WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Pistacia lentiscus, WUCOLS IV

How often to water mastic tree in California

In July on the north-central coast, established mastic tree in loam needs a deep soak only about once a month or less: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy. Mastic tree is an evergreen Mediterranean shrub or small tree with leathery, aromatic foliage. Pollinated female plants bear small red fruits that ripen black. It tolerates drought in draining ground, but its California water rating ranges from very low to moderate. Check a new planting closely while its roots establish.

ShrubTreeRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water mastic tree, month by month

Your city
Canopy width
10 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 mastic tree 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 under the branches, 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 canopy width

A tree with its canopy width marked across the widest branches and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the branches, from the tips of the outer leaves on one side to the tips on the other. A tape works, or pace it out.

Water the whole circle under the branches, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that circle.

A wider canopy means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While the tree is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Soil dry several inches down around a young mastic tree signals it needs a deep soak
  • Leaves dulling or thinning through a hot first summer in the ground can indicate a young plant needs water
  • An established shrub holding its leaves through a long dry summer is normal for this species
  • Yellow mastic foliage over saturated soil warrants checking drainage and inspecting roots for disease
  • Water that remains pooled around a mastic tree after irrigation calls for a drainage check

How to water it

  • Give a newly planted mastic tree regular, deep soakings while roots push into surrounding soil
  • Space out waterings for an established plant, checking depth rather than counting days
  • Choose fast-draining, rocky or sandy soil, since wet, heavy ground invites root rot
  • Use drip or a slow soak at the drip line instead of wetting the dense, leafy crown
  • Widen the watered area outward as the multitrunk form broadens with age

Through the seasons

Give a newly planted mastic tree steady moisture through its first one to two summers while roots establish in the surrounding soil. Established plants pull most of their water use from spring growth into the dry summer months, then need little through a mild winter. This shrub stays evergreen year round and tolerates long rainless stretches once settled in. WUCOLS rates it very low water on the north-central coast. It rates moderate water on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley, the high desert or the low desert. Coastal winter rain can cover much of the cool season where it is rated.

In pots

Mastic tree can grow in a container that allows it to be sheltered from cold. Use a gritty, fast-draining mix and check the top two inches often during California summer heat. Water until it drains through the holes, then empty the saucer so roots do not sit wet. A container dries faster than open ground, so do not rely on the same spacing between waterings. In winter, check the mix before watering and shelter the pot from frost.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Mastic Tree for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Mastic Tree as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Mastic Tree: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.04–0.780.78––
Feb0.05–0.810.87––
Mar0.09–1.151.3––
Apr0.12–1.41.61––
May0.15–1.611.95––
Jun0.16–1.742.29––
Jul0.16–1.982.51––
Aug0.15–1.862.33––
Sep0.12–1.491.86––
Oct0.09–1.151.33––
Nov0.05–0.840.9––
Dec0.03–0.650.68––
Year1.2–15.518.41––

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 not evaluated in the Central Valley, like mastic tree. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Hawthorn MapleAcer crataegifoliumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain MapleAcer glabrumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMiyabe MapleAcer miyabeinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingEverglades PalmAcoelorraphe wrightiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPink CedarAcrocarpus fraxinifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingYellowwoodAfrocarpus falcatus (Podocarpus falcatus)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNew Caledonian PineAraucaria columnaris (A. cookii)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFormosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNeemAzadirachta indicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBismarck PalmBismarckia nobilisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican HornbeamCarpinus caroliniananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingJapanese HornbeamCarpinus japonicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingChilean Feather BambooChusquea culeou (C. breviglumis)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican YellowwoodCladrastis kentukeanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlackbrushColeogyne ramosissimanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPagoda DogwoodCornus alternifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes mastic tree, 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 mastic tree in summer?

In July, established mastic tree in loam needs a deep watering 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 mastic tree need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established mastic tree needs about 0.4 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 1.6 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 mastic tree change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates mastic tree separately for each of the six California climate zones: very low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated 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.

Does mastic tree tolerate salt spray near the ocean?

Mastic tree is used in coastal gardens, but choose a sheltered site with good drainage. Coastal suitability does not establish a safe level of direct ocean spray. Check the site before planting instead of assuming irrigation can compensate for exposure.

Can mastic tree be trained as a small tree instead of a shrub?

Mastic grows as a shrub or small tree, often with several trunks. Choose which stems to retain according to the form and space available. After pruning, use soil moisture to guide irrigation instead of assuming water needs stay exactly the same.

Why are my mastic tree's leaves turning yellow?

Persistent wetness deserves attention because mastic tree requires sharp drainage and can develop fungal root rot. Yellow leaves alone do not confirm that disease. Check soil conditions and seek a diagnosis if decline continues.

How much water does an established mastic tree really need?

For the north-central coast, WUCOLS places mature mastic in the very low category. Both the south coast and South Inland receive a moderate rating. Use soil checks to guide irrigation within those regional differences.

Can mastic tree grow in heavy clay soil?

A mastic planting needs sharp drainage, whatever the soil texture. If heavy clay stays saturated, improve the site or choose another location before planting. Do not rely on yellow leaves to identify drainage problems after the shrub declines.

More plant watering guides

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Sources