WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Ribes speciosum, WUCOLS IV

How often to water fuchsia flowering gooseberry in California

In July in the Central Valley, established fuchsia flowering gooseberry 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. Fuchsia flowering gooseberry is a spiny California native shrub with glossy, lobed leaves and hanging red flowers that draw hummingbirds from winter into spring. It grows through the rainy season and often drops its leaves in summer, more so inland. That summer rest is normal. A little extra water in spring and fall, plus mulch, can shorten it.

ShrubCalifornia nativeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water fuchsia flowering gooseberry, 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 fuchsia flowering gooseberry 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

  • During a dry spell in winter or spring, soil dry 2 to 3 inches down under a leafy, flowering plant means it can use a drink
  • Wilting new leaves on a first-year plant in spring, with dry soil beneath, call for water at the root ball
  • Leaves dropping in summer heat are its normal dormancy, especially inland, and not a sign that it needs more water
  • Yellowing leaves while clay soil stays wet through summer point to too much water rather than too little

How to water it

  • Plant fuchsia flowering gooseberry in fall, winter or early spring, not in summer as it heads into dormancy
  • Water a new plant over its root ball and nearby soil through its first one or two dry seasons
  • Give an established plant a little extra water in spring and fall, and skip deep summer soakings
  • Mulch the root area to hold moisture, keeping the mulch a few inches off the spiny stems
  • Set it in morning sun or high shade, such as under oaks, and keep it out of clay beds that get summer water

Through the seasons

Water a new fuchsia flowering gooseberry through its first one or two dry seasons, then cut back to light, occasional help. New leaves appear around the turn of the year, and red flowers follow from about January into May. Red berries can hang on into summer. In summer heat the shrub often goes dormant and drops its leaves, even with water. Winter rain covers the cool months on the north-central coast, on the south coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates fuchsia flowering gooseberry low water on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley. It rates very low water on the south coast. It rates moderate water in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

A potted fuchsia flowering gooseberry is best treated as a young plant waiting for a fall or winter planting spot. Keep the pot in morning sun or light shade, away from walls and paving that reflect heat. During spring growth and bloom, check the mix 2 inches down every few days and water when it is dry there. Soak until water runs from the drainage holes, then empty the saucer. If it drops its leaves in summer, it uses far less water, so let the mix dry further between waterings. Winter rain often covers an outdoor pot.

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

Fuchsia Flowering Gooseberry: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.080.78––
Feb0.210.260.080.87––
Mar0.350.430.111.3––
Apr0.470.610.141.61––
May0.580.830.161.95––
Jun0.640.990.172.29––
Jul0.641.070.22.51––
Aug0.60.950.192.33––
Sep0.50.720.151.86––
Oct0.350.470.111.33––
Nov0.190.220.080.9––
Dec0.120.140.070.68––
Year4.86.841.5518.41––

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 low water in the Central Valley, like fuchsia flowering gooseberry. 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 fuchsia flowering gooseberry, 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 fuchsia flowering gooseberry in summer?

In July, established fuchsia flowering gooseberry in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about once a month or less 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 fuchsia flowering gooseberry need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established fuchsia flowering gooseberry 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 fuchsia flowering gooseberry change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates fuchsia flowering gooseberry separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, very low water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not evaluated in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not evaluated 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 fuchsia flowering gooseberry lose its leaves in summer?

It is summer deciduous, and the leaf drop is stronger inland. Very hot weather sends it dormant no matter how it is watered. Extra moisture in spring and autumn, held in by mulch, can push the rest later. Do not try to stop it with heavy summer watering.

When does fuchsia flowering gooseberry bloom?

Flowers open from about January into May, after the new leaves come out. They hang in rows under the arching branches, red with long red stamens. Hummingbirds visit them heavily, and one bird may guard a single shrub.

Where should I plant fuchsia flowering gooseberry?

Keep it away from walks, patios and narrow beds, because the stems carry sharp spines. Plant it where you can see it from a window without brushing past it. Low evergreen plants in front will hide its bare summer stems.

Can fuchsia flowering gooseberry grow under oaks?

Yes. In the wild it often grows in the shade of oaks and larger shrubs, and it suits planting under native oaks. Its liking for shade and its low summer water need both fit that spot.

Does fuchsia flowering gooseberry grow in clay or sand?

It grows in beach sand, clay and serpentine soils. In clay, avoid summer water, since the ground stays wet much longer. In sand, mulch helps the soil hold spring moisture.

Is fuchsia flowering gooseberry deer resistant?

Its many thorns make it unappealing to deer. Birds and small mammals still eat the berries. The dense, spiny branches also give birds shelter.

More plant watering guides

LantanaSalviaIrisesAloeSucculentsPomegranate TreesEucalyptusPine Trees

Sources