WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Plumeria spp. and cvs., WUCOLS IV

How often to water frangipani in California

In July on the south coast, established frangipani in loam needs a deep watering about every 27 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 14 gallons a week. Frangipani, or plumeria, is a group of shrubs and small trees from tropical Mexico, Central America and Brazil, 8 to 30 feet tall in their homeland. Thick, semi-succulent branches hold clusters of leathery leaves near their tips. Clusters of very fragrant flowers in pink, white, red or yellow open in summer. It is frost tender, and its sap may irritate eyes and skin.

ShrubTreeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water frangipani, 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 frangipani 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

  • Mix or soil dry several inches down in summer means frangipani can take a deep watering
  • Leaves drooping and dropping in midsummer heat can follow a long dry spell
  • Soft, black branch tips in cold, wet weather point to rot, not thirst
  • Leaves dropping in cool weather can be normal for kinds that lose their leaves

How to water it

  • Water deeply in the warm months when the soil has dried
  • Keep it dry in winter, like a cactus
  • Plant in full sun in fast-draining soil
  • Avoid pruning, since the soft wood rots easily
  • Wear gloves when cutting, since the sap can irritate skin

Through the seasons

Water from spring through fall whenever the soil dries, more in summer heat. Fragrant flower clusters open through summer, sometimes followed by long, leathery seedpods. In winter, keep the plant dry, since cold, wet conditions rot the growing tips. Start watering again as days warm in early spring. WUCOLS rates frangipani low water on the south coast. In the low desert it carries a moderate water rating. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the north-central coast, the Central Valley, South Inland or the high desert.

In pots

Frangipani is most often grown in a pot, which makes its dry winter rest easy to give. Use a free-draining mix with extra grit or sharp sand. From spring to fall, water when the mix has dried, until it drains. In summer, check every few days. Never leave water in the saucer. Keep it dry in winter in a bright, airy, frost-free place, and start watering again in early spring.

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

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

Monthly water need by climate zone

Frangipani: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan––0.31––0.78
Feb––0.32––0.93
Mar––0.46––1.52
Apr––0.56––1.95
May––0.64––2.45
Jun––0.69––2.79
Jul––0.79––2.85
Aug––0.74––2.6
Sep––0.6––2.08
Oct––0.46––1.49
Nov––0.33––0.96
Dec––0.26––0.68
Year––6.2––21.08

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 frangipani. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Chenille PlantAcalypha hispidanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCopperleafAcalypha wilkesiananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSugar MapleAcer saccharumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueensland KauriAgathis robustanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCherimoyaAnnona cherimolanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingYellow Bell BauhiniaBauhinia tomentosanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple Orchid TreeBauhinia variegata (purpurea)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingToogBischofia javanicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMagic FlowerCantua buxifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingClustered Fishtail PalmCaryota mitisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWhite SapoteCasimiroa edulisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingHawaiian TiCordyline fruticosa (Cordyline terminalis)not 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 rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes frangipani, 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 frangipani need per day?

In July on the south coast, established frangipani needs about 2.0 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 8.0 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 frangipani change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates frangipani separately for each of the six California climate zones: not suited to this region in the North-Central Coastal zone, not suited to this region in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, not suited to this region in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Should I water frangipani in winter?

No, keep it dry and airy in winter, much as you would a cactus. Wet cold rots the soft shoot tips. Begin again in early spring.

Why is my frangipani rotting?

The soft wood rots easily, especially when cold and wet. Keep it dry in winter and avoid pruning. Remove rotted parts with clean cuts.

Can frangipani grow in a pot?

Yes, it grows well in pots with good drainage and a gritty mix. Repot into a slightly larger pot every other year. Repot in late winter.

Is frangipani sap harmful?

Contact with the sap may irritate eyes and skin. Wear gloves when handling cuttings. Wash after contact.

How do I root a frangipani cutting?

Take a tip cutting in late winter, let the cut end dry for a day or two, then set it in well-drained mix. Keep it barely moist. Bottom warmth helps it root.

More plant watering guides

Red Flowering GumDragon TreeCandelabra TreeMilk BushBoojumOcotilloSilver TreeNew Zealand Christmas Tree

Sources