WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Yucca schidigera (Yucca californica, Yucca mohavensis), WUCOLS IV

How often to water Mojave yucca in California

In July on the north-central coast, established Mojave yucca in loam needs a deep soak only about once a month or less: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across. Mojave yucca is a native succulent of dry, rocky slopes and flats from southern California and Baja California east to New Mexico, and the most common yucca of the desert. Stiff, sword-shaped leaves with fibers along their edges and a sharp tip form rosettes that slowly build trunks 5 to 15 feet tall. Creamy white flowers top tall stalks in spring or early summer.

ShrubSucculentCalifornia nativeRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water Mojave yucca, 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 Mojave yucca 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

  • A firm rosette with stiff leaves means Mojave yucca does not need water
  • Leaves yellowing from the base with soft tissue point to rot from summer water
  • A rosette skipping bloom some years is normal
  • Leaves wrinkling after a very long drought in a young plant can signal thirst

How to water it

  • Give no summer water once established
  • Water a new plant only a few times, deeply, in its first season
  • Plant in full sun in soil with perfect drainage
  • Keep it away from lawns and sprinklers
  • Place it back from paths, since the leaf tips are sharp

Through the seasons

Water a young plant a few times in its first season, then stop. Established plants need no summer water and live on winter rain alone. Flowers appear in spring or early summer, though rosettes may not bloom every year, and trunks build slowly over decades. Every zone where WUCOLS rates Mojave yucca gives it very low water: the north-central coast, the south coast, South Inland, the high desert and the low desert. The Central Valley has no WUCOLS evaluation for it.

In pots

Mojave yucca can grow in a large, heavy pot of gritty cactus mix for years, making a bold desert accent. Water only when the mix is completely dry, then let every drop drain. In summer, water rarely, since the plant expects dry summers. Never leave water in the saucer. Keep the pot in full sun and away from walkways. In winter, rain is plenty or more than enough.

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

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

Monthly water need by climate zone

Mojave Yucca: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.04–0.080.080.070.08
Feb0.05–0.080.090.090.09
Mar0.09–0.110.130.150.15
Apr0.12–0.140.160.190.2
May0.15–0.160.20.240.24
Jun0.16–0.170.230.290.28
Jul0.16–0.20.250.30.29
Aug0.15–0.190.230.280.26
Sep0.12–0.150.190.210.21
Oct0.09–0.110.130.150.15
Nov0.05–0.080.090.090.1
Dec0.03–0.070.070.070.07
Year1.2–1.551.842.132.11

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 Mojave yucca. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Formosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingChilean Feather BambooChusquea culeou (C. breviglumis)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlackbrushColeogyne ramosissimanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGlaucous Scorpion VetchCoronilla valentina glaucanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWillowleaf CotoneasterCotoneaster salicifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMadagascar SagoCycas thouarsii (SHADE)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingIrish HeathDaboecia cantabricanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingButterfly PalmDypsis lutescens (Areca)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple SpurgeEuphorbia dulcisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingUmbrella BambooFargesia murielaenot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlue Fountain BambooFargesia nitida (Sinarundinaria nitida) (BAMBOO)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPrickly HeathGaultheria mucronata (Pernettya mucronata)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingOtterbossieGossypium harknessiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBox-leaved HollyIlex crenatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBellyache BushJatropha gossypiifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain LaurelKalmia latifolianot 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 Mojave yucca, 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 Mojave yucca in summer?

In July, established Mojave yucca in loam needs a deep watering about once a month or less on the south coast and about once a month or less 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 Mojave yucca need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established Mojave yucca needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 0.3 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 Mojave yucca change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Mojave yucca 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, very low water in the South Coastal zone, very low water in the South Inland zone, very low water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, very low water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Does Mojave yucca need summer water?

No, once established it needs no summer water. Summer watering invites rot. It lives on winter rain.

Is Mojave yucca a California native?

Yes, it grows on dry, rocky slopes and flats in southern California, Baja California and east to Nevada and New Mexico. It is common in the desert. It also reaches coastal sage scrub.

Can Mojave yucca grow near the coast?

Yes, it tolerates seaside conditions and sand. It even grows wild near the coast in a few places. Drainage is the key.

How tall does Mojave yucca get?

Rosettes are 3 to 4 feet wide, and trunks slowly reach 5 to 15 feet. It grows slowly. It may form several trunks.

Why didn't my Mojave yucca bloom?

Rosettes may not flower every year. Bloom comes in spring or early summer when it does. Extra water will not force it.

More plant watering guides

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Sources