WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Artemisia spp. (shrubby), WUCOLS IV

How often to water sagebrush in California

In July in the Central Valley, established sagebrush 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. Shrubby sagebrushes are aromatic shrubs and groundcovers with finely cut, silver to gray-green leaves. California sagebrush, a core plant of coastal sage scrub, grows 3 to 4 feet tall and keeps its silver foliage. These plants come from sunny, dry, infertile ground and need little or no water once established. Wet summer soil is the quickest way to lose them.

Ground coverShrubRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water sagebrush, 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 sagebrush 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 6 inches down beside a sagebrush planted this year signals a young plant needs a soak
  • Silver foliage turning dull and brittle at the tips in a first summer can mean a young plant's root ball has dried
  • Branches collapsing with blackened stems over damp summer soil point to rot from overwatering
  • Lanky, floppy growth that splits open can follow rich soil and summer irrigation

How to water it

  • Water a new plant at its base with a slow hose until roots grow out, then mostly stop
  • Wet the soil deeply, then let it dry thoroughly before any repeat in the first year
  • Plant in full sun in sand, clay or rocky soil that drains, avoiding low wet spots
  • Keep it out of beds and lawns watered in summer
  • Skip mulch against the stems so the crown stays dry

Through the seasons

Water a new sagebrush through its first summer while roots spread, then taper off. Established plants need little or no irrigation, and California sagebrush hates wet soil in summer. Most shrubby kinds keep their silver or gray leaves through the year. Winter rain carries them on the coast. WUCOLS rates sagebrush very low water on the north-central coast. It rates low water in the Central Valley, on the south coast, in South Inland, the high desert and the low desert.

In pots

Sagebrush can grow in a large pot of gritty mix, though it does best in the ground. Water a potted plant only when the mix is dry several inches down, which in summer heat may take a week or more. Let water run out the bottom and never leave it in a full saucer. Shear lightly to keep it compact. In winter, rain may be all it needs, so check before watering.

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
0.300.610.921.20.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.300.610.921.20.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Sagebrush: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.040.160.310.310.30.31
Feb0.050.260.320.350.370.37
Mar0.090.430.460.520.580.61
Apr0.120.610.560.640.760.78
May0.150.830.640.780.950.98
Jun0.160.990.690.921.141.12
Jul0.161.070.7911.221.14
Aug0.150.950.740.931.121.04
Sep0.120.720.60.740.860.83
Oct0.090.470.460.530.580.6
Nov0.050.220.330.360.370.38
Dec0.030.140.260.270.260.27
Year1.26.846.27.378.518.43

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 sagebrush. 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 JulyYarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)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 sagebrush, 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 sagebrush in summer?

In July, established sagebrush 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 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 sagebrush need per day?

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

Yes. WUCOLS rates sagebrush separately for each of the six California climate zones: very low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, low water in the South Inland zone, low water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, low water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Is sagebrush the same as culinary sage?

No, sagebrush is Artemisia, a different genus from culinary sage. Its leaves are aromatic but some kinds are toxic. Do not use it in cooking.

Why is my sagebrush dying after I watered it?

Shrubby sagebrushes rot in moist conditions, especially warm, wet summer soil. Stop summer irrigation and check drainage. Plants in heavy, wet soil rarely recover.

Is sagebrush good for wildlife?

Yes, California sagebrush is an excellent wildlife plant, and quail use it heavily. Its strong aroma discourages many grazing insects. Deer may still browse it.

Can sagebrush grow in clay?

California sagebrush grows in clay or sand and tolerates alkaline soil. In clay, plant it on a slope or mound so water drains away. Water even less there.

Should I prune sagebrush?

A light shear keeps it compact and fresh. Heavy cuts are rarely needed. Shearing does not change how little water it needs.

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Sources