How often to water lacebark pine in California
In July in the Central Valley, established lacebark pine in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 19 gallons a week. Lacebark pine is a slow-growing evergreen pine from China, grown for bark that peels into a patchwork of white, olive, purple and silver. It often has several trunks and becomes flat-topped with age. Its needles come in bundles of three. Once established it tolerates drought, but young trees need regular deep water.
How often to water lacebark pine, 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 1.5 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.
How to tell it needs water
- Soil dry 6 inches down beyond the outer branches tells you a young lacebark pine needs a deep soak
- Needles yellowing at the tips on a young tree through a dry summer can indicate drought stress
- Older inner needles browning and falling in autumn is normal shedding for pines, not thirst
- Smooth gray bark on a young tree is normal, since the peeling pattern develops after about ten years
- Yellowing needles across the whole tree over soggy ground point to poor drainage around the roots
How to water it
- Water lacebark pine beyond the trunks, under the outer branches, with a slow soaker or drip ring
- Wet the soil 18 inches deep, then let it dry well down before the next soak
- Plant in well-drained soil in full sun, keeping it away from lawn sprinklers
- Spread a wide ring of mulch or fallen needles, leaving the trunk bases clear
- Move the soaker outward as the tree slowly widens toward a 20 to 35 foot spread
Through the seasons
Water a new lacebark pine deeply through its first two or three summers so roots grow into the surrounding soil. After that it tolerates drought and needs only occasional deep soakings. The tree keeps its needles all year and grows slowly, so its water use rises gradually. Bark begins to peel and show color after about ten years. In the Central Valley, winter rain usually covers the cool months. WUCOLS rates lacebark pine low water in the Central Valley. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the north-central coast, the south coast, South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.
In pots
Its slow growth lets a young lacebark pine spend a few years in a large container. Use a deep pot with drainage holes and a coarse, gritty mix. In hot weather, check 2 inches down every few days and water when the mix is dry. Let the excess drain away and empty the saucer. In winter, water only when the mix is dry, and keep the pot where rain will not leave it 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
Lacebark Pine: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone
| Month | N. Coast | C. Valley | S. Coast | S. Inland | Hi Desert | Lo Desert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | – | 0.16 | – | – | – | – |
| Feb | – | 0.26 | – | – | – | – |
| Mar | – | 0.43 | – | – | – | – |
| Apr | – | 0.61 | – | – | – | – |
| May | – | 0.83 | – | – | – | – |
| Jun | – | 0.99 | – | – | – | – |
| Jul | – | 1.07 | – | – | – | – |
| Aug | – | 0.95 | – | – | – | – |
| Sep | – | 0.72 | – | – | – | – |
| Oct | – | 0.47 | – | – | – | – |
| Nov | – | 0.22 | – | – | – | – |
| Dec | – | 0.14 | – | – | – | – |
| Year | – | 6.84 | – | – | – | – |
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 lacebark pine. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.
Olive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Fig TreesFicus carica ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Crape MyrtleLagerstroemia spp., hybrids & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
AloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Pomegranate TreesPunica granatumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
EucalyptusEucalyptus polyanthemoslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Pine TreesPinus canariensislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
JunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Texas Red OakQuercus buckleyilow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Portuguese OakQuercus faginealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Soapbark TreeQuillaja saponarialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Necklace TreeSophora affinislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Bailey AcaciaAcacia baileyanalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Silver WattleAcacia dealbatalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Green WattleAcacia decurrenslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Sydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTurn this into minutes on your water days
Every city page has a calculator that takes lacebark pine, 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 water does lacebark pine need per day?
In July in the Central Valley, established lacebark pine needs about 2.7 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 11 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 lacebark pine change across California?
Yes. WUCOLS rates lacebark pine separately for each of the six California climate zones: not evaluated in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, not evaluated 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 does lacebark pine bark start to peel?
Young trees have smooth gray bark. After about ten years it begins to flake away, showing patches of white, olive, light purple and silver. Water does not speed up the change.
Why did my lacebark pine split in a storm?
Its multi-trunk habit makes trunks prone to splitting and limbs prone to breaking under heavy snow and ice. That is a structural weakness, not a sign of a watering problem.
Is lacebark pine drought tolerant?
Yes, once established. Young trees need deep soakings while their roots spread. In the Central Valley, WUCOLS rates it low water.
How fast does lacebark pine grow?
Slowly. It eventually reaches about 30 to 50 feet tall in gardens. Move the watering ring outward gradually as the canopy widens.
Can you overwater lacebark pine?
Yes. It needs well-drained soil, and ground kept wet by lawn sprinklers can harm its roots. Give it deep soakings spaced well apart instead.
More plant watering guides
Sources
- WUCOLS IV plant water use classification for Pinus bungeana, 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