WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Cupressus dupreziana, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Saharan cypress in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Saharan cypress in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 19 gallons a week. Saharan cypress is a rare conifer from desert wadis in the mountains of southeast Algeria, where only a few hundred wild trees survive. It has dense, dull green scale leaves and reddish brown, deeply fissured bark. It ranks among the most drought-resistant trees known and handles frost, but young trees still need help while their roots go deep.

TreeRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water Saharan cypress, 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 Saharan cypress 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 18 inches down beyond the branch tips in a young tree's first summers calls for a deep soak
  • New shoot tips drooping or the dense foliage turning dull gray during a long, hot spell can indicate a young tree is too dry
  • Inner foliage browning and shedding in summer can follow drought on a tree not yet established
  • Yellowing foliage and a soft root collar over soil that stays wet point to overwatering or poor drainage

How to water it

  • Water in a wide ring outside the trunk with a slow soaker, keeping the root collar dry
  • Wet the soil about 2 feet down, then let it dry deeply before the next soak
  • Plant in gravelly or sandy soil that drains fast, like the alluvial wadis where it grows wild
  • Keep it apart from lawns and beds that are watered often
  • Widen the soaker ring as the tree broadens over the years

Through the seasons

Water a young Saharan cypress deeply through its first few summers so roots chase moisture downward. Once established it can go long periods without irrigation, since its wild home gets almost no rain. It stays evergreen and grows slowly, a little slower than Italian cypress. It tolerates frost. WUCOLS rates Saharan cypress low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and in the high desert. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the south coast, South Inland or the low desert.

In pots

Saharan cypress can spend its early years in a deep container of gritty, fast-draining mix. Check the mix 3 or 4 inches down before each watering, and soak only when that layer is dry. In valley and desert heat that may mean every few days for a small pot. Water until it flows freely from the holes and never leave the saucer full. In winter, water rarely and let the pot drain fully after rain.

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

Saharan Cypress: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.16––0.3–
Feb0.210.26––0.37–
Mar0.350.43––0.58–
Apr0.470.61––0.76–
May0.580.83––0.95–
Jun0.640.99––1.14–
Jul0.641.07––1.22–
Aug0.60.95––1.12–
Sep0.50.72––0.86–
Oct0.350.47––0.58–
Nov0.190.22––0.37–
Dec0.120.14––0.26–
Year4.86.84––8.51–

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 Saharan cypress. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

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 Saharan cypress, 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 Saharan cypress need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Saharan cypress needs about 2.7 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 11 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 Saharan cypress change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Saharan cypress separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, not evaluated in the South Coastal zone, not evaluated in the South Inland zone, low water 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.

Is Saharan cypress endangered?

Yes, it is critically endangered, with only a few hundred living trees in the wild. Grazing and cutting for firewood have kept wild seedlings from surviving. Garden trees help keep it in cultivation.

How big does Saharan cypress get?

Wild trees reach about 20 meters, roughly 65 feet, with very thick trunks. In gardens, young trees start bushy, then form a straight central leader. Give it space to broaden with age.

Does Saharan cypress handle frost?

Yes, it has considerable frost tolerance, and its home sees frosts of about 19 degrees F. Cold is rarely the limit in most of California.

How fast does Saharan cypress grow?

Growth is reported to be a little slower than Italian cypress in similar conditions. Extra water will not make it a fast tree. Patience suits it better than frequent irrigation.

Can Saharan cypress take a dry summer?

Established trees are among the most drought-resistant known. Young trees are different and need deep soaks while roots develop. Check deep soil before deciding.

More plant watering guides

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Sources