WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Miscanthus sinensis ssp. & cvs, WUCOLS IV

How often to water eulalia grass in California

In July in the Central Valley, established eulalia grass needs about 1.9 gallons a week for a plant 2 feet across. Eulalia grass, also called maiden grass, is a large clumping ornamental grass from Asia. It grows 4 to 12 feet tall with arching leaves and feathery plumes, and it adapts to almost any soil in all but deep shade. Its wind-blown seeds spread it into the wild in the eastern states, and dry clumps are highly flammable.

Ornamental grassUC Arboretum All-StarRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water eulalia grass, 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 eulalia grass and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: the plant’s WUCOLS rating times your city’s climate for the month, over the area the plant covers. 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

  • Dry soil three inches below the surface at the clump's rim in summer means eulalia grass is ready for a drink
  • Leaf blades rolling tight and turning gray green in afternoon heat can indicate thirst
  • Leaf tips browning in midsummer can follow a dry root zone
  • Yellowing and rotting at the crown center in waterlogged soil suggest overwatering

How to water it

  • Lay a drip ring around the outside of the clump, where new roots grow
  • Wet the soil a foot deep and give the surface a chance to dry
  • Plant in sun in almost any soil, away from buildings since dry foliage burns easily
  • Cut the old foliage down in late winter before new blades appear
  • Mulch heavily around clumps to suppress seedlings

Through the seasons

Water a new clump regularly through its first summer while roots grow. Established clumps take deeper, less frequent soaks. It is deciduous, browning in fall and winter, and old foliage should be cut down in late winter as new growth begins. Four regions share one WUCOLS rating: eulalia grass is moderate water along the north-central coast, through the Central Valley, along the south coast and across South Inland. The high desert has not been evaluated, and WUCOLS marks the low desert as not suited.

In pots

Eulalia grass can grow in a large, heavy pot that will not tip in wind. Fill it with a loose mix that drains freely. Push a finger two inches in, and when the mix is dry there, soak it until water runs out below. A pot in full summer sun may want water every other day. Pour off what collects in the saucer. Cut old foliage to a few inches in late winter. The dormant clump needs little water in winter.

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

Eulalia Grass: 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 8

Rated moderate water in the Central Valley, like eulalia grass. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Tall Oat GrassArrhenatherum elatiusmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPurple Moor GrassMolinia caeruleamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySheep FescueFestuca ovina and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCreeping Red FescueFestuca rubra ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySwitch GrassPanicum virgatum ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBlack PennisetumPennisetum alopecuroides ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBlood GrassImperata cylindrica ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHyacinth OrchidBletilla striatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

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

Quaking GrassBriza medialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTufted HairgrassDeschampsia cespitosa and cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJune GrassKoeleria macrantha (cristata)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFalse Esparto GrassLygeum spartumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue FescueFestuca glauca ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBaltic RushJuncus balticuslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGiant Needle GrassStipa gigantealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLavenderLavandula spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCrape MyrtleLagerstroemia spp., hybrids & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGreek Strawberry TreeArbutus andrachnelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWinter-Blooming BergeniaBergenia crassifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyIvy Leaf CyclamenCyclamen hederifoliumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMexican FleabaneErigeron karvinskianuslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWinter JasmineJasminum nudiflorumlow 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 eulalia grass, 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 much should I water eulalia grass in summer?

In July, established eulalia grass needs about 1.9 gallons in the Central Valley, 1.4 gallons on the south coast and 1.8 gallons in the South Inland zone each week, for a plant 2 feet across. Water deeply and let the top of the soil dry before the next watering. Skip a watering after a soaking rain.

How much water does eulalia grass need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established eulalia grass 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 eulalia grass change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates eulalia grass 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 evaluated 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.

Is eulalia grass invasive?

Wind carries its seed into roadsides and woods, and several eastern states treat it as an invasive weed. Some cultivars are less fertile than others. Mulch heavily and pull seedlings.

When should I cut back eulalia grass?

Cut the foliage down in late winter or early spring, before or just as new blades appear. That clears dead growth and fire fuel. Water as new growth begins.

Is eulalia grass a fire hazard?

Yes, it has a high flammability rating. Do not plant it in the defensible space near your home. Cut back dry foliage each year.

How big does eulalia grass get?

It can grow 4 to 12 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide, depending on the cultivar. Leave room for the arching leaves. Large clumps need a wider watered area.

Can I remove an established eulalia clump?

It has a large rhizomatous root mass that is hard to dig out. Cut it down and remove as much root as possible. Repeat as new shoots appear.

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Sources