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

How often to water Radiant manzanita in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Radiant 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. Radiant manzanita is a garden selection of bearberry from coastal northern California. It hugs the ground in a dense mat of glossy, bright green leaves that pick up red tints in winter. Pale pink flowers give way to bright red berries. It does best along the coast, and inland it asks for part shade and more water.

Ground coverCalifornia nativeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water Radiant 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 Radiant 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 inches down beneath the mat means a slow, thorough soak is due
  • Bright green leaves that turn dull and soft on a warm afternoon, with dry soil underneath, signal thirst
  • A red tinge on the leaves in winter is part of this selection's normal color, not stress
  • Matted stems that yellow and die back where water collects point to drainage that is too slow

How to water it

  • Run drip line in a grid under the mat, since its stems spread several feet from the crown
  • Soak gently until moisture reaches 8 inches or so, then let the surface dry before watering again
  • Plant in sand or clay only where water drains away, and avoid low spots where rain stands
  • Keep mulch thin and fine between young plants, and stop adding it once the mat covers the ground
  • Move drip lines outward each year as the mat creeps beyond the original planting

Through the seasons

Water a new planting often enough to keep the root zone moist through its first summer, as the mat begins to creep. Established plants need less near the coast but still benefit from summer water. Away from the coast, it needs part shade and extra water. The leaves stay all year and take on red tints in winter. Flowers come in winter and spring, followed by red berries. WUCOLS rates it low water on the north-central coast. It rates moderate water in the Central Valley. Winter rain covers the cool months in both. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the south coast. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Radiant manzanita can spill over the edge of a wide container or a low retaining wall planter. Choose a pot with large drainage holes and a coarse, open mix. Check the mix 1 to 2 inches down every few days in summer, and more often if the pot sits in sun. Away from the coast, give it a spot with afternoon shade. Water until it runs out the bottom, then empty the saucer. Plant it out while young, because bearberry roots resent being disturbed later.

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

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.4––––
Feb0.210.65––––
Mar0.351.09––––
Apr0.471.52––––
May0.582.08––––
Jun0.642.48––––
Jul0.642.67––––
Aug0.62.39––––
Sep0.51.8––––
Oct0.351.18––––
Nov0.190.56––––
Dec0.120.34––––
Year4.817.11––––

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 Radiant 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 Radiant 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 Radiant 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 much water does Radiant manzanita need per day?

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

Yes. WUCOLS rates Radiant 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, not evaluated 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.

Can Radiant manzanita replace a lawn?

Yes, it can be used in place of a lawn. It uses a little less water than turf and never needs mowing. It still wants summer water, so keep it on its own drip zone.

How tall does Radiant manzanita grow?

It stays a low mat, typically well under a foot tall. It spreads 6 feet or more over time. Plan the planting width around that spread.

Does Radiant manzanita grow in clay?

Yes, it tolerates both sand and clay as long as water drains away. In clay, plant on a slight rise and let the surface dry between soaks. Soil that stays wet invites root disease.

Where does Radiant manzanita grow best?

It is at its best along the coast, in full sun. Inland, where summer days run hot, give it part shade or afternoon shade. It also suits the edge of a cool walk or patio.

Do birds eat Radiant manzanita berries?

Yes, it is a good plant for a bird garden. The bright red berries follow the pink flowers. Hummingbirds visit the flowers too.

More plant watering guides

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Sources