WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Parrotia persica, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Persian witch hazel in California

In July on the north-central coast, established Persian witch hazel in loam needs a deep watering about every 13 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 29 gallons a week. Persian witch hazel, also called Persian ironwood, is a slow-growing deciduous tree from northern Iran and Azerbaijan, often with several trunks. Its leaves open reddish purple, turn glossy green, then color yellow, orange and red in fall. Mature bark peels in green, white and tan patches, and tiny red flowers dot the bare branches in late winter. It does best in sun and well-drained soil in cool-summer areas.

TreeRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water Persian witch hazel, 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 Persian witch hazel 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

  • Soil dry several inches down under the canopy in summer means a young tree needs a deep soak
  • Leaf edges browning in hot, dry weather can indicate stress, since it does best where summers stay cool
  • Yellowing leaves over soggy ground point to poor drainage, since it needs well-drained soil
  • Peeling bark on an older trunk is a normal feature, not a sign of drought
  • Modest yearly growth is typical of this slow tree and not a cue to water more

How to water it

  • Water a young tree under the full canopy with drip or a soaker, wetting the soil about a foot deep
  • Let the upper soil dry between soakings once the tree is established
  • Plant in sun or light shade in moist, well-drained loam, though it also adapts to clay and sand
  • Give it afternoon shade or a cooler exposure in hot inland gardens
  • Mulch the root zone and widen the watered area as the crown spreads

Through the seasons

Water a young tree regularly through its first summers while roots spread. Flowers appear on bare branches in late winter or early spring, before the reddish purple new leaves. Fall color runs from yellow through orange to red. Summer is when irrigation matters most, especially in warmer inland areas. Winter rain usually covers the bare tree on the coast. WUCOLS rates Persian witch hazel moderate water on the north-central coast and on the south coast. It rates low water in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley or the high desert. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the low desert.

In pots

Persian witch hazel grows slowly, so a young plant can spend several years in a large container. Use a well-drained, slightly acid mix and a deep pot with drainage holes. In warm weather, push a finger into the mix every few days and water when the top 2 inches feel dry. Let excess water drain, then empty the saucer. Give the pot afternoon shade inland, and water sparingly after leaf drop.

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

WUCOLS lists Persian Witch Hazel as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Persian Witch Hazel: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37–0.780.31––
Feb0.53–0.810.35––
Mar0.87–1.150.52––
Apr1.18–1.40.64––
May1.46–1.610.78––
Jun1.61–1.740.92––
Jul1.61–1.981––
Aug1.49–1.860.93––
Sep1.24–1.490.74––
Oct0.87–1.150.53––
Nov0.47–0.840.36––
Dec0.31–0.650.27––
Year12–15.57.37––

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 Persian witch hazel. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Hawthorn MapleAcer crataegifoliumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain MapleAcer glabrumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMiyabe MapleAcer miyabeinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingEverglades PalmAcoelorraphe wrightiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPink CedarAcrocarpus fraxinifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingYellowwoodAfrocarpus falcatus (Podocarpus falcatus)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNew Caledonian PineAraucaria columnaris (A. cookii)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFormosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNeemAzadirachta indicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBismarck PalmBismarckia nobilisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican HornbeamCarpinus caroliniananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingJapanese HornbeamCarpinus japonicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican YellowwoodCladrastis kentukeanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPagoda DogwoodCornus alternifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGiant DogwoodCornus controversanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingButterfly PalmDypsis lutescens (Areca)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 Persian witch hazel, 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 Persian witch hazel in summer?

In July, established Persian witch hazel in loam needs a deep watering about every 11 days 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 Persian witch hazel need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established Persian witch hazel needs about 4.1 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 16 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 Persian witch hazel change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Persian witch hazel separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, low water in the South Inland zone, not evaluated 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.

Why is it called Persian witch hazel?

It belongs to the witch hazel family and is native to northern Iran, once called Persia. It is also sold as Persian ironwood or parrotia.

Does Persian witch hazel have showy flowers?

Not really. The small flowers have no petals, just red stamens and brown bracts on bare winter branches. Its foliage and bark carry the show.

Why is the bark peeling on my Persian witch hazel?

Peeling bark is normal on mature trees and reveals patches of green, white and tan. It adds winter interest.

How big does Persian witch hazel get?

It grows slowly to about 20 to 35 feet tall and wide, often with several trunks. It can also be kept as a large multi-stemmed shrub.

Can you overwater Persian witch hazel?

Yes. It needs well-drained soil, and ground that stays soggy harms the roots. Water deeply, then let the upper soil dry.

More plant watering guides

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Sources