WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Massachusetts', WUCOLS IV

How often to water Massachusetts manzanita in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Massachusetts manzanita in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 2.2 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.9 gallons a week. Massachusetts manzanita is a flat, creeping form of bearberry, an evergreen groundcover whose stems root as they spread. Its leaves are smaller than the species, and it is known for heavy crops of pink-tinged white flowers and red berries. It wants fast drainage and steady summer moisture in California, never a soggy root zone.

Ground coverRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water Massachusetts manzanita, 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 Massachusetts manzanita 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 2 to 3 inches down beneath the mat means it is ready for a slow soak
  • Glossy leaves that turn dull and limp on a hot afternoon, with dry soil below, point to thirst
  • Leaves turning bronze in winter are normal for bearberry and do not mean the plant is dry
  • Patches that wilt and die back while the soil stays wet point to root rot, a known risk in poorly drained ground

How to water it

  • Run drip line or low-flow emitters under the whole mat, since the stems root wherever they touch the soil
  • Soak slowly until the top 8 to 12 inches are moist, then let the top couple of inches dry before the next soak
  • Plant in sandy or gritty, acidic soil that drains fast, and avoid compacted ground and low spots
  • Spread a thin layer of fine mulch between young plants until the mat closes over the soil
  • Extend the drip lines outward as the mat spreads, so newly rooted stems get water too

Through the seasons

Water a new planting regularly through its first summer while the stems root in and the mat begins to spread. Established plants need less, but they still want summer water in California heat. This evergreen blooms in April and May. Its berries ripen in late summer and turn red in fall, often hanging on into winter. The leaves bronze in cold weather and green up again in spring. WUCOLS rates it moderate water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. Winter rain covers the cool months in those three zones. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Massachusetts manzanita can trail over the rim of a wide, shallow pot or spill down a planter wall. Use a gritty, acidic mix and a pot with open drainage holes. Check the mix 1 to 2 inches down every few days in summer, and daily in Central Valley heat. Water until it drains from the holes, then empty the saucer so the roots never sit wet. Away from the coast, give the pot some shade. Established bearberry resents root disturbance, so plant it out while young if it is headed for the ground.

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

Massachusetts Manzanita: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.78–––
Feb0.530.650.81–––
Mar0.871.091.15–––
Apr1.181.521.4–––
May1.462.081.61–––
Jun1.612.481.74–––
Jul1.612.671.98–––
Aug1.492.391.86–––
Sep1.241.81.49–––
Oct0.871.181.15–––
Nov0.470.560.84–––
Dec0.310.340.65–––
Year1217.1115.5–––

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 Massachusetts manzanita. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Star JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHoneysuckleLonicera japonicamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyIvyHedera helixmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyStrawberriesFragaria spp. & cvs. (CA native and non-natives species)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen Supreme ManzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Green Supreme'moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySerbian BellflowerCampanula poscharskyanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBunchberryCornus canadensismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyKenilworth IvyCymbalaria muralismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCranesbillGeranium spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen CarpetHerniaria glabramoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySpotted DeadnettleLamium maculatummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyLemon BalmMelissa officinalismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese SpurgePachysandra terminalismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMoss PinkPhlox subulatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySpring CinquefoilPotentilla neumannianamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

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

BougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyYarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Native YarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWoolly YarrowAchillea tomentosalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGround Morning GloryConvolvulus mauritanicuslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRock CotoneasterCotoneaster horizontalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySouth African GeraniumPelargonium sidoideslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLippia GroundcoverPhyla nodiflora (Lippia nodiflora) cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRock SoapwortSaponaria ocymoideslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMother of ThymeThymus praecoxlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyVancouver Jade BearberryArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Vancouver Jade'low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTrailing LantanaLantana montevidensis (sellowiana) ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGermanderTeucrium chamaedrys ssp. & cvs.low 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 Massachusetts manzanita, 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 Massachusetts manzanita in summer?

In July, established Massachusetts manzanita in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley and about every 11 days on the south coast. 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 Massachusetts manzanita need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Massachusetts manzanita needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.1 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 Massachusetts manzanita change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Massachusetts manzanita 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, not suited to this region in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not suited to this region in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Can Massachusetts manzanita replace a lawn?

Yes, bearberry is used in place of a lawn in West Coast gardens, and it never needs mowing. It still needs summer water, only a little less than turf. Space plants 12 to 24 inches apart and expect a few seasons before the slow-growing mat closes.

Is Massachusetts manzanita good for slopes?

Yes. Its creeping stems root as they spread and help hold soil on slopes and banks. Run drip lines across the slope so water soaks in rather than running off.

Does Massachusetts manzanita need full sun?

Near the coast it does well in full sun. Inland, where summer days run hotter, give it part shade. A sun-baked mat dries out faster, so check the soil more often there.

Are bearberry berries edible?

The red berries are technically edible, but they are mealy and bland, so few people eat them. Birds and other wildlife eat them readily.

Can I move an established Massachusetts manzanita?

Established bearberry does not take root disturbance well, and moving it often fails. Choose its spot carefully at planting time. To start new plants, root stem cuttings or layer a stem into the soil instead.

Should I fertilize Massachusetts manzanita?

No. Bearberry grows well in poor, infertile soil, and feeding it is discouraged. Put the effort into drainage and steady summer moisture instead.

More plant watering guides

Autumn FernSky FlowerTall Globe ThistleRose GumBurning BushWinter CreeperWood SpurgeForsythia

Sources