WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Agathis robusta, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Queensland kauri in California

In July on the north-central coast, established Queensland kauri in loam needs a deep watering about every 13 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 29 gallons a week. Queensland kauri is a tall evergreen conifer from the subtropical rainforests of Queensland, with thick, leathery leaves instead of needles. A straight trunk with flaking gray-brown bark carries it to 80 feet or more in gardens. It wants full sun and regular to occasional deep watering, and it is not drought proof.

TreeRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water Queensland kauri, 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 kauri 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

  • Soil dry 4 to 6 inches down at the edge of a young kauri's root ball means it is time for a deep soak
  • Leaves that fade to a duller green and brown at the tips over dry soil point to water stress
  • Twig dieback and early leaf drop in the crown after a long dry summer can signal ongoing thirst
  • Soil still damp 6 inches down when you go to water means the soak can wait, since saturated soil leaves roots short of air
  • Browning and leaf drop while the ground stays soggy can come from too much water, which mimics the look of thirst

How to water it

  • Water a young kauri over its root ball and a ring of soil beyond it, widening the ring as the crown grows
  • Apply water slowly so it soaks 18 inches or more down toward the deep roots, then let the top several inches dry
  • Set drip line or a soaker ring under the outer canopy of an older tree, keeping water off the trunk
  • Spread a wide ring of wood chip mulch over the root zone, pulled a few inches back from the trunk
  • Plant in soil that drains, away from low spots where winter rain stands for days

Through the seasons

Give a young kauri deep soakings through its first few summers, widening the wet area as the roots spread. An established tree needs fewer, deeper waterings, but it still needs them through the dry season. It stays evergreen and keeps drawing on soil water all year, with summer the season that counts most. Its rounded seed cones take about 18 to 20 months to ripen and then break apart high in the tree. Winter rain covers the cool months on the north-central coast and the south coast. WUCOLS rates it moderate water on the north-central coast, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the Central Valley, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Queensland kauri becomes a very large tree, but a young one can grow in a big container before planting out, and in Australia it is sometimes used indoors. Check the mix 2 inches down every few days in summer, and daily in South Inland heat. Water until it drains from the holes, then empty the saucer. A pot on sunny paving heats quickly, so shade the container itself. In winter, let the mix dry a little more between soakings, and move the pot to shelter before a hard frost.

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

WUCOLS lists Queensland Kauri 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 Kauri: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37–0.780.78––
Feb0.53–0.810.87––
Mar0.87–1.151.3––
Apr1.18–1.41.61––
May1.46–1.611.95––
Jun1.61–1.742.29––
Jul1.61–1.982.51––
Aug1.49–1.862.33––
Sep1.24–1.491.86––
Oct0.87–1.151.33––
Nov0.47–0.840.9––
Dec0.31–0.650.68––
Year12–15.518.41––

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 kauri. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Sugar MapleAcer saccharumnot 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 ratingWeeping Chinese BanyanFicus benjaminanot 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 kauri, 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 kauri in summer?

In July, established Queensland kauri 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 Queensland kauri need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established Queensland kauri needs about 4.1 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 16 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 kauri change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Queensland kauri separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not suited to this region 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, 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 big does a Queensland kauri get?

In gardens it grows into an upright tree of 80 feet or more, and up to 150 feet in its native forest. It stays fairly narrow for its height, about 15 to 30 feet wide. Plant it where that height has room, well away from buildings and wires.

Is Queensland kauri a pine?

No. It is a conifer in the araucaria family. In Australia it is called dammar pine, but its leaves are broad, thick and leathery, 3 to 4 inches long, with no midrib.

Do Queensland kauri cones fall?

The rounded seed cones sit high in the branches and fall apart on the tree when ripe, so scales and seeds drop rather than whole cones. The narrow, reddish brown pollen cones drop whole. Rake the litter off paths and drip lines.

How cold can Queensland kauri take?

It is listed as hardy to about 15 to 20 degrees F. A tree at a Santa Barbara nursery came through the 1990 freeze at 18 degrees F without damage. Water a young tree ahead of a frost if the soil is dry, since dry soil holds less warmth.

Can you move a large Queensland kauri?

Large trees have been moved, but expect deep roots. When a 40 foot tree was moved at the Huntington around 1907, few side roots were found even 5 feet down, and the taproot was cut. Choose the final spot while the tree is young.

Where does Queensland kauri grow in California?

It was introduced in 1865, and large old trees stand in the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles areas. The largest measured in the country grows at the Huntington. Give it full sun and a site with room to grow tall.

More plant watering guides

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Sources