WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Corylus avellana contorta, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Harry Lauder's walking stick in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Harry Lauder's walking stick in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 7.6 gallons a week. Harry Lauder's walking stick is grown for its corkscrew branches, bare and sculptural through winter before crinkled leaves unfurl in spring. Pale yellow catkins dangle from the leafless wood in late winter. This grafted shrub needs steadier soil moisture than a true low water plant, especially while its wide root spread is still developing.

ShrubRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water Harry Lauder's walking stick, 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 Harry Lauder's walking stick 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 several inches down under the branch canopy signals this shrub needs a deep soak
  • Leaf edges that turn brown and crisp beyond the leaf's usual crinkled shape can follow dry soil in hot weather
  • New leaves that stay small and dull through spring growth can follow a root zone kept too dry
  • Yellowing leaves over soil that stays soggy, particularly in heavy clay, point to waterlogged roots rather than thirst
  • Vigorous straight shoots rising fast from the base are usually rootstock suckers, not a signal about water

How to water it

  • Water in a ring under the full spread of branches, since fine roots extend across that shaded area
  • Apply water slowly with drip lines or a soaker hose so it soaks in without running off compacted soil
  • Spread mulch under the canopy while keeping it a few inches clear of the trunk and any sucker growth
  • Improve drainage before planting in heavy clay, since this shrub dislikes standing water at the roots
  • Widen the watered ring outward as the multi-trunked clump spreads with age

Through the seasons

Give a newly planted shrub steady moisture through its first several summers while roots establish beneath the canopy. Established plants still need a soil check through the warm months, since this shrub does not handle long dry spells the way a low water plant does. It drops its leaves in winter, when growth stops and demand falls, and rain through that season usually meets what its dormant roots need. WUCOLS rates it moderate water on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the south coast, South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Harry Lauder's walking stick can grow for years in a large container, its twisted bare branches a feature through winter. Since bare wood gives no leaf cue, check the mix several inches down through California's warm months and water once it turns dry there. Let excess drain fully from the pot and empty the saucer afterward. Choose a container with room for the wide root ball and repot before roots crowd the sides. In winter, ease off and let the mix dry further between soakings while the plant is bare.

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

Harry Lauder's Walking Stick: 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 Harry Lauder's walking stick. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

RosesRosa hybrids..bushmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAzaleasRhododendron spp. (CA native and non-native spp.)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCamelliasCamellia japonica (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGardeniasGardenia spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBird of ParadiseStrelitzia reginae (shade in desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHibiscusHibiscus rosa-sinensismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySago PalmCycas revolutamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyStar JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyArborvitaeThuja occidentalis ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBambooBambusa spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyLilacsSyringa hybrids (including Descanso hybrids)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySpireaSpiraea spp. (CA native and non native spp.)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyButterfly BushBuddleja davidii and hybridsmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed BuckeyeAesculus paviamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWestern ServiceberryAmelanchier alnifoliamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than Harry Lauder's walking stick in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

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 Harry Lauder's walking stick, 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 Harry Lauder's walking stick need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Harry Lauder's walking stick needs about 1.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 4.3 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 Harry Lauder's walking stick change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Harry Lauder's walking stick 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 suited to this region 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, 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.

Why are my Harry Lauder's walking stick leaves curling and dry at the edges?

Check the soil under the branch canopy before assuming a pest problem. Dry soil in hot weather can crisp the crinkled leaf edges beyond their normal wrinkled shape. A deep soak that reaches the full root zone usually restores healthier new growth.

Do the twisted branches need different care from a plain filbert?

The contorted growth itself does not change root needs, since roots still spread under the branch canopy like any shrub. Watch instead for straight shoots rising fast from the base, which come from the grafted rootstock. Removing those suckers keeps the plant's energy in its twisted branches.

Does heavy clay soil suit this shrub?

This shrub dislikes soil that stays soggy, so heavy clay should be amended or the shrub planted in a raised area. Standing water around the roots after rain or irrigation can lead to root trouble. Good drainage matters more here than for a true low water shrub.

Do the winter catkins mean the shrub needs more water?

No. Catkins open on bare wood in late winter regardless of soil moisture that week. Keep checking soil depth as you would at any other time of year rather than adding water just because catkins appear.

Is Harry Lauder's walking stick drought tolerant like a California native shrub?

No. WUCOLS rates it moderate water where it grows in the state, which is steadier than a true low water native. Letting its root zone dry out completely for long stretches can stress the plant.

More plant watering guides

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Sources