WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Brachychiton rupestris, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Queensland bottle tree in California

In July on the south coast, established Queensland bottle tree in loam needs a deep watering about every 27 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 14 gallons a week. Queensland bottle tree comes from rocky, semi-arid inland eastern Australia. As it matures, its trunk swells into a bottle shape that stores water, while young trees have a slim trunk and finely divided leaves. Garden trees seldom pass 25 feet. It may drop some or all of its leaves before flowering or during long drought.

TreeRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water Queensland bottle tree, 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 Queensland bottle tree 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

  • Leaves dropping before the late spring flowers is normal for this tree
  • Leaves falling in a long dry spell show it is drawing on stored water
  • A soft, discolored trunk base in soggy soil points to rot from overwatering
  • A young tree wilting in its first summer heat can use a deep soak

How to water it

  • Water a young tree deeply, letting the soil dry fully between soakings
  • Once established, water rarely, mainly in long dry spells
  • Plant in full sun in well-drained soil
  • Keep it out of lawn and frequent sprinkler zones
  • Give the trunk room to swell over the years

Through the seasons

Water a young tree through its first summers while roots grow. Established trees store water in the trunk and need only occasional deep soaks, more in the low desert. Leaves usually hold through winter, drop before the cream and red flowers of late spring and early summer, then regrow. WUCOLS rates Queensland bottle tree low water on the south coast and in South Inland. The low desert carries a moderate water rating. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the north-central coast, the Central Valley or the high desert.

In pots

Queensland bottle tree makes a striking container plant while young, showing off its swelling trunk year by year. Use a fast-draining mix in a heavy pot. Water only when the mix is dry several inches down, then let it drain. In summer, check every week or so. Never let it sit in water. In winter, water very little indeed, since the trunk stores moisture.

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

WUCOLS lists Queensland Bottle Tree as not suited to this region for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Queensland Bottle Tree: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan––0.310.31–0.78
Feb––0.320.35–0.93
Mar––0.460.52–1.52
Apr––0.560.64–1.95
May––0.640.78–2.45
Jun––0.690.92–2.79
Jul––0.791–2.85
Aug––0.740.93–2.6
Sep––0.60.74–2.08
Oct––0.460.53–1.49
Nov––0.330.36–0.96
Dec––0.260.27–0.68
Year––6.27.37–21.08

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 not suited to this region in the Central Valley, like Queensland bottle tree. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Sugar MapleAcer saccharumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueensland KauriAgathis robustanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCherimoyaAnnona cherimolanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple Orchid TreeBauhinia variegata (purpurea)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingToogBischofia javanicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingClustered Fishtail PalmCaryota mitisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWhite SapoteCasimiroa edulisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFilbertCorylus maximanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSpotted GumCorymbia maculata (Eucalyptus maculata)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDove TreeDavidia involucratanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRoyal PoincianaDelonix regianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingTriangle PalmDypsis decaryinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain White GumEucalyptus dalrympleananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRainbow EucalyptusEucalyptus degluptanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRoxburgh FigFicus auriculatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingIndian BanyanFicus benghalensisnot 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 Queensland bottle tree, 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 Queensland bottle tree in summer?

In July, established Queensland bottle tree in loam needs a deep watering about every 27 days 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 Queensland bottle tree need per day?

In July on the south coast, established Queensland bottle tree needs about 2.0 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 8.0 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 Queensland bottle tree change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Queensland bottle tree separately for each of the six California climate zones: not suited to this region in the North-Central Coastal zone, not suited to this region in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, low 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 bottle tree losing its leaves?

It drops leaves before flowering in late spring and also during drought stress. New leaves return. It is normal.

Why is the trunk so fat?

As the tree matures, the trunk swells to store water and becomes bottle shaped. Young trees are slim. The swelling takes years.

How big does Queensland bottle tree get?

In gardens it usually reaches 20 to 25 feet, though wild trees grow taller. The trunk can swell to a great girth. Give it room.

Does Queensland bottle tree need much water?

No, once established it needs little, since the trunk stores water. Avoid frequent watering. Soggy soil can rot the trunk.

How cold hardy is Queensland bottle tree?

It is hardy to about 15 to 20 degrees F. It suits coastal and inland southern gardens. Protect young trees in cold snaps.

More plant watering guides

Flame VineNikau PalmCup-of-Gold VineAfrican Tulip TreeOrgan Pipe CactusMadagascar JasmineGiant Bird of ParadiseMarmalade Bush

Sources