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 dwarf poinciana need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established dwarf poinciana 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 dwarf poinciana change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates dwarf poinciana separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, low water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, low water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Are dwarf poinciana seeds poisonous?

Yes. The seeds can cause stomach upset if eaten, and the plant is listed as a problem for children, dogs and cats. Pick off pods before they split if kids or pets play nearby.

Why isn't my dwarf poinciana blooming?

It needs full sun and summer heat to flower well. Where frost comes, bloom often waits until late summer and fall. Keep to deep, occasional soakings rather than frequent light ones.

Is dwarf poinciana a bird of paradise?

No. It is a shrub in the pea family that is sometimes sold as red bird of paradise. It is not related to the strelitzia commonly called bird of paradise.

Does dwarf poinciana lose its leaves in winter?

Yes, in cold winters, and desert plants are usually leafless until spring. Plants in mild coastal gardens may stay green. Water a bare shrub only lightly until new leaves appear.

Do hummingbirds visit dwarf poinciana?

Yes. Hummingbirds and butterflies visit the flowers. Its prickly stems make it a poor choice beside paths, so plant it where visitors can watch from a short distance.

More plant watering guides

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Sources