WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Pinus edulis, WUCOLS IV

How often to water pinyon pine in California

In July in the Central Valley, established pinyon pine in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 19 gallons a week. Pinyon pine, also called Colorado pinyon, is a slow-growing, gnarled pine of dry slopes and mesas in the Southwest, rare in eastern California. Its short, blue-green needles come in pairs, and its small cones hold edible pine nuts. It is bushy and symmetrical when young, flattens with age, and gets by on little summer water once established.

TreeCalifornia nativeRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water pinyon pine, 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 pinyon pine 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

  • A young tree whose planting hole has dried 4 inches down needs a slow, deep watering during its first two summers
  • Needles browning and the tree declining in soil that stays wet point to too much water, since it needs good drainage
  • Broken limbs or a leaning trunk after storms reflect its weakness to wind, not a watering problem
  • A slow growth rate is natural for this pine and does not mean it is short of water
  • A flattening, spreading crown on an older tree is its natural mature shape, not a sign of stress

How to water it

  • Water a new tree slowly at the edge of the root ball, soaking the soil at least a foot deep
  • Once it is established, water only rarely in summer, and let the soil dry deeply between soaks
  • Plant in fast-draining sandy, rocky or loamy soil, giving young plants light shade at first and full sun later
  • Group it with other dry-garden plants, well away from irrigated lawn
  • Shelter it from strong wind, which can break its branches, and widen the watering ring as the crown spreads

Through the seasons

Water a newly planted pinyon pine deeply during its first two summers, letting the soil dry between soakings. After that it needs little summer water. It stays evergreen, and its cones take two years to ripen their nuts. Young plants like light shade at first and full sun later. WUCOLS rates pinyon pine low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, in South Inland and in the high desert. On the south coast it rates very low water. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the low desert.

In pots

Its slow growth suits a large tub for many years, and bonsai growers prize it. Use a coarse, gritty mix and a container with good drainage holes. In summer, push a finger deep into the mix, and water only once it is dry 2 to 3 inches down. Let the excess drain away. Keep the pot out of a saucer. Give it full sun once it is past its first few years. In winter, water only when the mix is nearly dry.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
1.07gal per sq ft in JulyLow water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
6.84 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.300.610.921.20.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.300.610.921.20.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Pinyon Pine: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.080.310.3–
Feb0.210.260.080.350.37–
Mar0.350.430.110.520.58–
Apr0.470.610.140.640.76–
May0.580.830.160.780.95–
Jun0.640.990.170.921.14–
Jul0.641.070.211.22–
Aug0.60.950.190.931.12–
Sep0.50.720.150.740.86–
Oct0.350.470.110.530.58–
Nov0.190.220.080.360.37–
Dec0.120.140.070.270.26–
Year4.86.841.557.378.51–

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 low water in the Central Valley, like pinyon pine. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Olive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFig TreesFicus carica ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCrape MyrtleLagerstroemia spp., hybrids & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPomegranate TreesPunica granatumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyEucalyptusEucalyptus polyanthemoslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPine TreesPinus canariensislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTexas Red OakQuercus buckleyilow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPortuguese OakQuercus faginealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySoapbark TreeQuillaja saponarialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyNecklace TreeSophora affinislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBailey AcaciaAcacia baileyanalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver WattleAcacia dealbatalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen WattleAcacia decurrenslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow 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 pinyon pine, 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 pinyon pine in summer?

In July, established pinyon pine in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about once a month or less 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 pinyon pine need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established pinyon pine needs about 2.7 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 11 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 pinyon pine change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates pinyon pine separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, very low water in the South Coastal zone, low water in the South Inland zone, low 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.

Are pinyon pine nuts edible?

Yes. The seeds, sold as pinyon nuts or pine nuts, can be eaten raw or roasted. Each cone ripens about two years after pollination, then releases its seeds.

Is pinyon pine native to California?

Barely. It grows wild mainly in the Southwest, from Utah and Colorado to New Mexico, and is rare in eastern California. There it is part of pinyon and juniper woodland.

How big does pinyon pine get?

It grows slowly and often stays 10 to 20 feet tall in gardens, with a spread that can match or exceed its height. Old trees in the wild can grow larger.

Does pinyon pine need full sun?

Mature trees do best in full sun. Young plants prefer some shade for their first few years, then can take full sun.

Why is my pinyon pine losing branches in the wind?

Pinyon pine is prone to wind damage, so a sheltered spot helps. Prune out broken branches cleanly.

Is pinyon pine good for bonsai?

Yes. Its slow growth and short needles make it a good bonsai subject. It also suits small yards and dry gardens.

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Sources