WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Dodonaea viscosa, WUCOLS IV

How often to water hopseed bush in California

In July in the Central Valley, established hopseed bush 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. Hopseed bush is a fast-growing evergreen shrub native to the American Southwest, northern Mexico and much of Australia. It grows 10 to 15 feet tall and wide, with long, narrow, sometimes sticky leaves and papery winged seed capsules that last for weeks. The purple-leaved form turns deep purple in cool weather.

ShrubRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water hopseed bush, 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 hopseed bush 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 6 inches down around a young shrub in its first summer calls for a deep soak
  • Leaves thinning and dropping in a long dry spell show it is due for one of its occasional deep waterings
  • Yellowing and dieback in poorly drained soil point to too much water, since it needs good drainage
  • Purple leaves fading toward bronzy green in warm weather are normal, and the color deepens as it cools
  • Damage after a hard freeze reflects cold rather than drought, since young plantings have died near 16 degrees F

How to water it

  • Water deeply at the base, wetting the soil about a foot down, then let it dry well
  • Give established shrubs only occasional deep soaks along the coast and in the Central Valley, and somewhat more inland and in the deserts
  • Plant in full sun in well-drained soil for the best leaf color
  • Prune for structure in fall and winter, with light shearing during the growing season
  • Space plants for a 10 to 15 foot spread when using it as an informal hedge or screen

Through the seasons

Water a new shrub regularly through its first summer while roots spread. Tiny flowers appear in midsummer, followed by papery seed capsules in late summer. The purple form colors most deeply in cool fall and winter weather. Plants are listed as hardy to the low to mid teens F, though young plantings are tender. WUCOLS rates hopseed bush low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. It rates moderate water in South Inland, the high desert and the low desert.

In pots

A young hopseed bush can grow in a large container in full sun for a few years before it needs open ground. Use a gritty, well-drained mix and a heavy pot with drainage holes. Through summer, feel the mix every few days and water once the top 2 inches have dried. Let water drain away, then empty the saucer. Shelter the pot from hard frost, and water sparingly in winter.

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
0.761.52.33.00.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.761.52.33.00.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Hopseed Bush: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.310.780.740.78
Feb0.210.260.320.870.930.93
Mar0.350.430.461.31.461.52
Apr0.470.610.561.611.891.95
May0.580.830.641.952.392.45
Jun0.640.990.692.292.852.79
Jul0.641.070.792.513.042.85
Aug0.60.950.742.332.792.6
Sep0.50.720.61.862.142.08
Oct0.350.470.461.331.461.49
Nov0.190.220.330.90.930.96
Dec0.120.140.260.680.650.68
Year4.86.846.218.4121.2721.08

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 hopseed bush. 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 hopseed bush, 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 hopseed bush in summer?

In July, established hopseed bush in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 days 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 hopseed bush need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established hopseed bush 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 hopseed bush change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates hopseed bush separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, moderate water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water 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 hopseed bush leaves sticky?

The leaves are sometimes naturally sticky, which is where the species name viscosa comes from. It is normal and not a sign of pests.

Why is my purple hopseed bush turning green?

Leaf color is best in full sun and cool weather. Seed-grown plants range from greenish bronze to dark purple, and the purple form can revert to green.

Can hopseed bush be used as a hedge?

Yes. It makes a good informal hedge or screen and tolerates light shearing during the growing season. Do structural pruning in fall and winter.

How cold hardy is hopseed bush?

It is often listed as hardy to about 10 to 15 degrees F, but a young planting has died at 16 degrees F. Protect new plants in a hard freeze.

Can you overwater hopseed bush?

Yes. It needs well-draining soil and looks best with only occasional deep water once established. Let the soil dry well between soakings.

More plant watering guides

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Sources