WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Tamarix aphylla, WUCOLS IV

How often to water salt cedar in California

In July in the Central Valley, established salt cedar in loam needs a deep soak only about once a month or less: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy. Salt cedar, also known as athel, is the largest tamarisk, a tree with a feathery look from tiny scalelike leaves and small pink or white flowers. It has been planted as a shade tree in hot, dry parts of California. Today UC experts list it among invasive trees to avoid planting, since it crowds out other plants and depletes resources.

TreeRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water salt cedar, 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 salt cedar 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

  • Ground dry 2 feet down beyond the canopy in a young tree's first summer signals salt cedar needs a deep soak
  • Feathery branchlets yellowing and dropping in a long hot spell can indicate drought stress
  • Seedlings and root sprouts appearing nearby show the tree is spreading
  • Yellowing foliage over soil that stays soggy points to overwatering

How to water it

  • Water only a young tree, in a broad ring away from the trunk
  • Soak deeply and rarely, then let the soil dry completely
  • Avoid planting new trees, and choose a noninvasive shade tree instead
  • Remove seedlings and sprouts promptly
  • Keep it away from washes, streams and wild areas

Through the seasons

Established salt cedar needs little or no irrigation in most of California. Young trees need only a few deep soaks to establish. Its feathery foliage gives light shade. Because it spreads and is listed as invasive, plan to replace rather than expand it. WUCOLS rates salt cedar very low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, in the high desert and in the low desert. On the south coast and in South Inland it carries a low water rating.

In pots

Salt cedar is not a good container plant and is no longer recommended for planting. If you already hold a young tree in a pot, use a gritty mix and water only when it is dry several inches down, letting it drain completely. Empty the saucer every time. Do not let seed or prunings reach wild areas. Consider replacing it with a noninvasive tree suited to your site.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
0.27gal per sq ft in JulyVery low water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
1.71 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.250.500.751.00.04JAN0.07FEB0.11MAR0.15APR0.21MAY0.25JUN0.27JUL0.24AUG0.18SEP0.12OCT0.06NOV0.03DEC0.250.500.751.00.04JFM0.15AMJ0.27JAS0.12OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 0.27 in Jul, 1.71 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Salt Cedar: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.040.040.310.310.070.08
Feb0.050.070.320.350.090.09
Mar0.090.110.460.520.150.15
Apr0.120.150.560.640.190.2
May0.150.210.640.780.240.24
Jun0.160.250.690.920.290.28
Jul0.160.270.7910.30.29
Aug0.150.240.740.930.280.26
Sep0.120.180.60.740.210.21
Oct0.090.120.460.530.150.15
Nov0.050.060.330.360.090.1
Dec0.030.030.260.270.070.07
Year1.21.716.27.372.132.11

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 very low water in the Central Valley, like salt cedar. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Oak TreesQuercus agrifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyPearl AcaciaAcacia podalyriifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyMexican Palo VerdeParkinsonia aculeatavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyFoothill PinePinus sabinianavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyInterior Live OakQuercus wislizenivery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue OakQuercus douglasiivery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyNuttall's Scrub OakQuercus dumosavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia BuckeyeAesculus californicavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyTree of HeavenAilanthus altissimavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyOleanderNerium oleander ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyAgaveAgave americana (and thick-leaved relatives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCactusOpuntia spp. & cvs. (CA natives and non-natives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulySpanish BroomSpartium junceumvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBig SagebrushArtemisia tridentatavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Scrub OakQuercus berberidifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCreosote BushLarrea tridentata ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 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 salt cedar, 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 salt cedar in summer?

In July, established salt cedar in loam needs a deep watering about once a month or less 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 salt cedar need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established salt cedar needs about 0.7 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 2.7 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 salt cedar change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates salt cedar separately for each of the six California climate zones: very low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, very low water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, low water in the South Inland zone, very low water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, very 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 salt cedar invasive in California?

Yes, athel is listed by UC experts among invasive trees to avoid planting. It can crowd out other plants and deplete habitat. Choose a noninvasive shade tree instead.

What can I plant instead of salt cedar?

Pick a drought and heat resistant, noninvasive shade tree suited to your region. Look for a tree that stays in place and does not seed into wild areas. Ask a local nursery for options.

Do tamarisk beetles harm athel?

Leaf beetles released to control other saltcedars can attack athel. They do not persist on it. Damage is usually temporary.

Does salt cedar need summer water?

Established trees rarely need any. Young trees need a few deep soaks. Extra water only helps it spread.

Does salt cedar flower?

Yes, tamarisks bear small pink or white flowers in slender clusters. The minute leaves give the tree a feathery look. Neither changes its low water needs.

More plant watering guides

Blue AgaveUtah AgaveQueen Victoria AgaveCreosote BushPurple SageBlack SageBeaked YuccaCalifornia Buckeye

Sources