WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Calliandra haematocephala, WUCOLS IV

How often to water pink powder puff in California

In July on the north-central coast, established pink powder puff 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. Pink powder puff is a fast-growing evergreen shrub or small tree from Bolivia that rambles to about 15 feet tall and wide. Fluffy dark pink flower puffs 2 to 3 inches wide open from raspberry-like buds from October through March. Its leaves emerge coppery and fold up at night. It wants a warm, sunny spot and is hardy only to about 25 to 30 degrees F.

ShrubRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water pink powder puff, 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 pink powder puff 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 4 inches down under the shrub in late summer means pink powder puff wants a deep soak
  • Leaves folding and drooping during the day in heat can indicate thirst
  • Leaves yellowing and dropping in a long dry spell can follow a dry root zone
  • Leaves blackening after a cold night point to frost damage, not water

How to water it

  • Water slowly at the root zone with drip or a soaker
  • Soak deeply, then let the top few inches dry before the next soak
  • Plant in a warm, sunny spot sheltered from frost
  • Train it flat against a warm wall as an espalier
  • Give it room, since it rambles as wide as it is tall

Through the seasons

Water a new shrub regularly through its first summer. Established plants want deep, spaced soaks through the dry season, more in desert heat than near the coast. It flowers from fall through winter and grows quickly in warm weather. WUCOLS rates pink powder puff low water on the north-central coast and in the high desert. The south coast and South Inland carry a moderate water rating. In the low desert it carries a high water rating. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley.

In pots

Pink powder puff can grow in a large container on a warm patio. Use a well-drained mix. Water when the top couple of inches are dry, until it drains through. In summer, check pots every couple of days. Empty the saucer after watering. Move the pot to shelter on frosty nights. In winter, while it is in bloom, keep the mix lightly moist rather than dry.

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

WUCOLS lists Pink Powder Puff as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Pink Powder Puff: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.15–0.780.780.31.24
Feb0.21–0.810.870.371.49
Mar0.35–1.151.30.582.43
Apr0.47–1.41.610.763.12
May0.58–1.611.950.953.92
Jun0.64–1.742.291.144.46
Jul0.64–1.982.511.224.56
Aug0.6–1.862.331.124.17
Sep0.5–1.491.860.863.32
Oct0.35–1.151.330.582.38
Nov0.19–0.840.90.371.54
Dec0.12–0.650.680.261.09
Year4.8–15.518.418.5133.73

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 pink powder puff. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Formosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingChilean Feather BambooChusquea culeou (C. breviglumis)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlackbrushColeogyne ramosissimanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGlaucous Scorpion VetchCoronilla valentina glaucanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWillowleaf CotoneasterCotoneaster salicifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMadagascar SagoCycas thouarsii (SHADE)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingIrish HeathDaboecia cantabricanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingButterfly PalmDypsis lutescens (Areca)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingUmbrella BambooFargesia murielaenot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlue Fountain BambooFargesia nitida (Sinarundinaria nitida) (BAMBOO)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPrickly HeathGaultheria mucronata (Pernettya mucronata)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingOtterbossieGossypium harknessiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBox-leaved HollyIlex crenatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBellyache BushJatropha gossypiifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain LaurelKalmia latifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBarbados CherryMalpighia glabranot 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 pink powder puff, 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 pink powder puff in summer?

In July, established pink powder puff in loam needs a deep watering about every 11 days on the south coast 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 pink powder puff need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established pink powder puff needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.0 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 pink powder puff change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates pink powder puff separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, low water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, high water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

When does pink powder puff bloom?

It blooms from about October through March. The puffs open from raspberry-like buds. Check the soil in dry fall weather.

Does pink powder puff attract hummingbirds?

Yes, the flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Winter bloom makes it valuable to them. Plant it where you can watch.

Is pink powder puff frost hardy?

It is hardy to about 25 to 30 degrees F. Frost can damage it. Plant it in a warm, sheltered spot.

Can pink powder puff grow in shade?

It prefers a warm, sunny location but tolerates considerable shade. Expect fewer flowers in shade. Shade plantings dry out more slowly.

Why do the leaves close at night?

Its leaves fold up in the evening. That is normal behavior. It is not a sign of trouble.

More plant watering guides

Woolly FoxgloveSunset FoxgloveMale FernButterfly PalmAlpine Sea HollyAbyssinian Coral TreePurple SpurgeUmbrella Bamboo

Sources