WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Pinus mugo, WUCOLS IV

How often to water mugo pine in California

In July in the Central Valley, established mugo pine 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. Mugo pine is a dense, slow growing mountain pine from central and southern Europe. It usually forms a broad, multi-stemmed shrub with stiff, dark green needles in pairs. The species can reach 15 to 25 feet, but most garden plants are dwarf forms only 1 to 5 feet tall. It wants full sun and moist, well-drained soil, prefers cool summers and dislikes wet ground.

ShrubRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water mugo pine, 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 mugo pine 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 at the edge of the root ball signals that mugo pine needs a deep soak
  • Needle tips browning in a hot inland summer can indicate heat and moisture stress on this cool-summer pine
  • Yellowing needles over soil that stays wet can indicate root rot, since it should never sit in poorly drained ground
  • White specks on the needles point to pine needle scale, and chewed needles to sawfly larvae, not to thirst
  • Browned, stunted new shoot tips can point to tip blight rather than a water shortage

How to water it

  • Water at the drip line of the shrub with drip or a slow hose, keeping the center of the plant dry
  • Soak the root zone about a foot deep, then let the upper few inches dry before watering again
  • Plant in full sun in loam or sandy soil that drains freely, never in a low, wet spot
  • Mulch with bark or gravel to keep the roots cool, which suits this cool-summer pine
  • Move emitters outward as the plant spreads wider than it is tall

Through the seasons

Water a new mugo pine deeply through its first summers while roots spread. Established plants take deep, spaced soakings and do best where summers stay cool. It is evergreen and slow growing. WUCOLS rates mugo pine low water on the north-central coast. It rates moderate water in the Central Valley, South Inland and the high desert. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the south coast or the low desert. Winter rain usually covers it on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley, and a soak during a dry high desert winter helps.

In pots

Dwarf mugo pines are classic container plants for patios and entries. Use a pot with drainage holes and a gritty, well-drained mix. In summer heat, slide a finger into the mix every few days and water whenever the top couple of inches have dried. Let the water run out of the holes, and do not let the pot stand in its saucer. In inland gardens, keep the pot away from walls that bounce afternoon heat back at it. In winter, water only when the mix begins to dry.

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
0.761.52.33.00.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.761.52.33.00.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Mugo Pine: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.4–0.780.74–
Feb0.210.65–0.870.93–
Mar0.351.09–1.31.46–
Apr0.471.52–1.611.89–
May0.582.08–1.952.39–
Jun0.642.48–2.292.85–
Jul0.642.67–2.513.04–
Aug0.62.39–2.332.79–
Sep0.51.8–1.862.14–
Oct0.351.18–1.331.46–
Nov0.190.56–0.90.93–
Dec0.120.34–0.680.65–
Year4.817.11–18.4121.27–

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 mugo pine. 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 mugo pine 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 mugo pine, 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 mugo pine in summer?

In July, established mugo pine in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley 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 mugo pine need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established mugo pine 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 mugo pine change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates mugo pine separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, not suited to this region in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, moderate water 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.

How big does a mugo pine get?

The species can grow into a broad shrub or small tree up to about 25 feet. Most nursery plants are dwarf or mid-sized forms, from 1 to 10 feet. Check the label and give the plant room to spread wider than it is tall.

How do I keep a mugo pine compact?

Prune it each year in late winter to hold its size. Dwarf cultivars need little cutting. Keep watering steady after pruning while new growth forms.

Does mugo pine like hot inland summers?

It prefers cool summer climates. Inland, plant it where it gets some relief from afternoon heat, and keep the soil from drying deeply. Gravel or bark mulch helps keep the roots cool.

Can you overwater a mugo pine?

Yes. It should not sit in wet or poorly drained soil, where roots can rot. Let the upper soil dry between soakings.

What are the white specks on my mugo pine?

They are usually pine needle scale, a sap feeding insect. Heavy infestations weaken the plant, so treat the scale rather than adding water. A well watered, unstressed pine copes better.

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Sources