WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Thymus praecox, WUCOLS IV

How often to water mother of thyme in California

In July in the Central Valley, established mother of thyme in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 2.2 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 0.8 gallons a week. Mother of thyme, also called creeping thyme, forms a flat mat only a few inches tall whose stems root as they spread. Its fuzzy, fragrant leaves are gray green, and tiny pinkish-purple flowers cover it in summer. It tolerates moderate foot traffic between pavers but suffers root rot in poorly drained ground.

Ground coverPerennialRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water mother of thyme, 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 mother of thyme 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 inches down under the mat in summer signals that mother of thyme needs a soak
  • Fuzzy leaves losing their sheen and the mat looking flat and gray can indicate thirst
  • Brown, dead patches in the middle of a mat after a hot, dry spell can follow drought
  • Blackened, mushy stems in low spots that stay wet point to root rot from overwatering
  • Slug trails and chewed leaves in a damp mat suggest the area stays too wet

How to water it

  • Water the mat with a gentle spray or low drip, early in the day so foliage dries fast
  • Moisten the soil 4 to 6 inches deep, then let the top inch dry before watering again
  • Plant in sandy or rocky soil with good drainage, or in the joints between pavers
  • Avoid organic mulch over the mat, since its stems root along the surface
  • Widen watering as the stems creep outward and root into new ground

Through the seasons

Keep a new mat lightly moist until stems begin rooting into the soil. Established plants need only occasional soaks once their roots are down. It stays evergreen in mild winters and flowers from June into September, when water matters most. Trim stems to keep the mat neat. WUCOLS rates mother of thyme low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. It rates moderate water in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Mother of thyme spills nicely over the rim of a shallow bowl or trough of gritty mix. A thin layer of mix dries quickly in summer, so check it every few days and water when the top inch is dry. Water until it drains through the holes, then empty the saucer. Trim stems that trail too far. In winter, water only when the mix is dry and keep the pot where rain cannot pool.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
1.07gal per sq ft in JulyLow water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
6.84 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.631.31.92.50.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.631.31.92.50.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Mother of Thyme: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.310.78––
Feb0.210.260.320.87––
Mar0.350.430.461.3––
Apr0.470.610.561.61––
May0.580.830.641.95––
Jun0.640.990.692.29––
Jul0.641.070.792.51––
Aug0.60.950.742.33––
Sep0.50.720.61.86––
Oct0.350.470.461.33––
Nov0.190.220.330.9––
Dec0.120.140.260.68––
Year4.86.846.218.41––

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 low water in the Central Valley, like mother of thyme. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

BougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and 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 JulyIrisesIris germanicalow 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 JulyYarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain AlyssumAlyssum montanumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver SageSalvia argentealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPurple MulleinVerbascum phoeniceumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilvery YarrowAchillea clavennaelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFern Leaf YarrowAchillea filipendulinalow 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 mother of thyme, 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 mother of thyme in summer?

In July, established mother of thyme in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 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 mother of thyme need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established mother of thyme needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.4 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 mother of thyme change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates mother of thyme separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, low 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.

Can I walk on mother of thyme?

Yes, its dense mat tolerates moderate foot traffic. Some selections handle steps better than the species. Water the joints only when the soil below is dry.

Can mother of thyme replace a lawn?

It is used as a lawn substitute in small, sunny areas. It needs far less water than turf. It will not take heavy play or daily traffic.

Can I cook with mother of thyme?

It is fragrant, but it is rarely used as a culinary herb. Common thyme is the kitchen plant. Grow this one for its mat and flowers.

Why is my creeping thyme dying in patches?

Look at drainage first, since root rot strikes where soil stays wet. If the soil is dry deep down, the patch may be drought damage. Replant gaps with rooted stems from the mat edge.

How do I spread mother of thyme?

Divide it in spring or late fall. Stems also root where they touch soil, so you can lift rooted pieces. Keep new pieces moist until they take.

More plant watering guides

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Sources