WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Ligustrum japonicum, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Japanese privet in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Japanese privet 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. Japanese privet is a fast, upright evergreen shrub or small tree from Japan and Korea, 8 to 15 feet tall, with leathery, glossy dark green leaves. Clusters of creamy white flowers in late spring have a scent many people find unpleasant, and dark purple berries follow. It spreads freely by seed and suckers and can become weedy, especially in moist places.

ShrubRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water Japanese privet, 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 Japanese privet 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

  • Dry ground a few inches under the mulch beneath the hedge in summer tells you Japanese privet is ready for a soak
  • Leaves losing their gloss and drooping in a long hot spell can indicate thirst
  • Seedlings popping up in damp corners come from its berries, not overwatering
  • Yellowing leaves in soil that stays wet point to poor drainage

How to water it

  • Water deeply, then let the upper few inches dry
  • Plant in sun to light shade in well-drained soil
  • Avoid constantly wet spots, which it dislikes
  • Shear or prune to shape, remembering next year's flowers form on new growth
  • Pull seedlings and remove suckers to limit spread

Through the seasons

Water a new shrub regularly through its first summer while its roots spread. Established plants want moderate, deep watering in most zones and less in the Central Valley, where WUCOLS rates it lower. It flowers in late spring and carries dark berries after, which birds spread. In the Central Valley, WUCOLS gives Japanese privet a low water rating. The north-central coast, the south coast, South Inland and both deserts carry a moderate water rating.

In pots

Japanese privet grows well in large containers and takes shaping as a standard or topiary. Fill the tub with a mix that drains freely. Once the upper couple of inches have dried, soak it until water escapes from the holes. In summer, a sunny pot may need a look every few days. Empty the saucer. Snip off berries to stop seedlings in nearby beds. In winter, water only when the mix dries between rains.

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

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.160.780.780.740.78
Feb0.530.260.810.870.930.93
Mar0.870.431.151.31.461.52
Apr1.180.611.41.611.891.95
May1.460.831.611.952.392.45
Jun1.610.991.742.292.852.79
Jul1.611.071.982.513.042.85
Aug1.490.951.862.332.792.6
Sep1.240.721.491.862.142.08
Oct0.870.471.151.331.461.49
Nov0.470.220.840.90.930.96
Dec0.310.140.650.680.650.68
Year126.8415.518.4121.2721.08

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 Japanese privet. 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 Japanese privet, 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 privet in summer?

In July, established Japanese privet in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 11 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 Japanese privet need per day?

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

Yes. WUCOLS rates Japanese privet separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, moderate 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.

Is Japanese privet invasive?

It spreads freely by seed and suckering roots and can be weedy or invasive, especially in moist places. Remove seedlings and suckers. Consider less weedy shrubs.

Why do privet flowers smell bad?

Many people find the flower scent offensive. Insects love it. Shearing before bloom removes most flowers.

Can Japanese privet take salt spray?

Yes, it tolerates salt spray and a range of soils. It dislikes constantly wet ground. It suits coastal hedges.

How big does Japanese privet get?

It grows fast to about 8 to 15 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide. It can be pruned into a small tree. Regular shearing keeps it smaller.

Is Japanese privet poisonous?

It has medium severity poison characteristics. Do not eat the berries. Keep pets from chewing it.

More plant watering guides

True MyrtleLimber PineChinese PistacheDwarf PomegranateChestnut-Leaved OakRed Flowering CurrantMexican Bush SageHouse Leek

Sources