WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Aralia spinosa, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Hercules's club in California

In July on the north-central coast, established Hercules's club in loam needs a deep watering about every 13 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 29 gallons a week. Hercules's club, also called devil's walking stick, is a large, suckering deciduous shrub or small tree from the eastern United States, usually 10 to 15 feet tall. Its stout, club-like stems are covered in sharp spines and topped with umbrella-like crowns of huge compound leaves. Big clusters of flowers in late summer feed butterflies, then black fruit feeds birds.

ShrubTreeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water Hercules's club, 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 Hercules's club 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 dry 4 inches down around the stems in summer means Hercules's club can take a deep soak
  • Huge leaves drooping or tattering in hot wind point to dry soil and exposure
  • Leaf spots on older leaves point to a fungal problem, not water
  • New spiny shoots popping up around the plant are suckers, not a water problem

How to water it

  • Water deeply, then let the upper few inches dry
  • Plant in full sun to part shade in average, well-drained soil
  • Choose a site sheltered from strong wind to protect the big leaves
  • Remove root suckers promptly to keep it from forming a thicket
  • Wear thick gloves near the spiny stems

Through the seasons

Water a young plant regularly through its first summer. Established plants want moderate, deep watering in dry months, along with shelter from wind. Flowers come in late summer, black fruit follows, and leaves drop for winter, leaving bare, spiny stems. WUCOLS rates Hercules's club moderate water on the north-central coast and on the south coast. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to South Inland, and has not evaluated it for the Central Valley, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Hercules's club can grow in a large, heavy container, which also keeps its suckers in check. Use a well-drained, humusy mix. Water when the top couple of inches are dry, until it drains through. In summer, check every few days. Empty the saucer. Keep the pot away from paths because of the spines. In winter, while it is bare, water only when the mix dries.

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

WUCOLS lists Hercules's Club as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Hercules's Club: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37–0.78–––
Feb0.53–0.81–––
Mar0.87–1.15–––
Apr1.18–1.4–––
May1.46–1.61–––
Jun1.61–1.74–––
Jul1.61–1.98–––
Aug1.49–1.86–––
Sep1.24–1.49–––
Oct0.87–1.15–––
Nov0.47–0.84–––
Dec0.31–0.65–––
Year12–15.5–––

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 evaluated in the Central Valley, like Hercules's club. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Hawthorn MapleAcer crataegifoliumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain MapleAcer glabrumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMiyabe MapleAcer miyabeinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingEverglades PalmAcoelorraphe wrightiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPink CedarAcrocarpus fraxinifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingYellowwoodAfrocarpus falcatus (Podocarpus falcatus)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNew Caledonian PineAraucaria columnaris (A. cookii)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFormosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNeemAzadirachta indicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBismarck PalmBismarckia nobilisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican HornbeamCarpinus caroliniananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingJapanese HornbeamCarpinus japonicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingChilean Feather BambooChusquea culeou (C. breviglumis)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican YellowwoodCladrastis kentukeanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlackbrushColeogyne ramosissimanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPagoda DogwoodCornus alternifolianot 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 Hercules's club, 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 Hercules's club need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established Hercules's club needs about 4.1 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 16 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 Hercules's club change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Hercules's club separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, moderate water 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.

Why is it called devil's walking stick?

Its stems, branches and leaf stalks are covered in stout, sharp spines. The stems look like clubs. Handle it with care.

Does Hercules's club spread?

Yes, it spreads by suckers and self-seeding and can form thickets. Remove suckers promptly. It is best for natural areas.

Is Hercules's club poisonous?

It has low severity poison characteristics. Handling the bark and roots may cause allergic skin reactions. Wear gloves.

Does Hercules's club attract wildlife?

Butterflies and other insects visit the flowers. Songbirds and small mammals eat the fruit. Deer rarely damage it.

How big are Hercules's club leaves?

Its compound leaves are among the largest in North America. They form umbrella-like crowns. Shelter them from wind.

More plant watering guides

Purple SpurgeUmbrella BambooBlue Fountain BambooQueen of the MeadowDropwortPrickly HeathGentianOtterbossie

Sources