WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Podranea ricasoliana, WUCOLS IV

How often to water pink trumpet vine in California

In July in the Central Valley, established pink trumpet vine in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 2.2 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.9 gallons a week. Pink trumpet vine is a large, sprawling evergreen vine that scrambles up fences and through trees, reaching 16 to 20 feet. Clusters of lightly fragrant pink trumpets striped with maroon open from summer into fall. It flowers best in full sun with occasional deep watering through the warm months, in soil that drains well.

VineRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water pink trumpet vine, 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 pink trumpet vine 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 at the base of the vine during warm weather means it is time for a deep soak
  • Leaflets drooping along the arching new shoots on a hot afternoon, with dry soil below, point to thirst
  • Bare lower stems are a habit of this vine and not, by themselves, a sign that it needs water
  • Few flowers on a vine in shade point to too little sun rather than too little water
  • Yellowing leaves over soil that stays wet point to poor drainage, so let the ground dry before watering again

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the vine with drip emitters or a slow hose, wetting a broad circle of soil rather than the leaves
  • Run water slowly until the soil is moist a foot down, then wait for the top several inches to dry
  • Plant in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun, next to a sturdy fence, arbor or trellis it can climb
  • Widen the watered zone as the vine spreads, including spots where trailing stems have rooted into the ground
  • Mulch the root zone with wood chips, keeping them clear of the main stems

Through the seasons

Give a new vine deep soakings through its first summer while it roots and starts to climb. Established vines need only occasional deep water in the warm months. The glossy leaves stay on all year, and flowers appear from summer until frost. Frost can burn the stem tips. Prune in late winter or early spring, before new growth starts. Winter rain covers the cool months in the Central Valley and on the south coast. WUCOLS rates pink trumpet vine moderate water in the Central Valley, on the south coast, in South Inland and in the low desert. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the north-central coast or the high desert. Low desert vines need soil checks during dry winter spells.

In pots

Pink trumpet vine grows large and fast, so a pot only suits a young plant with a sturdy trellis. Use a big container with drainage holes and a fertile, free-draining mix. In summer, check the mix 2 inches down every few days, and daily in valley or desert heat. Water until it runs from the holes, then empty the saucer. Before frost, move the pot against a warm wall or under cover, since cold can damage the tips. Water sparingly through winter.

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
0.711.42.12.90.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.711.42.12.90.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Pink Trumpet Vine: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan–0.40.780.78–0.78
Feb–0.650.810.87–0.93
Mar–1.091.151.3–1.52
Apr–1.521.41.61–1.95
May–2.081.611.95–2.45
Jun–2.481.742.29–2.79
Jul–2.671.982.51–2.85
Aug–2.391.862.33–2.6
Sep–1.81.491.86–2.08
Oct–1.181.151.33–1.49
Nov–0.560.840.9–0.96
Dec–0.340.650.68–0.68
Year–17.1115.518.41–21.08

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 pink trumpet vine. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

JasmineJasminum polyanthummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyStar JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHoneysuckleLonicera japonicamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyIvyHedera helixmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGrapevinesVitis vinifera ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyClematisClematis & ssp., hybrids & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyEvergreen ClematisClematis armandiimoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWinter CreeperEuonymus fortunei radicansmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyArabian JasmineJasminum sambacmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHyacinth BeanLablab purpureus (Dolichos lablab)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyTrumpet HoneysuckleLonicera sempervirensmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPotato VineSolanum laxum (jasminoides)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyItalian ClematisClematis viticellamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHopsHumulus lupulusmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBoston IvyParthenocissus tricuspidatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyVirginia CreeperParthenocissus quinquefolia ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 9

Rated lower than pink trumpet vine in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

BougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWisteriaWisteria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFlowering WoodbineLonicera periclymenumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFleeceflowerFallopia baldschuanica (Polygonum aubertii)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCarolina JessamineGelsemium sempervirenslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCecile Brunner RoseRosa 'Cecile Brunner'low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLady Banks RoseRosa banksiaelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRoger's Red GrapeVitis 'Roger's Red'low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue Dawn Morning GloryIpomoea acuminatalow 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 pink trumpet vine, 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 trumpet vine in summer?

In July, established pink trumpet vine in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley, 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 trumpet vine need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established pink trumpet vine needs 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 pink trumpet vine change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates pink trumpet vine separately for each of the six California climate zones: not suited to this region 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, not suited to this region in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate 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 is my pink trumpet vine not blooming?

Check the light first, since it flowers best in full sun. Flowers form in clusters at the branch tips, so heavy pruning in summer removes them. Prune in late winter or early spring instead.

Does pink trumpet vine need a trellis?

It has no tendrils, so give it a sturdy fence, arbor or chain link to climb through. Without support it sprawls as a groundcover. Its stems root wherever they touch the soil.

Can pink trumpet vine grow near the ocean?

Yes. It tolerates near-coastal conditions and even some sea spray. WUCOLS rates it moderate water on the south coast but not suited to the north-central coast.

What should I do after frost burns pink trumpet vine?

Leave the damaged growth until late winter or early spring. Then prune it out before new growth starts. Water only when the soil is dry, since the vine uses little in cold weather.

How big does pink trumpet vine get?

It can reach 16 to 20 feet tall and spread as wide. It grows fast, so give it a large fence or structure from the start. Widen the watered area as it fills in.

More plant watering guides

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Sources