WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Cornus alba, WUCOLS IV

How often to water red-barked dogwood in California

In July in the Central Valley, established red-barked dogwood in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 47 gallons a week. Red-barked dogwood is a vigorous, suckering shrub from eastern and central Asia, grown for young stems that turn blood red in fall and winter. It reaches 8 to 10 feet with an upright, arching habit, creamy flower clusters in late spring and white berries in summer. It likes moist, well-drained soil and takes wet ground, but heat stress leaves it open to disease.

TreeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water red-barked dogwood, 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 red-barked dogwood 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

  • When the soil among the stems feels dry two or three inches down in summer, this moisture-loving shrub needs water
  • Leaves wilting and browning at the edges in a hot spell show stress, which also opens the shrub to disease
  • Wilting over constantly soggy, airless soil can point to root rot, even though this shrub tolerates wet ground
  • Tan blotches on the leaves and dying twigs point to anthracnose or twig blight, most common on stressed shrubs in hot summers
  • Dull, brownish stems are simply old wood, since the brightest red comes on young growth

How to water it

  • Water across the whole clump with a soaker or a drip ring so the root zone stays evenly moist
  • Soak about a foot down, and water again before the top 2 inches dry out in summer
  • Plant in moist, well-drained soil in full sun or part shade, with afternoon shade in hot inland gardens
  • Mulch the root zone to keep the soil cool and damp
  • Cut out the oldest stems each spring, and widen the watered area as suckers spread the clump

Through the seasons

Keep a new shrub evenly moist through its first summer while roots spread. It leafs out in spring, flowers in late spring to early summer and sets white berries by midsummer. Leaves turn red, orange or reddish purple in fall, then drop to show the red winter stems. Summer heat stresses it, so steady moisture matters most from late spring into early fall. WUCOLS rates red-barked dogwood moderate water on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the south coast or South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

A young red-barked dogwood can grow in a large container, which also keeps its suckers in check. Use a moisture-holding but free-draining mix and a pot with drainage holes. In summer heat, check the mix daily and water before the top inch dries out, since this shrub likes steady moisture. Water until it drains, then empty the saucer. After the leaves fall, keep the mix just damp through winter.

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

Red-Barked Dogwood: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.4––––
Feb0.530.65––––
Mar0.871.09––––
Apr1.181.52––––
May1.462.08––––
Jun1.612.48––––
Jul1.612.67––––
Aug1.492.39––––
Sep1.241.8––––
Oct0.871.18––––
Nov0.470.56––––
Dec0.310.34––––
Year1217.11––––

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 red-barked dogwood. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Citrus TreesCitrus spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese MapleAcer palmatummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAvocado TreesPersea americanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMagnolia TreesMagnolia grandiflora ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPalm TreesSyagrus romanzoffiana (Arecastrum romanzoffianum)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyApple TreesMalus spp. (edible) e.g, 'Anna' (low chill variety for low desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPeach TreesPrunus spp. ediblemoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPersimmon TreesDiospyros kakimoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAmur MapleAcer ginnalamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernleaf MapleAcer japonicummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBox ElderAcer negundomoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyNorway MapleAcer platanoidesmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed MapleAcer rubrummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyChinese MapleAcer truncatummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed BuckeyeAesculus paviamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed HorsechestnutAesculus x carneamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than red-barked dogwood in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

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 red-barked dogwood, 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 red-barked dogwood need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established red-barked dogwood needs about 6.8 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 27 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 red-barked dogwood change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates red-barked dogwood separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, not evaluated in the South Coastal zone, not evaluated 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.

When should I prune red-barked dogwood?

Prune in spring, removing the oldest stems at the base. Young stems carry the brightest red, so regular renewal keeps winter color strong. It can also be trained into a small tree.

Why are my dogwood stems not red?

Color fades as stems age, and summer stems are greenish red anyway. The vivid blood red shows on young stems in fall and winter. Cutting out old wood each spring brings up fresh red shoots.

Does red-barked dogwood spread?

Yes. It suckers into large colonies and can be weedy and hard to remove. Plant it where a thicket is welcome, such as a moist bank or a screen.

Can red-barked dogwood grow in wet soil?

Yes. It tolerates wet soil, and thickets in moist ground help prevent erosion. It still grows best where the soil drains between soakings.

Why does my red-barked dogwood get leaf spots?

Stressed shrubs pick up anthracnose, leaf spot and powdery mildew, especially in hot summer climates. Steady moisture and some afternoon shade inland reduce stress.

More plant watering guides

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Sources