WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Dianthus spp., WUCOLS IV

How often to water pinks and carnations in California

In July in the Central Valley, established pinks and carnations in loam need a deep watering about every 5 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.9 gallons a week. Pinks and carnations are Dianthus, a large group of annuals, biennials and evergreen perennials with narrow gray-green or blue-green leaves. Their fragrant flowers, often fringed at the edges, come in white, pink, red and purple and open from late spring into summer. They want full sun, well-drained neutral to alkaline soil and regular water without soggy roots.

PerennialRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water pinks and carnations, 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 pinks and carnations 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 foot 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

  • Stems flopping and buds stalling while the soil is dry an inch or two down mean the plants need water
  • Plants collapsing with darkened, rotted stems at the soil line point to root or crown rot from wet, poorly drained soil
  • Rusty brown pustules on the leaves point to rust, a fungal disease, not thirst
  • Gray, fuzzy mold on flowers and buds in damp weather points to gray mold rather than a water shortage
  • Fewer new flowers on plants covered in spent blooms call for deadheading, not more water

How to water it

  • Water at the soil around each clump, keeping the foliage and flowers dry
  • Wet the root zone about 6 inches deep, then let the top inch dry before watering again
  • Plant in full sun in well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil, with light shade in very hot areas
  • Space plants so air moves freely between them, which helps prevent rot and leaf disease
  • Stake tall carnations, and extend the watered strip as mat-forming pinks spread

Through the seasons

Keep new plants moist, not wet, until they root in. Established plants want regular water through spring and summer bloom and much less in winter, when soggy soil causes rot. Perennial pinks stay evergreen, while some Dianthus are grown as annuals or biennials. WUCOLS rates pinks and carnations moderate water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. South Inland and the high desert carry the same moderate water rating. WUCOLS marks them as not suited to the low desert. Winter rain usually supplies them on the coast and in the Central Valley.

In pots

Pinks and carnations do well in containers and window boxes, where their scent sits close by. Use a gritty, well-drained mix and a pot with drainage holes. During hot weather, test the mix with a finger daily or every other day, and water once the top inch has dried. Let the excess drain away, and do not leave the pot in a saucer of water. Deadhead often. In winter, water sparingly, since soggy mix leads to root rot.

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

Pinks and Carnations: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.780.780.74–
Feb0.530.650.810.870.93–
Mar0.871.091.151.31.46–
Apr1.181.521.41.611.89–
May1.462.081.611.952.39–
Jun1.612.481.742.292.85–
Jul1.612.671.982.513.04–
Aug1.492.391.862.332.79–
Sep1.241.81.491.862.14–
Oct0.871.181.151.331.46–
Nov0.470.560.840.90.93–
Dec0.310.340.650.680.65–
Year1217.1115.518.4121.27–

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 pinks and carnations. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

DahliasDahlia spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernsNephrolepis cordifolia (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyDayliliesHemerocallis spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBegoniasBegonia & ssp. & cvs. (shade in the desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCalla LiliesZantedeschia aethiopica SHADE IN DESERTmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBicolor MonkshoodAconitum cammarummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGarden MonkshoodAconitum napellusmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySnowdrop WindflowerAnemone sylvestrismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain SandwortArenaria montanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySwamp MilkweedAsclepias incarnatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyOrange MilkweedAsclepias tuberosamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreater MasterwortAstrantia majormoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHardy BegoniaBegonia grandismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWax BegoniaBegonia semperflorensmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than pinks and carnations in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

AgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and 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 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 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 JulyCalifornia Native YarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWoolly YarrowAchillea tomentosalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPerennial HollyhockAlcea rosea cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain Lady's MantleAlchemilla alpinalow 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 pinks and carnations, 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 pinks and carnations in summer?

In July, established pinks and carnations in loam need a deep watering about every 5 days in the Central Valley, about every 7 days on the south coast and about every 6 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 do pinks and carnations need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established pinks and carnations need about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.1 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 pinks and carnations change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates pinks and carnations separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, moderate water 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.

Why are they called pinks?

The name refers to the fringed petal edges, which look as if they were trimmed with pinking shears, not to the color. Pinks come in white, red and purple as well as pink.

How do I keep pinks blooming?

Deadhead regularly to prolong flowering. In spring, give them soil enriched with compost and a balanced fertilizer.

Are carnation flowers edible?

The petals are edible when the plants are grown organically, and they are often candied for cake decorating. The leaves can upset the stomach if eaten and can irritate sensitive skin.

Do carnations need staking?

Yes, many carnations perform best when given plant supports. Set the supports in place early in the season.

Why are my dianthus rotting?

Wet, poorly drained soil and still air lead to root rot and fungal diseases. Plant in well-drained soil with good air circulation, and let the surface dry between waterings.

How do I propagate pinks?

Take softwood cuttings of non-flowering shoots in summer, or layer stems after flowering. Seed sown in spring also works.

More plant watering guides

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Sources