WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Quercus dumosa, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Nuttall's scrub oak in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Nuttall's scrub oak in loam needs a deep soak only about once a month or less: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy. Nuttall's scrub oak is a slow-growing evergreen shrub oak native to sandy coastal chaparral from southern California into Baja. It grows 3 to 10 feet tall and up to 10 feet wide, upright or mounding, with leathery, dark green leaves that are often wavy and toothed or spiny. Its name has a tangled history in the scrub oak group.

ShrubTreeCalifornia nativeRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water Nuttall's scrub oak, 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 Nuttall's scrub oak 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

  • Dry soil well below the surface around a young plant in its first summer means it can take one deep soak
  • New growth wilting on a young shrub in a heat wave can signal thirst
  • Yellowing leaves with dieback where sprinklers reach point to too much water
  • Fallen leaves building up under the shrub is natural mulch

How to water it

  • Water a young plant deeply a few times in its first summers
  • Stop summer watering once it is established
  • Plant in full sun in sandy, well-drained soil
  • Keep it out of lawn and garden irrigation
  • Leave leaf litter beneath it

Through the seasons

Water a young shrub through its first summers with deep, widely spaced soaks. Established plants need little or no summer water near the coast and only occasional soaks inland. It stays evergreen and grows slowly. WUCOLS rates Nuttall's scrub oak very low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. In South Inland and the high desert it carries a low water rating. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the low desert.

In pots

Nuttall's scrub oak belongs in the ground, but a young seedling can start in a deep pot of sandy, fast-draining mix. Water when the top few inches dry, letting it drain fully. In summer, check every few days, since a small pot dries quickly in sun. Keep the saucer empty at all times. Plant it out while small in a sunny spot. In winter, rain usually covers it.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
0.27gal per sq ft in JulyVery low water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
1.71 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.300.610.921.20.04JAN0.07FEB0.11MAR0.15APR0.21MAY0.25JUN0.27JUL0.24AUG0.18SEP0.12OCT0.06NOV0.03DEC0.300.610.921.20.04JFM0.15AMJ0.27JAS0.12OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 0.27 in Jul, 1.71 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Nuttall's Scrub Oak: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.040.040.080.310.3–
Feb0.050.070.080.350.37–
Mar0.090.110.110.520.58–
Apr0.120.150.140.640.76–
May0.150.210.160.780.95–
Jun0.160.250.170.921.14–
Jul0.160.270.211.22–
Aug0.150.240.190.931.12–
Sep0.120.180.150.740.86–
Oct0.090.120.110.530.58–
Nov0.050.060.080.360.37–
Dec0.030.030.070.270.26–
Year1.21.711.557.378.51–

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 very low water in the Central Valley, like Nuttall's scrub oak. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

OleanderNerium oleander ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyAgaveAgave americana (and thick-leaved relatives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCactusOpuntia spp. & cvs. (CA natives and non-natives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyOak TreesQuercus agrifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulySpanish BroomSpartium junceumvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulySalt CedarTamarix aphyllavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyPearl AcaciaAcacia podalyriifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBig SagebrushArtemisia tridentatavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyMexican Palo VerdeParkinsonia aculeatavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyFoothill PinePinus sabinianavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Scrub OakQuercus berberidifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyInterior Live OakQuercus wislizenivery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue OakQuercus douglasiivery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCreosote BushLarrea tridentata ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyPurple SageSalvia leucophylla ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBlack SageSalvia mellifera ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 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 Nuttall's scrub oak, 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 Nuttall's scrub oak in summer?

In July, established Nuttall's scrub oak in loam needs a deep watering about once a month or less in the Central Valley, about once a month or less on the south coast and about every 22 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 Nuttall's scrub oak need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Nuttall's scrub oak needs about 0.7 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 2.7 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 Nuttall's scrub oak change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Nuttall's scrub oak separately for each of the six California climate zones: very low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, very low water in the Central Valley zone, very low water in the South Coastal zone, low water in the South Inland zone, low 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 Nuttall's scrub oak get?

It grows slowly to 3 to 10 feet tall and 8 to 10 feet wide. It can be upright or mounding. It suits informal hedges.

Is Nuttall's scrub oak a native?

Yes, it is native to sandy chaparral along the coast of southern California and northern Baja California. It belongs to the scrub oak group. Names in that group are often confused.

Does Nuttall's scrub oak need summer water?

Once established, it needs little or none near the coast. Young plants need a few deep soaks. Avoid regular sprinklers.

What soil does Nuttall's scrub oak need?

It grows best in sandy, well-drained soil. Heavy, wet soil is a risk. Full sun suits it.

Are its leaves spiny?

The leathery leaves are often wavy with toothed or spiny edges. Wear gloves when pruning. Keep it back from paths.

More plant watering guides

Tree of HeavenFox Tail AgaveSaltbushParry's AgaveOleanderAgaveCactusOak Trees

Sources