WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Gaultheria shallon, WUCOLS IV

How often to water salal in California

In July in the Central Valley, established salal in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 7.6 gallons a week. Salal is an evergreen shrub in the heather family, native to western North America, where it grows under forest trees in the coastal Northwest at low elevations. Its leathery, glossy oval leaves are popular with florists. Drooping clusters of urn-shaped white to pinkish flowers in spring and early summer give way to purple berries that birds eat.

ShrubCalifornia nativeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water salal, 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 salal 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

  • Moist, mulched soil under salal turning dry an inch or two down in summer means it needs water
  • Leaves bronzing or browning at the edges in sun point to too much exposure and dry soil
  • Leaves yellowing between green veins point to soil that is not acidic enough
  • Stems rooting where they touch the ground is how it spreads, not a sign of trouble

How to water it

  • Keep the soil moist with regular, deep watering
  • Plant in partial to full shade in moist, acidic soil
  • Mulch with leaf litter or bark to hold moisture
  • Use it as a woodland groundcover or informal thicket
  • Leave the berries for birds

Through the seasons

Water new plants steadily until they spread. Established shrubs want moist, acidic soil and shade, especially inland, where heat dries the leaves. Flowers come in spring and early summer, and purple berries ripen later for the birds. Along the north-central coast, through the Central Valley and on the south coast, WUCOLS gives salal a moderate water rating. South Inland carries a high water rating. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Salal can grow in a large, wide container in shade, where its glossy leaves stay attractive all year. Fill it with an acidic, moisture-holding mix that drains. Water when the top inch dries, until it drains through. In summer, check every day or two. Do not let it dry out completely or sit in water. In winter, water when the mix dries between rains.

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
1.02.03.04.00.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC1.02.03.04.00.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.781.24––
Feb0.530.650.811.39––
Mar0.871.091.152.08––
Apr1.181.521.42.58––
May1.462.081.613.12––
Jun1.612.481.743.67––
Jul1.612.671.984.02––
Aug1.492.391.863.72––
Sep1.241.81.492.98––
Oct0.871.181.152.13––
Nov0.470.560.841.44––
Dec0.310.340.651.09––
Year1217.1115.529.46––

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 salal. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

RosesRosa hybrids..bushmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAzaleasRhododendron spp. (CA native and non-native spp.)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCamelliasCamellia japonica (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGardeniasGardenia spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBird of ParadiseStrelitzia reginae (shade in desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHibiscusHibiscus rosa-sinensismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySago PalmCycas revolutamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyStar JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyArborvitaeThuja occidentalis ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBambooBambusa spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyLilacsSyringa hybrids (including Descanso hybrids)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySpireaSpiraea spp. (CA native and non native spp.)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyButterfly BushBuddleja davidii and hybridsmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed BuckeyeAesculus paviamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWestern ServiceberryAmelanchier alnifoliamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than salal in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

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 salal, 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 salal in summer?

In July, established salal in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley, about every 11 days on the south coast and about every 5 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 salal need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established salal needs about 1.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 4.3 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 salal change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates salal separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, high water 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 salal grow in sun?

It grows best in partial to full shade. Sun and dry soil stress it. Inland, shade is essential.

Are salal berries edible?

Birds eat the purple berries. Treat them as wildlife food unless you know the plant well. The shrub makes good bird habitat.

Is salal a California native?

It is native to western North America and grows as a forest understory shrub in the coastal Northwest. It suits shady native gardens. It needs moist, acidic soil.

Why do florists use salal?

Its leathery, glossy evergreen leaves last well in arrangements. Cutting a few stems does no harm. Water after heavy cutting.

Does salal spread?

It can form thickets, and stems root where they touch the ground. That makes it a good groundcover. Trim edges if needed.

More plant watering guides

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Sources