WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Cercis canadensis, WUCOLS IV

How often to water eastern redbud in California

In July in the Central Valley, established eastern redbud in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 47 gallons a week. Eastern redbud is a small deciduous tree, often multi-stemmed, that blooms rosy pink to purple on bare branches in early spring. Heart-shaped leaves follow and turn golden yellow in fall, and flat seed pods hang on into winter. It dislikes heat stress, drought and waterlogged soil alike.

TreeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water eastern redbud, 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 eastern redbud 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

  • Dry soil 4 inches down at the canopy edge tells you eastern redbud needs a deep soak
  • Heart-shaped leaves scorching at the edges in hot weather can point to drought and heat stress
  • Wilting on one branch at a time can point to verticillium wilt or canker, which water will not cure
  • Yellowing leaves in soil that stays waterlogged suggest the roots are too wet
  • Brown seed pods hanging in winter are normal and not a sign of trouble

How to water it

  • Water eastern redbud under its canopy with drip or a soaker, wetting the full root zone
  • Soak 12 to 18 inches deep, then allow the upper few inches to dry
  • Plant a young tree and avoid disturbing its roots later, since it resents root disturbance
  • Give it full sun or part shade, with afternoon shade in hot inland gardens
  • Mulch under the canopy and widen the watered area as the multi-stemmed crown spreads

Through the seasons

Water a new eastern redbud deeply through its first summers while roots spread. Established trees still need deep soakings in hot, dry summers, since the tree dislikes heat stress and drought. Flowers open on bare wood in early spring, leaves color golden yellow in fall, and pods hang on through winter. Rain usually covers the bare months on the coast and in the Central Valley. Across the Central Valley, South Inland, the south coast and the north-central coast, eastern redbud is rated moderate water. WUCOLS lists both desert zones, the high desert and the low desert, as not suited.

In pots

A young eastern redbud can spend a few years in a large container before going into the ground. Use a pot with drainage holes and a loamy mix. During hot spells, test the mix 2 inches down every few days and water once that layer is dry. Let the excess drain and empty the saucer. Plant it out while small, since it resents root disturbance as it ages.

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

Eastern Redbud: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.780.78––
Feb0.530.650.810.87––
Mar0.871.091.151.3––
Apr1.181.521.41.61––
May1.462.081.611.95––
Jun1.612.481.742.29––
Jul1.612.671.982.51––
Aug1.492.391.862.33––
Sep1.241.81.491.86––
Oct0.871.181.151.33––
Nov0.470.560.840.9––
Dec0.310.340.650.68––
Year1217.1115.518.41––

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 eastern redbud. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Citrus TreesCitrus spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese MapleAcer palmatummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAvocado TreesPersea americanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMagnolia TreesMagnolia grandiflora ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPalm TreesSyagrus romanzoffiana (Arecastrum romanzoffianum)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyApple TreesMalus spp. (edible) e.g, 'Anna' (low chill variety for low desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPeach TreesPrunus spp. ediblemoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPersimmon TreesDiospyros kakimoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAmur MapleAcer ginnalamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernleaf MapleAcer japonicummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBox ElderAcer negundomoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyNorway MapleAcer platanoidesmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed MapleAcer rubrummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyChinese MapleAcer truncatummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed BuckeyeAesculus paviamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed HorsechestnutAesculus x carneamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than eastern redbud in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

Olive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFig TreesFicus carica 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 JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPomegranate TreesPunica granatumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyEucalyptusEucalyptus polyanthemoslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPine TreesPinus canariensislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTexas Red OakQuercus buckleyilow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPortuguese OakQuercus faginealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySoapbark TreeQuillaja saponarialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyNecklace TreeSophora affinislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBailey AcaciaAcacia baileyanalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver WattleAcacia dealbatalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen WattleAcacia decurrenslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow 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 eastern redbud, 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 eastern redbud in summer?

In July, established eastern redbud in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley, about every 11 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 eastern redbud need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established eastern redbud needs about 6.8 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 27 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 eastern redbud change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates eastern redbud 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, 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 does my redbud bloom on the trunk?

Redbud flowers can grow directly on older branches and even the trunk, a trait called cauliflory. The rosy blooms open before the leaves in early spring. It is normal and unrelated to watering.

Why is my redbud dying branch by branch?

Canker and verticillium wilt both cause dieback on redbuds, and 'Forest Pansy' is especially prone to wilt. Prune out dead branches and keep the tree evenly watered. Extra water will not cure either disease.

How long do redbuds live?

It is a fairly short-lived tree, usually under 75 years. Avoiding drought, waterlogging and root damage helps it reach that span.

What is Forest Pansy redbud?

'Forest Pansy' is a cultivar with striking purple leaves. It needs the same watering as the species, but watch it closely for verticillium wilt.

Can you overwater eastern redbud?

Yes. It dislikes waterlogged soil as much as drought. Water deeply, then let the upper soil dry before the next soak.

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Sources