WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Prunus mume, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Japanese apricot in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Japanese apricot 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. Japanese apricot is a small, deciduous flowering tree that opens fragrant pink, white or red blossoms on bare branches in late winter. Small, sour, fuzzy fruit follows in summer. It prefers moist, well drained, slightly acidic loam and dislikes poor, dry ground. On the cool north-central coast it needs less summer water than in hotter valley and south coast gardens.

TreeRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water Japanese apricot, 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 Japanese apricot 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

  • A young apricot needs a soak once the soil beside its root ball is dry 3 to 4 inches down
  • Leaves curling, yellowing or dropping early during a summer heat wave can point to a dry root zone
  • Leaves wilting and yellowing over ground that stays wet for days point to poor drainage around the roots
  • Sunken, oozing patches on the bark suggest bacterial canker, which extra water will not cure
  • Fruit rotting on the branch in brown, fuzzy patches is brown rot, a disease rather than a sign of thirst

How to water it

  • Water a young tree over its root ball and a little beyond, widening the ring as the branches spread
  • Soak to about 18 inches deep and wait for the upper few inches to dry out before the next watering
  • Place emitters around the outer canopy rather than at the trunk, and keep the graft union dry
  • Mulch the root zone with wood chips, but leave the base of the trunk clear
  • Plant in loamy, slightly acidic soil that drains well, away from low spots where water stands

Through the seasons

Keep a new Japanese apricot evenly moist through its first two summers, widening the watered area as roots spread. Established trees bloom on bare wood from about January into early spring, then leaf out. Fruit ripens in summer while the tree forms next winter's flower buds, so summer soil checks matter. Leaves drop in fall, and winter rain usually covers the dormant months. WUCOLS rates Japanese apricot low water on the north-central coast, and moderate water in the Central Valley and on the south coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert, the low desert or South Inland.

In pots

Compact and weeping forms of Japanese apricot can grow for years in a large container. Feel the mix 2 inches down every few days from spring through fall, and daily in Central Valley heat. Water slowly until it seeps from the drainage holes, then pour off the saucer. Keep the mix lightly moist while the tree is in leaf, since it dislikes drying out. The bare winter tree needs little, but check the mix before bloom so flowers do not open over a dry root ball.

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

Japanese Apricot: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.40.78–––
Feb0.210.650.81–––
Mar0.351.091.15–––
Apr0.471.521.4–––
May0.582.081.61–––
Jun0.642.481.74–––
Jul0.642.671.98–––
Aug0.62.391.86–––
Sep0.51.81.49–––
Oct0.351.181.15–––
Nov0.190.560.84–––
Dec0.120.340.65–––
Year4.817.1115.5–––

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 moderate water in the Central Valley, like Japanese apricot. 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 Japanese apricot 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 Japanese apricot, 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 Japanese apricot in summer?

In July, established Japanese apricot in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley and about every 11 days on the south coast. 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 Japanese apricot need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Japanese apricot 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 Japanese apricot change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Japanese apricot separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water 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 should I prune a Japanese apricot?

Prune right after it finishes flowering. It blooms on last year's wood and sets next winter's buds during the growing season, so later cuts remove flowers. Pruning does not change how you check the soil.

Can I eat Japanese apricot fruit?

The fruit is edible but tastes sour to bitter. Keep pets away from the leaves, stems and pits, which are toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Pick up fallen fruit, which gets messy on paving.

Why did my Japanese apricot flowers turn brown?

A hard frost during bloom can brown the open flowers and damage young fruit. A sunny, sheltered spot helps the blossoms ride out cold snaps. Frost damage does not mean the tree needs water.

Is Japanese apricot the same as a regular apricot?

No. It is a separate species, Prunus mume, grown mainly for its winter flowers. Its habit resembles the smaller flowering cherries, and its fruit is small and sour.

When does Japanese apricot bloom in California?

It flowers on bare branches in mid to late winter, often January or February, and into early spring in cooler spots. The blossoms smell strongly of clove. Check that the soil is not dry while it blooms.

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Sources