WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Magnolia liliiflora, WUCOLS IV

How often to water lily magnolia in California

In July in the Central Valley, established lily magnolia 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. Lily magnolia is a slow-growing, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub or small tree with goblet-shaped flowers, purplish red outside and white within. Blooms open in spring before the leaves and sometimes repeat lightly in midsummer. It likes rich, well-drained soil with medium moisture, mulch over the roots and shelter from wind.

ShrubRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water lily magnolia, 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 lily magnolia 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 under the mulch means lily magnolia is ready for water
  • Leaves drooping and browning at the margins in summer heat can follow a dry root zone
  • Frost-browned flowers in early spring are cold damage, not a watering issue
  • White powdery patches on the leaves in late summer point to powdery mildew rather than thirst
  • Leaves yellowing in soggy soil suggest the roots are short of air

How to water it

  • Water lily magnolia under the spread of its branches with a soaker or drip ring
  • Give each watering time to reach a foot down, and wait for the upper few inches to dry before the next
  • Plant in organically rich, neutral to slightly acidic soil that drains well, in full sun to part shade
  • Keep a layer of mulch over the root zone and site the shrub out of strong wind
  • Widen the watered ring as the shrub spreads toward 8 to 12 feet

Through the seasons

Keep a new lily magnolia evenly moist through its first summers while roots spread. Established shrubs tolerate short dry spells but grow best with medium moisture through summer. Flowers open in spring before the leaves, a few may return in midsummer, and leaves can look tired by late summer if mildew sets in. Rain usually covers the bare months on the coast and in the Central Valley. Lily magnolia is rated moderate water by WUCOLS on the south coast, on the north-central coast, in South Inland and in the Central Valley. In the high desert and the low desert it has not been evaluated.

In pots

Lily magnolia grows slowly and stays fairly compact, so it can live in a large container for years. A roomy pot with good drainage and a rich, slightly acidic mix suits it. Through summer heat, test the mix a couple of inches down every few days and water once it has dried there. Drain the saucer after each watering. Keep the pot out of a warm, south-facing corner in late winter, where heat can coax buds open before a frost.

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

Lily Magnolia: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.780.78––
Feb0.530.650.810.87––
Mar0.871.091.151.3––
Apr1.181.521.41.61––
May1.462.081.611.95––
Jun1.612.481.742.29––
Jul1.612.671.982.51––
Aug1.492.391.862.33––
Sep1.241.81.491.86––
Oct0.871.181.151.33––
Nov0.470.560.840.9––
Dec0.310.340.650.68––
Year1217.1115.518.41––

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 lily magnolia. 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 lily magnolia 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 lily magnolia, 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 lily magnolia in summer?

In July, established lily magnolia 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 lily magnolia need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established lily magnolia 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 lily magnolia change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates lily magnolia separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate 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, 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 did my lily magnolia flowers turn brown?

Late spring frosts can damage the blooms, especially on plants in warm, southern exposures that open early. Brown flowers are cold damage, not thirst. Later-blooming hybrids such as 'Susan' dodge more frost.

Why do my lily magnolia leaves look bad in late summer?

Powdery mildew and other fungal problems often leave the leaves looking tired by late summer. Water at the soil rather than over the leaves, and keep the plant growing steadily.

What is a Little Girl magnolia?

The Little Girl hybrids include 'Susan', with fragrant fuchsia flowers that open later in spring. Later bloom means less frost damage. Water them the same way as lily magnolia.

Does lily magnolia need shade?

Sun or part shade both work for it. Shade slows soil drying, so check moisture before watering a shaded plant.

Can you overwater lily magnolia?

Yes. It wants medium moisture in soil that drains well. Waterlogged ground can harm the roots, so let the top few inches dry between soakings.

More plant watering guides

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Sources