WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Fouquieria splendens, WUCOLS IV

How often to water ocotillo in California

In July on the south coast, established ocotillo 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. Ocotillo is a California desert native with thorny, upright, mostly unbranched stems that can reach 10 to 20 feet. Small, semi-succulent leaves appear after rain and drop when the soil dries, sometimes several times a year. Clusters of bright red, tubular flowers top the stems in spring and summer and feed hummingbirds. It needs sun, excellent drainage and very little water.

ShrubSucculentCalifornia nativeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water ocotillo, 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 ocotillo 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

  • Bare ocotillo stems in dry weather are normal, not a sign of a dying plant
  • A flush of green leaves after a soak shows the roots took up water
  • Stems turning soft or shriveling at the base in wet soil point to overwatering
  • Flowers opening at the stem tips in spring show the plant is healthy

How to water it

  • Water a new plant deeply but rarely while roots establish
  • Plant in full sun in sandy or gravelly soil with excellent drainage
  • Once established, water only in long dry spells, and then deeply
  • Keep it away from lawns and other irrigated beds
  • Read the leaves: a fresh flush means the soil still holds moisture

Through the seasons

Water a new plant now and then through its first warm season while roots spread. After that it needs very little water. Ocotillo is deciduous in an unusual way: it leafs out after each good rain and sheds those leaves as the soil dries. Flowers come in spring and summer. Winter rain covers its needs on the south coast. WUCOLS rates ocotillo very low water on the south coast, in South Inland, in the high desert and in the low desert. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the north-central coast or the Central Valley.

In pots

Ocotillo can grow in a large, heavy container for a few years, where its spiny stems make a bold accent. Use a gritty, fast-draining cactus-style mix. Water deeply when the mix is dry all the way down, then let it drain. In summer heat, check it now and then. Never leave water in the saucer. In winter, water very rarely and keep the pot out of steady rain.

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

WUCOLS lists Ocotillo as not suited to this region for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Ocotillo: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan––0.080.080.070.08
Feb––0.080.090.090.09
Mar––0.110.130.150.15
Apr––0.140.160.190.2
May––0.160.20.240.24
Jun––0.170.230.290.28
Jul––0.20.250.30.29
Aug––0.190.230.280.26
Sep––0.150.190.210.21
Oct––0.110.130.150.15
Nov––0.080.090.090.1
Dec––0.070.070.070.07
Year––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 suited to this region in the Central Valley, like ocotillo. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Chenille PlantAcalypha hispidanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCopperleafAcalypha wilkesiananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingYellow Bell BauhiniaBauhinia tomentosanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMagic FlowerCantua buxifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingClustered Fishtail PalmCaryota mitisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingHawaiian TiCordyline fruticosa (Cordyline terminalis)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFilbertCorylus maximanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPoinsettiaEuphorbia pulcherrimanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWeeping Chinese BanyanFicus benjaminanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRubber PlantFicus elasticanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFranklin TreeFranklinia alatamaha (Gordonia alatamaha)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingJungle GeraniumIxora coccineanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingOrange JessamineMurraya paniculatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCommon GuavaPsidium guajavanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingOrgan Pipe CactusStenocereus thurberi (Lemaireocereus thurberi)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGiant Bird of ParadiseStrelitzia nicolai (shade in desert)not 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 ocotillo, 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 ocotillo in summer?

In July, established ocotillo 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 ocotillo need per day?

In July on the south coast, established ocotillo 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 ocotillo change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates ocotillo separately for each of the six California climate zones: not suited to this region in the North-Central Coastal zone, not suited to this region 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.

Why does my ocotillo have no leaves?

Ocotillo drops its leaves when the soil dries. New leaves appear after rain or a deep soak. Bare stems in dry weather are normal.

Do hummingbirds visit ocotillo?

Yes, its red tubular flowers feed hummingbirds. Bloom comes in spring and summer at the stem tips. It is a fine plant for a bird garden.

How tall does ocotillo get?

It grows slowly to 10 to 20 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet wide. The stems are mostly unbranched and thorny. Plant it away from walkways.

Where is ocotillo native?

It grows in deserts from southeastern California to western Texas and northern Mexico. In California it lives on banks and edges of desert washes. Creosote bush and goat-nut grow with it.

Can ocotillo grow on the coast?

On the south coast, yes, if drainage is excellent. The cool, damp north coast does not suit it. Plant it on a slope or mound so winter rain drains away.

More plant watering guides

FilbertSpotted GumDove TreeRoyal PoincianaTriangle PalmMountain White GumRainbow EucalyptusPoinsettia

Sources