WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Acer campestre, WUCOLS IV

How often to water hedge maple in California

In July in the Central Valley, established hedge maple in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 47 gallons a week. Hedge maple is a small, dense deciduous tree often trained as a clipped hedge or compact shade tree. It accepts several soil textures, including clay with good drainage, and tolerates urban conditions. Established plantings get by on moderate watering, though newly set trees need closer attention while roots spread.

TreeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water hedge maple, 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 hedge maple 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

  • Soil still dry 3 to 4 inches down at a hedge maple's drip line calls for a deep soak
  • Brown, crisp leaf edges call for checking soil moisture and inspecting the canopy for other damage
  • Leaves still wilted in the morning warrant a moisture check before another soak
  • Persistently wet ground beneath the hedge suggests overwatering or a drainage problem
  • A clipped hedge showing uneven, patchy growth along its length warrants a check for uneven watering

How to water it

  • Spread water under the full canopy or hedge line instead of at one point near the trunk
  • Soak the ground about a foot down, then hold off watering again until the top layer dries
  • Use drip lines spaced along a hedge row instead of a single emitter per plant
  • Mulch beneath the canopy or hedge line to slow evaporation and moderate soil temperature
  • Widen the watered band outward each year as the canopy or hedge row fills in

Through the seasons

During its first year, check the hedge maple root ball and nearby soil as the planting establishes. This deciduous tree has foliage through the growing season and loses it in fall; check moisture most closely during warm, dry weather. Established trees tolerate some dry soil, but their landscape water rating remains moderate. Winter rain usually covers the dormant season where this tree is rated. WUCOLS rates hedge maple moderate water on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the south coast or South Inland. WUCOLS marks the high desert as not suited to this tree, and the low desert carries the same rating.

In pots

A young hedge maple often starts out in a nursery container before it goes into open ground or a hedge row. Check the mix with a finger a couple of inches down during hot weather, since a crowded container dries out faster than garden soil. Water slowly and let it run through the drainage holes, emptying the saucer afterward so roots do not sit wet. Group several young plants together if raising a future hedge, spacing the pots so air can move between them. Ease off watering in winter, checking that the mix has not dried out completely.

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

Hedge Maple: 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 hedge maple. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Citrus TreesCitrus spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese MapleAcer palmatummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAvocado TreesPersea americanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMagnolia TreesMagnolia grandiflora ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPalm TreesSyagrus romanzoffiana (Arecastrum romanzoffianum)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyApple TreesMalus spp. (edible) e.g, 'Anna' (low chill variety for low desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPeach TreesPrunus spp. ediblemoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPersimmon TreesDiospyros kakimoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAmur MapleAcer ginnalamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernleaf MapleAcer japonicummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBox ElderAcer negundomoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyNorway MapleAcer platanoidesmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed MapleAcer rubrummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyChinese MapleAcer truncatummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed BuckeyeAesculus paviamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed HorsechestnutAesculus x carneamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

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

Olive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFig TreesFicus carica 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 JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPomegranate TreesPunica granatumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyEucalyptusEucalyptus polyanthemoslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPine TreesPinus canariensislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTexas Red OakQuercus buckleyilow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPortuguese OakQuercus faginealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySoapbark TreeQuillaja saponarialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyNecklace TreeSophora affinislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBailey AcaciaAcacia baileyanalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver WattleAcacia dealbatalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen WattleAcacia decurrenslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow 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 hedge maple, 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 hedge maple need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established hedge maple needs about 6.8 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 27 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 hedge maple change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates hedge maple 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 evaluated 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.

How is hedge maple different from other ornamental maples?

Hedge maple has a rounded crown and can reach about 25 to 35 feet tall and wide if left as a tree. Its leaves have three to five rounded lobes. It also accepts substantial pruning for a hedge or screen.

Can hedge maple be grown as a hedge?

Yes, hedge maple can be pruned into a screening hedge. Space plants closer together than you would for a single specimen tree. Water the full hedge row evenly rather than concentrating on just a few plants.

Does hedge maple tolerate heat and drought?

It tolerates dry soil, but its rated California regions still have a moderate water requirement. Check a new tree or hedge closely while roots establish. The sources do not support treating it as drought proof or assuming superior heat tolerance to other maples.

Can hedge maple grow near sidewalks or driveways?

Hedge maple is used as a street tree and tolerates soil compaction and air pollution. Allow room for its mature crown and roots when choosing a site beside paving. Check moisture in the available planting area rather than watering only beside the trunk.

Why are my hedge maple leaves scorched at the edges?

Brown margins alone do not identify the cause of leaf damage. Check moisture around the tree and inspect affected leaves, since hedge maple can also suffer disease. Avoid repeatedly soaking already-wet soil while trying to correct scorched foliage.

More plant watering guides

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Sources