WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Rosa rugosa, WUCOLS IV

How often to water rugosa rose in California

In July in the Central Valley, established rugosa rose in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 7.6 gallons a week. Rugosa rose, also called Japanese rose, is a tough, suckering shrub rose from the coasts of northeast Asia. It has wrinkled leaves, fragrant pink or white flowers and large red hips. It tolerates salt spray, sandy or poor soil and short dry spells, but it does poorly in wet, poorly drained ground.

ShrubRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water rugosa rose, 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 rugosa rose 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 3 inches down among the canes means an established rugosa is ready for a deep soak
  • Flowers fading within a day and soft new leaves wilting in summer heat point to a dry root zone
  • Leaves yellowing from the base of the canes while the soil stays soggy point to poor drainage
  • Black spots or orange rust pustules on the leaves are fungal problems, not signs of thirst

How to water it

  • Water the base of the clump with drip or a soaker hose, keeping water off the leaves
  • Soak the root zone about 18 inches deep, then let the top 2 to 3 inches dry before watering again
  • Plant in full sun with open air flow, which keeps the thick leaves at their most disease resistant
  • Use sandy or loamy soil that drains fast, and avoid heavy clay that stays wet
  • Mulch between the canes and widen the watered strip as suckers spread the clump outward

Through the seasons

Water a new rugosa rose regularly through its first summer while the canes root in. Established shrubs flower from late May into July, then repeat until frost, so moisture checks matter all summer. Hips color red to orange from August and hold into winter after the leaves drop. Rain usually covers the bare months near the coast and in the valley, but desert gardens need soil checks in long dry winter spells. WUCOLS rates rugosa rose low water on the north-central coast. It rates moderate water in the Central Valley, on the south coast, in South Inland, in the high desert and in the low desert.

In pots

Rugosa rose suckers into a spreading thicket, so a pot is mainly a way to keep a smaller cultivar in bounds. Use a large container with a gritty, free-draining mix. In summer, feel the mix 2 inches down every couple of days, and more often in valley and desert heat. Soak until water drips from the bottom, then dump the saucer so the roots never stand wet. After leaf fall, water only when the mix is dry below the surface, and leave the hips on for winter color.

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
0.761.52.33.00.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.761.52.33.00.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Rugosa Rose: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.40.780.780.740.78
Feb0.210.650.810.870.930.93
Mar0.351.091.151.31.461.52
Apr0.471.521.41.611.891.95
May0.582.081.611.952.392.45
Jun0.642.481.742.292.852.79
Jul0.642.671.982.513.042.85
Aug0.62.391.862.332.792.6
Sep0.51.81.491.862.142.08
Oct0.351.181.151.331.461.49
Nov0.190.560.840.90.930.96
Dec0.120.340.650.680.650.68
Year4.817.1115.518.4121.2721.08

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 moderate water in the Central Valley, like rugosa rose. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

RosesRosa hybrids..bushmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAzaleasRhododendron spp. (CA native and non-native spp.)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCamelliasCamellia japonica (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGardeniasGardenia spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBird of ParadiseStrelitzia reginae (shade in desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHibiscusHibiscus rosa-sinensismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySago PalmCycas revolutamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyStar JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyArborvitaeThuja occidentalis ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBambooBambusa spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyLilacsSyringa hybrids (including Descanso hybrids)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySpireaSpiraea spp. (CA native and non native spp.)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyButterfly BushBuddleja davidii and hybridsmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed BuckeyeAesculus paviamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWestern ServiceberryAmelanchier alnifoliamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than rugosa rose in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

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 rugosa rose, 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 rugosa rose in summer?

In July, established rugosa rose in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 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 rugosa rose need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established rugosa rose needs about 1.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 4.3 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 rugosa rose change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates rugosa rose 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, 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.

Can rugosa rose grow at the beach?

Yes. It tolerates salt spray and sandy soil and makes a good coastal hedge. On the north-central coast it needs less summer water than in hotter inland zones.

Are rugosa rose hips edible?

Yes. The large red to orange hips are edible and ripen from late summer, then hang on into winter. Leave some on the shrub if you like the winter color.

How do I stop rugosa rose from spreading?

It spreads by suckers and can also come up from seed. Dig out suckers at the edge of the clump each year. Cut off spent flowers before hips form if seedlings are a problem.

Does rugosa rose get black spot?

It resists disease well because of its thick leaves, but black spot, rust and powdery mildew can still appear. Full sun and open air flow help most. Drip or soaker lines keep the foliage dry when you water.

When does rugosa rose bloom?

The main flush runs from late May into July, with more flowers on and off until frost. Keep checking the soil through summer while it repeats. Fragrant pink or white blooms can open beside ripening hips.

More plant watering guides

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Sources