WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Magnolia officinalis, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Houpu magnolia in California

In July on the north-central coast, established Houpu magnolia 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. Houpu magnolia is a deciduous tree from China with huge, pale green leaves up to 18 inches long and upright branches. In late spring it opens fragrant, cup-shaped, creamy white flowers. It grows in moist but well-drained, neutral to acid soil in full sun or partial shade. It wants shelter from cold winds, and late frosts can damage the flowers.

TreeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water Houpu magnolia, 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 Houpu magnolia 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 under the canopy in summer signals Houpu magnolia wants a deep soak
  • Big leaves drooping or scorching at the edges in hot wind can follow dry soil
  • Leaves browning and dropping early in late summer can indicate drought stress
  • Yellowing leaves over soggy, poorly drained soil point to root trouble from overwatering

How to water it

  • Water slowly at the drip line with drip or a soaker
  • Soak the soil a foot or more deep, then let the top few inches dry
  • Plant in moist but well-drained, neutral to acid soil
  • Choose a spot sheltered from strong, cold winds
  • Prune lightly, and only between midsummer and early autumn

Through the seasons

Give a young tree regular deep water through its first few summers. Established trees want moderate, deep soaks in dry months and a mulched root zone that stays cool. It flowers in late spring and drops its leaves in fall. Shelter from wind protects both leaves and blooms. WUCOLS rates Houpu magnolia moderate water on the north-central coast and the south coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley, South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Houpu magnolia grows into a large tree, so a pot is only a short stop for a young plant. Use a big container with a rich, well-drained, slightly acid mix. Water when the top couple of inches dry, until water drains out. Its large leaves lose water fast in summer, so check every few days. Keep the saucer empty. In winter, while 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 Houpu Magnolia for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Houpu Magnolia as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Houpu Magnolia: 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 Houpu magnolia. 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 ratingAmerican YellowwoodCladrastis kentukeanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPagoda DogwoodCornus alternifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGiant DogwoodCornus controversanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingButterfly PalmDypsis lutescens (Areca)not 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 Houpu magnolia, 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 Houpu magnolia need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established Houpu magnolia 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 Houpu magnolia change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Houpu magnolia 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 evaluated 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.

When does Houpu magnolia bloom?

It flowers in late spring. The cup-shaped, creamy white flowers are fragrant. Late frosts can damage them.

How big are Houpu magnolia leaves?

They can reach about 18 inches long. Large leaves dry out quickly in wind. Plant it in a sheltered spot.

When should I prune Houpu magnolia?

Deciduous magnolias should only be pruned between midsummer and early autumn. Keep pruning minimal. Water well afterward.

What soil does Houpu magnolia need?

It wants moist but well-drained soil that is neutral to acid. Add compost at planting. Avoid soggy ground.

What pests bother Houpu magnolia?

Scale insects and capsid bugs can attack it. Coral spot and Phytophthora can also occur. Good drainage helps prevent root disease.

More plant watering guides

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Sources