How often to water house leek in California
In July in the Central Valley, established house leek in loam needs a deep watering about every 14 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 0.8 gallons a week. House leek, often sold as hens and chicks, is a small evergreen succulent that grows in tight rosettes of fleshy, pointed leaves. Each rosette is ringed by offsets, and the colony slowly builds a mat. It stores water in its leaves and needs little irrigation, and soggy soil harms it far more than a dry spell.
How often to water house leek, month by month
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.
How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1 foot 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.
How to tell it needs water
- Rosettes that look shriveled after a long dry spell show the soil has run dry, and they plump up again after a soak
- Soil completely dry at least an inch down around the mat is the point to water, not before
- A rosette that comes loose with a gentle tug, with few healthy roots, points to root rot from soil that stays wet
- Soft, rotting leaves at the base of a rosette over damp soil point to overwatering rather than thirst
- A rosette stretching up into a flower stalk will die after it blooms, however it is watered
How to water it
- Plant house leek in gritty, fast-draining soil on a mound, a slope or a rock crevice where water never stands
- Water the soil around the mat slowly until it is moist through the root zone, then let it dry completely an inch or more down
- Topdress with fine gravel or grit so wet soil stays off the leaves and away from the rosette bases
- Keep it out of heavy clay and away from beds watered for thirstier plants
- Widen the watered patch as offsets spread the colony, and fill gaps left by flowered rosettes with spare offsets
Through the seasons
Water a new planting thoroughly once, then let the soil dry before the next soak while roots take hold. Established mats get by on very little. House leek stays evergreen all year. A rosette flowers in summer after two or three growing seasons, then dies as its offsets fill in. A soak helps most during dry spells in spring and summer. WUCOLS rates house leek low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in South Inland. Winter rain usually covers the cool months along the coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert.
In pots
House leek suits shallow pots, troughs and dish gardens filled with gritty cactus mix, in a container with drainage holes. In California summer heat, check the mix every few days and water only when it is dry an inch or more down. Soak until water runs from the holes, then empty the saucer. Rosettes can sunburn in intense sun, so give the pot afternoon shade in hot inland gardens. In winter, rain can keep an outdoor pot wet for days, so move it under cover if the mix stays soggy.
- A year
- 6.84 gal per sq ft
- Reference
- Sacramento climate table
- Counts
- Plant need, before sprinkler losses
Monthly water need by climate zone
House Leek: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone
| Month | N. Coast | C. Valley | S. Coast | S. Inland | Hi Desert | Lo Desert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.15 | 0.16 | 0.31 | 0.31 | – | – |
| Feb | 0.21 | 0.26 | 0.32 | 0.35 | – | – |
| Mar | 0.35 | 0.43 | 0.46 | 0.52 | – | – |
| Apr | 0.47 | 0.61 | 0.56 | 0.64 | – | – |
| May | 0.58 | 0.83 | 0.64 | 0.78 | – | – |
| Jun | 0.64 | 0.99 | 0.69 | 0.92 | – | – |
| Jul | 0.64 | 1.07 | 0.79 | 1 | – | – |
| Aug | 0.6 | 0.95 | 0.74 | 0.93 | – | – |
| Sep | 0.5 | 0.72 | 0.6 | 0.74 | – | – |
| Oct | 0.35 | 0.47 | 0.46 | 0.53 | – | – |
| Nov | 0.19 | 0.22 | 0.33 | 0.36 | – | – |
| Dec | 0.12 | 0.14 | 0.26 | 0.27 | – | – |
| Year | 4.8 | 6.84 | 6.2 | 7.37 | – | – |
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 house leek. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.
AgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
GeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
SalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
IrisesIris germanicalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
AloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
SucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Russian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
YarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Mountain AlyssumAlyssum montanumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Silver SageSalvia argentealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Purple MulleinVerbascum phoeniceumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Silvery YarrowAchillea clavennaelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Fern Leaf YarrowAchillea filipendulinalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
California Native YarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Woolly YarrowAchillea tomentosalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Perennial HollyhockAlcea rosea cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTurn this into minutes on your water days
Every city page has a calculator that takes house leek, 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 house leek in summer?
In July, established house leek in loam needs a deep watering about every 14 days in the Central Valley, about every 18 days on the south coast and about every 14 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 house leek need per day?
In July in the Central Valley, established house leek needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 4 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 house leek change across California?
Yes. WUCOLS rates house leek 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, low water 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 are my hens and chicks shriveling?
Long dry periods make the rosettes shrivel, and they revive after rain or a soak. Check the soil an inch down before you water. If the soil is wet and the rosette is soft at the base, rot is the more likely cause.
Does house leek die after it flowers?
Yes, the rosette that flowers dies afterward, though it often takes a few seasons to bloom. Its offsets carry on and fill the space. Pull out the dead rosette and tuck a spare offset into the gap.
How do I propagate house leek?
Lift a rooted offset and replant it in gritty soil. If an offset has no roots yet, snip it from its stem and press it onto a pot of gritty mix. Keep it lightly moist and out of direct sun until it roots, which takes a few weeks.
Can house leek grow in full sun in California?
It likes plenty of sun, but it handles heat less well than many succulents. Intense sun can bleach or burn the leaves. In hot inland gardens, choose a spot with afternoon shade.
Can house leek survive frost?
Yes. It is one of the most cold hardy succulents and survives temperatures well below freezing. Cold combined with wet soil is what hurts it, so sharp drainage matters most. A few gray or hairy kinds prefer shelter from heavy winter rain.
More plant watering guides
Sources
- WUCOLS IV plant water use classification for Sempervivum spp. & cvs., the University of California survey California agencies use for landscape plan reviewRead August 23, 2026 on wucols.ucdavis.edu
- Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, adopted text and appendices, effective 2025-01-02 · monthly reference evapotranspiration per city, Appendix CRead August 23, 2026 on water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Water-Use-And-Efficiency/MWELO-Rulemaking/Final-MWELO-Text-and-Appendices_20250103.pdf
- UC Statewide IPM Program, irrigation scheduling using evapotranspirationRead September 30, 2026 on ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/ENVIRON/evap.html
- Shaw and Pittenger, Landscape Irrigation System Evaluation and Management, UC Cooperative Extension, 2009Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2013-02/160836.pdf
- Pittenger, Water Management in Gardens and Landscapes, UC Riverside, 2017Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2017-03/258022.pdf