WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Astrantia major, WUCOLS IV

How often to water greater masterwort in California

In July in the Central Valley, established greater masterwort in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.9 gallons a week. Greater masterwort is a clump-forming perennial with deeply lobed leaves. Its wiry stems carry pincushion flowers ringed with a ruff of petal-like bracts. Colors run from greenish white to pink and maroon. It blooms in early summer, dies down in fall and returns in spring, and it wants fertile soil that stays evenly moist yet drains.

PerennialRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water greater masterwort, 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 greater masterwort 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 foot 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 2 inches down around the clump in summer signals that masterwort needs water
  • Leaves and flowers crisping in hot, dry weather in full sun show the plant needs more water or afternoon shade
  • Few flowers in a deeply shaded spot point to too little light rather than a watering need
  • Yellowing, collapsing clumps in soil that stays wet point to poor drainage, which it does not tolerate
  • Leaves dying down in fall are normal dormancy, not drought

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the clump with drip or a soaker line, keeping the flowers dry
  • Keep the top 8 to 12 inches of soil evenly moist, watering again once the surface starts to dry
  • Plant in fertile, humus-rich soil that drains easily, in sun near the coast or light shade inland
  • Mulch with compost or leaf mold to hold moisture through summer
  • Widen the watered area as the clump fills out over a few years

Through the seasons

A new masterwort needs evenly moist soil through its first summer while the clump establishes. Established plants still need steady moisture through the dry season, since they crisp in hot, dry weather. Flowers open in early summer, and deadheading faded stems keeps more coming. The clump dies down in fall and rests through winter, when rain usually supplies it on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates greater masterwort moderate water on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley. It is marked not suited to South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the south coast, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Greater masterwort grows in a roomy pot of fertile, free-draining mix in light shade. Check the mix an inch or two down every few days in summer and water when it dries, letting the excess drain away. Empty the saucer so the roots never sit wet. Hot sun on a patio crisps the leaves quickly, so give the pot afternoon shade. After the foliage dies down in fall, keep the mix barely moist until spring growth.

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

Greater Masterwort: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.4––––
Feb0.530.65––––
Mar0.871.09––––
Apr1.181.52––––
May1.462.08––––
Jun1.612.48––––
Jul1.612.67––––
Aug1.492.39––––
Sep1.241.8––––
Oct0.871.18––––
Nov0.470.56––––
Dec0.310.34––––
Year1217.11––––

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 greater masterwort. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

DahliasDahlia spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernsNephrolepis cordifolia (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyDayliliesHemerocallis spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBegoniasBegonia & ssp. & cvs. (shade in the desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCalla LiliesZantedeschia aethiopica SHADE IN DESERTmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBicolor MonkshoodAconitum cammarummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGarden MonkshoodAconitum napellusmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySnowdrop WindflowerAnemone sylvestrismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain SandwortArenaria montanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySwamp MilkweedAsclepias incarnatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyOrange MilkweedAsclepias tuberosamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHardy BegoniaBegonia grandismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWax BegoniaBegonia semperflorensmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyEnglish DaisyBellis perennismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

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

AgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyIrisesIris germanicalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyYarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain AlyssumAlyssum montanumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver SageSalvia argentealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPurple MulleinVerbascum phoeniceumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilvery YarrowAchillea clavennaelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFern Leaf YarrowAchillea filipendulinalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Native YarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWoolly YarrowAchillea tomentosalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPerennial HollyhockAlcea rosea cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain Lady's MantleAlchemilla alpinalow 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 greater masterwort, 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 greater masterwort need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established greater masterwort 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 greater masterwort change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates greater masterwort separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, not evaluated in the South Coastal zone, not suited to this region 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.

Should I deadhead masterwort?

Yes. Leaving old flower heads to set seed delays new blooms. Once all the flowers on a stem fade, cut the stem off at the base.

Can masterwort grow in full sun?

It grows in sun or light shade, but in hot, dry weather full sun crisps the leaves. In warm inland gardens, afternoon shade and steady water keep it fresher.

Why is my masterwort not flowering?

Deep shade stops it from flowering, and dry soil in summer heat can stall it too. Give it sun or light shade and keep the soil evenly moist.

Does masterwort die back in winter?

Yes. It is a hardy perennial that dies down in fall and comes back in spring. Water lightly in winter only if the soil dries out.

What colors does masterwort come in?

Flowers range from greenish white to pink and maroon, depending on the cultivar. Each has a pincushion center inside a ruff of longer bracts. All colors need the same steady moisture.

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Sources