WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Koeleria macrantha (cristata), WUCOLS IV

How often to water June grass in California

In July in the Central Valley, established June grass needs about 0.8 gallons a week for a plant 2 feet across. June grass is a native cool-season bunchgrass, usually 6 inches to 2 feet tall. Its narrow, light green to bluish green leaves grow in small tufts. Dense, spikelike seed heads rise above the leaves, pale green to purplish, then fade to tan. It is one of the first grasses to green up in spring, and it is cold, heat and drought tolerant in well-drained soil.

Ornamental grassCalifornia nativeRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water June grass, month by month

Your city
Plant width
2 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 June grass and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: the plant’s WUCOLS rating times your city’s climate for the month, over the area the plant covers. 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 around the tufts in spring while it is growing signals June grass can use a soak
  • Blades rolling inward and turning gray green in a dry spring can indicate thirst
  • Leaves fading to tan in summer heat is typical of a cool-season grass
  • Tufts rotting at the base in heavy, wet soil point to poor drainage

How to water it

  • Water the tufts in fall, winter and spring if rain falls short, when the grass is actively growing
  • Wet the root zone several inches deep, then let it dry before the next soak
  • Plant in full sun to light shade in silt, loam or sandy soil that drains well
  • Expect slower growth in summer heat and keep summer sprinklers off it
  • Allow some self-sown seedlings to fill gaps in a meadow planting

Through the seasons

June grass grows mostly in the cool months and slows in summer heat. Sow or plant in spring or fall and keep seedlings moist until they root. Established tufts need little more than winter rain near the coast, with an occasional deep soak in a dry spring. It does best near the coast or at higher elevations. WUCOLS rates June grass low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

June grass makes a neat tuft in a medium pot of gritty, well-drained mix. While it is green in fall through spring, water once the top inch or two is dry, letting water drain freely. A small pot can dry in a few days of warm wind. Keep the saucer empty. In summer, when the leaves tan, cut watering way back. Trim old foliage before new growth starts in fall or late winter.

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
0.270.540.801.10.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.270.540.801.10.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

June Grass: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.31–––
Feb0.210.260.32–––
Mar0.350.430.46–––
Apr0.470.610.56–––
May0.580.830.64–––
Jun0.640.990.69–––
Jul0.641.070.79–––
Aug0.60.950.74–––
Sep0.50.720.6–––
Oct0.350.470.46–––
Nov0.190.220.33–––
Dec0.120.140.26–––
Year4.86.846.2–––

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 June grass. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Quaking GrassBriza medialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTufted HairgrassDeschampsia cespitosa and cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFalse Esparto GrassLygeum spartumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue FescueFestuca glauca ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBaltic RushJuncus balticuslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGiant Needle GrassStipa gigantealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Native YarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPerennial HollyhockAlcea rosea cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMadroneArbutus menziesiilow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMacNab CypressHesperocyparis macnabiana (Cupressus macnabiana)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia JuniperJuniperus californicalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLippia GroundcoverPhyla nodiflora (Lippia nodiflora) cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyKnobcone PinePinus attenuatalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCoulter PinePinus coulterilow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPinyon PinePinus edulislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJeffrey PinePinus jeffreyilow 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 June grass, 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 should I water June grass in summer?

In July, established June grass needs about 0.8 gallons in the Central Valley and 0.6 gallons on the south coast each week, for a plant 2 feet across. Water deeply and let the top of the soil dry before the next watering. Skip a watering after a soaking rain.

How much water does June grass need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established June grass 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 June grass change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates June grass 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, 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.

Why does my June grass turn brown in summer?

It is a cool-season grass that slows and fades in summer heat. The tan color is normal. Green growth returns with cooler weather and rain.

Can June grass be used as a lawn?

Some slow-growing European selections are sold as rough, low-maintenance turf. It will not take heavy foot traffic like a typical lawn.

Is June grass native to California?

Yes, it ranges across much of North America, including California. It grows in grasslands, meadows and open forests. It is a good fit for native meadows.

Does June grass reseed?

Yes, it self-sows freely in open ground. Seedlings can fill gaps in a meadow. Pull extras where you do not want them.

Does June grass handle fire?

It tolerates fire well and often increases after a burn. In gardens, cut dry tufts back before fire season. It regrows from the base.

More plant watering guides

Baltic RushRocky Mountain JuniperTrailing LantanaSweet BayEnglish LavenderSpanish LavenderTrue MyrtleLimber Pine

Sources