WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon', WUCOLS IV

How often to water fine-leafed mallee in California

In July on the south coast, established fine-leafed mallee in loam needs a deep watering about every 27 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 2.3 gallons a week. Fine-leafed mallee, sold as Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon', is a small, shrubby eucalyptus from Australia. Its rounded juvenile leaves are gray-green flushed with pale purple, while mature leaves turn green and curve like a boomerang. Once established it needs only occasional to infrequent deep watering in well-drained soil.

ShrubRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water fine-leafed mallee, 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 fine-leafed mallee 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 6 inches down beneath the outer stems signals that fine-leafed mallee is ready for a deep soak
  • Leaves that stay limp into the next morning over dry soil can indicate thirst, especially on young plants
  • Wilting fresh shoots after a hard cutback can mean the root zone dried while the plant regrows
  • Yellowing leaves over ground that stays wet for days can point to poor drainage
  • Fast, soft growth that leans or flops can follow frequent watering this shrub does not need

How to water it

  • Water fine-leafed mallee at the soil around its stems with drip or a slow hose, not overhead spray
  • Soak the root zone deeply, then let the soil dry well down before the next soak
  • Plant it in full sun to light shade in well-drained soil, avoiding low spots that hold water
  • Use a thin layer of gravel or coarse mulch over the roots, kept a few inches from the base
  • Widen the watered area as the shrub fills out, and give regrowth after a hard cut extra checks

Through the seasons

Give a new fine-leafed mallee regular deep soakings through its first warm season so roots spread into the surrounding soil. After that, it needs only occasional to infrequent irrigation. It is evergreen and blooms in spring and summer, when reddish orange caps fall away from white flowers. Irrigation matters most during long dry spells in summer and fall. A hard frost can kill back the top, though the plant can resprout. On the south coast, winter rain usually covers the cool months, while low desert winters need soil checks. WUCOLS rates fine-leafed mallee low water on the south coast and in the low desert. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the north-central coast, the Central Valley, South Inland or the high desert.

In pots

Fine-leafed mallee can live in a large pot for a few years, especially when it is cut back to keep the juvenile foliage. Use a deep container with drainage holes and a fast-draining mix. In summer heat, check 2 inches down every few days and water when that layer is dry. Let water run through the holes, then pour off the saucer. In winter, water sparingly, and move the pot to shelter when a frost near 23 degrees is forecast.

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

WUCOLS lists Fine-Leafed Mallee as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Fine-Leafed Mallee: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan––0.31––0.31
Feb––0.32––0.37
Mar––0.46––0.61
Apr––0.56––0.78
May––0.64––0.98
Jun––0.69––1.12
Jul––0.79––1.14
Aug––0.74––1.04
Sep––0.6––0.83
Oct––0.46––0.6
Nov––0.33––0.38
Dec––0.26––0.27
Year––6.2––8.43

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 not evaluated in the Central Valley, like fine-leafed mallee. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Formosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingChilean Feather BambooChusquea culeou (C. breviglumis)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlackbrushColeogyne ramosissimanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGlaucous Scorpion VetchCoronilla valentina glaucanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWillowleaf CotoneasterCotoneaster salicifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMadagascar SagoCycas thouarsii (SHADE)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingIrish HeathDaboecia cantabricanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingButterfly PalmDypsis lutescens (Areca)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingUmbrella BambooFargesia murielaenot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlue Fountain BambooFargesia nitida (Sinarundinaria nitida) (BAMBOO)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPrickly HeathGaultheria mucronata (Pernettya mucronata)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingOtterbossieGossypium harknessiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBox-leaved HollyIlex crenatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBellyache BushJatropha gossypiifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain LaurelKalmia latifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBarbados CherryMalpighia glabranot 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 fine-leafed mallee, 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 water does fine-leafed mallee need per day?

In July on the south coast, established fine-leafed mallee needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.3 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 fine-leafed mallee change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates fine-leafed mallee separately for each of the six California climate zones: not evaluated in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, not evaluated in the South Inland zone, not evaluated 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.

Can I cut fine-leafed mallee for flower arrangements?

Yes. Its juvenile foliage is popular as cut greenery and holds up for about two weeks in a vase. A hard cut every few years keeps the plant shrubby and full of that young growth.

Why did my fine-leafed mallee change leaf shape?

Young growth carries small, rounded leaves, and mature growth carries longer, curved green leaves. The change is normal and not a sign of water stress. Cutting the plant back brings the rounded leaves back.

Will fine-leafed mallee survive frost?

It is hardy to about 23 degrees. Colder weather can kill back the top, but the plant can resprout. Hold back on water while it is bare, since it uses little until new shoots form.

How big does fine-leafed mallee get?

It often stays 4 to 8 feet tall and can reach 12 to 15 feet over time. Hard cutting can hold it near 4 feet. Move the watered area outward as it spreads.

Does fine-leafed mallee need full sun?

It does best in full sun and accepts light shade. Shade slows drying, so a plant in light shade goes longer between soakings. In either spot, feel the soil before watering rather than going by habit.

Can you overwater fine-leafed mallee?

Yes. It needs only occasional to infrequent irrigation once established. Frequent watering in poorly drained soil can harm the roots, so let the soil dry well down before soaking again.

More plant watering guides

Japanese LarchBush CloverTiger LilyGreat Blue LobeliaEtruscan HoneysuckleTatarian HoneysuckleGolden Flame HoneysuckleChampaca

Sources