WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Rubus spectabilis, WUCOLS IV

How often to water salmonberry in California

In July in the Central Valley, established salmonberry 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. Salmonberry is a deciduous native shrub of moist woods and stream banks that spreads by rhizomes into dense thickets. Prickly, arching canes carry magenta-pink flowers from early spring into early summer, followed by edible berries that look like yellow to red raspberries. It grows in sun or deep shade and tolerates seasonal flooding.

ShrubCalifornia nativeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water salmonberry, 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 salmonberry 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 3 inches down in the thicket during summer means salmonberry is ready for water
  • Leaves wilting and browning at the edges in summer sun can show the planting is drying out
  • Berries shriveling before they ripen can follow dry soil during fruiting
  • Yellowing leaves in midsummer in ground that stays waterlogged suggest even this moisture lover is too wet
  • Canes wilting from the tip down with swellings or holes point to cane borers, not thirst

How to water it

  • Water salmonberry across the whole patch with a soaker hose laid among the canes
  • Wet the soil about a foot deep, then water again when the top couple of inches dry
  • Plant in moist, rich soil in shade or part sun, where its spread will not crowd other plants
  • Leave fallen leaves as mulch to keep the root zone cool and damp
  • Keep irrigation within the bed you want it to fill, so watered edges do not invite the rhizomes outward

Through the seasons

Water new salmonberry plantings regularly through the first summer so roots and rhizomes spread. Established thickets do best where the soil stays somewhat moist, as along the streams where they grow wild. Flowers open from early spring into early summer, berries ripen in spring and summer, and leaves drop in fall. Winter rain covers the dormant months on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley in most years. Salmonberry is rated moderate water by WUCOLS on the north-central coast, on the south coast and in South Inland. In the Central Valley the rating is low water. It has not been evaluated for the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Salmonberry spreads by rhizomes and forms thickets, so a large container is one way to keep it in check. Use a deep pot with drainage holes and a rich, moisture-holding mix. Check the top 2 inches every few days in warm weather and water before the mix dries out. Empty the saucer if water stands for long. In winter the bare canes need little water, but do not let the mix dry completely.

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

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.160.780.78––
Feb0.530.260.810.87––
Mar0.870.431.151.3––
Apr1.180.611.41.61––
May1.460.831.611.95––
Jun1.610.991.742.29––
Jul1.611.071.982.51––
Aug1.490.951.862.33––
Sep1.240.721.491.86––
Oct0.870.471.151.33––
Nov0.470.220.840.9––
Dec0.310.140.650.68––
Year126.8415.518.41––

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 salmonberry. 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 salmonberry, 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 salmonberry in summer?

In July, established salmonberry in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 11 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 salmonberry need per day?

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

Yes. WUCOLS rates salmonberry separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, moderate 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.

Are salmonberries edible?

Yes. The berries, which look like yellow to red raspberries, can be eaten raw or cooked, and so can the young leaves. Birds and other wildlife eat them too.

How do I keep salmonberry from spreading?

It spreads aggressively by rhizomes into thickets. Cut out unwanted canes and dig rhizomes at the edges, or grow it where it has room to roam.

Can salmonberry grow in deep shade?

Yes. It tolerates deep shade as well as sun. Shade keeps the soil moist longer, so check before adding water.

Does salmonberry have thorns?

Its stems carry many prickles, especially near the tips of new growth. Wear gloves when cutting canes or laying soaker hose through the thicket.

Can salmonberry handle wet soil?

Yes, better than most shrubs. It tolerates seasonal flooding as well as sand and clay. Year-round soggy ground is still more than a garden planting needs.

More plant watering guides

JunipersRussian SageYarrowMountain AlyssumSagebrushWild PrivetFlowering WoodbineStar of Bethlehem

Sources