WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Point Reyes', WUCOLS IV

How often to water Point Reyes manzanita in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Point Reyes manzanita 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. Point Reyes manzanita is a low, evergreen bearberry selected from the coast of northern California. It forms a dense carpet of leathery, deep green leaves set close along the stems, with pale pink flowers and bright red berries. It is known as one of the more heat and drought tolerant forms, yet it still likes good drainage and some summer water.

Ground coverCalifornia nativeRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water Point Reyes manzanita, 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 Point Reyes manzanita 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 2 to 3 inches down under the carpet's edge means it is time for a slow soak
  • Dark green leaves that lose their sheen and hang limp in the afternoon, over dry soil, point to thirst
  • Leaves turning reddish purple as the weather cools are normal for this selection, not a sign of drought
  • Stems that wilt and die back in patches while the soil stays soggy point to root disease from poor drainage

How to water it

  • Lay drip line in rows across the planting so water reaches the whole carpet, not just the original crown
  • Water slowly until the top 8 to 10 inches of soil are moist, then let the top couple of inches dry out
  • Plant in loose, well-drained soil, and skip fertilizer at planting and after
  • On a bank, run the drip lines along the contour so water soaks in instead of sheeting downhill
  • Add new drip lines at the edges as the carpet widens and its stems spread outward

Through the seasons

Give a new planting regular soakings through its first summer, while the stems take root and the carpet starts to fill in. Established plants want less, but some summer water keeps the foliage lush. The leaves stay on all year and take on reddish purple tints as the weather cools. Pink flowers come in winter or spring, and the red berries follow. WUCOLS rates it low water on the north-central coast and on the south coast. It rates moderate water in the Central Valley, where afternoon shade also helps. Winter rain covers the cool months in all three zones. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Point Reyes manzanita is a wide groundcover, so a pot only suits it while young or when it trails from a large planter. Use a coarse, fast-draining mix with no added compost, and a pot with open holes. Check the mix 1 to 2 inches down every few days in summer. Inland, set the pot where afternoon shade falls on it. Water until it drains freely, then tip out the saucer so the roots never stand in water. Move it into the ground early, since established bearberry does not transplant well.

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
0.671.32.02.70.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.671.32.02.70.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Point Reyes Manzanita: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.40.31–––
Feb0.210.650.32–––
Mar0.351.090.46–––
Apr0.471.520.56–––
May0.582.080.64–––
Jun0.642.480.69–––
Jul0.642.670.79–––
Aug0.62.390.74–––
Sep0.51.80.6–––
Oct0.351.180.46–––
Nov0.190.560.33–––
Dec0.120.340.26–––
Year4.817.116.2–––

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 Point Reyes manzanita. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Star 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 JulyStrawberriesFragaria spp. & cvs. (CA native and non-natives species)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen Supreme ManzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Green Supreme'moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMassachusetts ManzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Massachusetts'moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySerbian BellflowerCampanula poscharskyanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBunchberryCornus canadensismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyKenilworth IvyCymbalaria muralismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCranesbillGeranium spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen CarpetHerniaria glabramoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySpotted DeadnettleLamium maculatummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyLemon BalmMelissa officinalismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese SpurgePachysandra terminalismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMoss PinkPhlox subulatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than Point Reyes manzanita 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 JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus 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 JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low 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 JulyGround Morning GloryConvolvulus mauritanicuslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRock CotoneasterCotoneaster horizontalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySouth African GeraniumPelargonium sidoideslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLippia GroundcoverPhyla nodiflora (Lippia nodiflora) cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRock SoapwortSaponaria ocymoideslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMother of ThymeThymus praecoxlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyVancouver Jade BearberryArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Vancouver Jade'low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTrailing LantanaLantana montevidensis (sellowiana) ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGermanderTeucrium chamaedrys ssp. & cvs.low 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 Point Reyes manzanita, 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 Point Reyes manzanita in summer?

In July, established Point Reyes manzanita in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley and about every 27 days on the south coast. 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 Point Reyes manzanita need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Point Reyes manzanita 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 Point Reyes manzanita change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Point Reyes manzanita separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, not suited to this region in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region 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.

How wide does Point Reyes manzanita spread?

It stays low, usually under about 18 inches tall, and spreads 6 feet or more across. Growth is slow, so give young plants room and patience. Space them for the mature width rather than crowding them.

Does Point Reyes manzanita need shade inland?

Near the coast it grows in full sun to light shade. Inland it does better with part shade or afternoon shade. A sun-baked planting in the Central Valley will dry out faster between soaks.

Is Point Reyes manzanita good for hummingbirds?

Yes. Its small pink, urn-shaped flowers attract hummingbirds. Bright red berries follow the flowers and add color to the low green carpet.

Can Point Reyes manzanita handle heat?

It is described as more heat and drought tolerant than other bearberry forms. That tolerance has limits in hot inland gardens. Give it afternoon shade there, and check the soil under the carpet more often in summer.

Where did Point Reyes manzanita come from?

It was selected from plants growing near Point Reyes in coastal northern California. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden introduced it to gardens. Its coastal origin explains its taste for cool sun and good drainage.

More plant watering guides

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Sources