WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Ribes sanguineum varieties, ssp. & cvs., WUCOLS IV

How often to water red flowering currant in California

In July in the Central Valley, established red flowering currant in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. Red flowering currant is a deciduous shrub native from British Columbia to northern California, growing 6 to 12 feet tall. Long clusters of small pink to red tubular flowers open from about January to March, and dark purple berries follow. It thrives in part shade to shade and needs little summer water near the coast, a bit more inland.

ShrubCalifornia nativeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water red flowering currant, month by month

Your city
Plant width
4 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 flowering currant 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

  • Leaves wilting in a hot, dry inland summer show the shrub needs a deep soak
  • Soil dry 4 to 6 inches down around a young plant in its first summer calls for water
  • Yellowing, wilting leaves over soil that stays soggy in summer heat point to too much water
  • Leaves scorching in hot afternoon sun point to the wrong site, since it prefers part shade to shade
  • New shoots coming up around the clump come from spreading rhizomes, not from extra water

How to water it

  • Water a young plant deeply through its first summer, wetting the soil about a foot down
  • Near the coast, let established shrubs live mostly on rain; inland, soak deeply in summer once the soil dries several inches down
  • Plant in part shade to shade, under oaks or on a north-facing slope
  • Grow it in sand or heavy clay, since it handles both and even seasonal flooding
  • Edge or thin spreading stems if the clump outgrows its space

Through the seasons

Water a new shrub through its first summer or two while roots spread. Flowers open from about January to March, berries follow, and the aromatic leaves drop in fall. Winter rain does most of the work along the coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates red flowering currant low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. It rates moderate water in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

A young red flowering currant can grow in a large container in part shade for a few years. Use a well-drained mix and a pot with drainage holes. Through summer, push a finger into the mix every few days and water when the top 2 inches are dry. Let water drain through, then empty the saucer. After the leaves fall, water only lightly, and enjoy the bloom in late winter.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
1.07gal per sq ft in JulyLow water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
6.84 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.631.31.92.50.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.631.31.92.50.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Red Flowering Currant: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.310.78––
Feb0.210.260.320.87––
Mar0.350.430.461.3––
Apr0.470.610.561.61––
May0.580.830.641.95––
Jun0.640.990.692.29––
Jul0.641.070.792.51––
Aug0.60.950.742.33––
Sep0.50.720.61.86––
Oct0.350.470.461.33––
Nov0.190.220.330.9––
Dec0.120.140.260.68––
Year4.86.846.218.41––

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 low water in the Central Valley, like red flowering currant. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

LavenderLavandula spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRosemaryRosmarinus officinalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyOlive TreesOlea europaea 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 JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWild PrivetLigustrum vulgarelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCoralberrySymphoricarpos orbiculatus (SHADE)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue Leaf WattleAcacia salignalow 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 flowering currant, 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 red flowering currant in summer?

In July, established red flowering currant in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 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 red flowering currant need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established red flowering currant needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.7 gallons a day for a plant 8 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 red flowering currant change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates red flowering currant separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not evaluated in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not evaluated in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

When does red flowering currant bloom?

Pink-flowered forms cover themselves in long flower clusters from about January to March, well before most shrubs bloom. Red-flowered selections add deeper color.

Does red flowering currant grow in shade?

Yes. It likes part shade to shade and grows wild in shady canyons and on north slopes. It suits redwood and oak woodland gardens.

Do birds like red flowering currant?

Yes. It is a good shrub for a bird garden. The dark purple berries follow the flowers in spring and summer.

What is 'Inverness White' currant?

It is a white-flowered selection of the usually pink-flowered variety glutinosum. 'King Edward VII' is a red-flowered selection of the variety sanguineum.

Can you overwater red flowering currant?

It handles clay and even seasonal flooding, so wet winters are no problem. In summer near the coast, though, established shrubs need little added water.

More plant watering guides

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Sources