WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Artemisia filifolia, WUCOLS IV

How often to water sand sagebrush in California

In July in the Central Valley, established sand 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. Sand sagebrush is a western shrub from sandy plains and dunes, with feathery, threadlike, silvery leaves and a sweetly pungent scent. It is not a true sage but a relative of wormwood. Its yellowish flowers are tiny and easy to miss. It needs very little water once settled, and too much water makes it grow rank and lose its airy shape.

ShrubRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water sand 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 sand 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 4 to 6 inches down beside a young plant means its roots are ready for a deep soak
  • Drooping shoot tips on a young plant in summer heat, with dry soil below, point to a thirsty root zone
  • Some leaf drop in a long dry spell is the shrub shedding foliage to ride out drought
  • Tall, soft, rank growth that loses the feathery look is a sign it is getting too much water
  • Silvery threadlike leaves that stay full and firm through summer show the watering is about right

How to water it

  • Plant sand sagebrush in sandy, fast-draining soil, which matches the dunes and sandy plains where it grows wild
  • Give a young plant slow, deep soaks at the root ball and the soil just beyond it, then let the ground dry well
  • Use drip or a slow hose rather than overhead spray, and keep the shrub away from lawn sprinklers
  • Keep any mulch thin and pulled back from the woody base so the crown stays dry
  • Widen the watered area as the shrub fills out, then taper off once its roots have spread

Through the seasons

Give a new sand sagebrush deep soakings through its first summer while its roots spread into the soil. After that it needs little help, and the main risk is giving too much. The silvery leaves mostly stay on all year, though the shrub sheds some of them in a long drought. Winter rain covers the cool months on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates it low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and in the low desert. It rates very low water in the high desert. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the south coast or South Inland. In both deserts, check the soil during long dry winter spells.

In pots

Sand sagebrush grows a few feet tall and wide, so it suits only a large, deep container. Use a sandy, fast-draining mix and a pot with open drainage holes. Check the mix 2 to 3 inches down every few days in summer heat, and water only when it is dry there. Water until it drains from the holes, then empty the saucer. Too much water makes soft, rank growth, so let the mix dry well between soakings. In winter, water only during long dry spells.

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
0.280.570.851.10.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.280.570.851.10.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.16––0.070.31
Feb0.210.26––0.090.37
Mar0.350.43––0.150.61
Apr0.470.61––0.190.78
May0.580.83––0.240.98
Jun0.640.99––0.291.12
Jul0.641.07––0.31.14
Aug0.60.95––0.281.04
Sep0.50.72––0.210.83
Oct0.350.47––0.150.6
Nov0.190.22––0.090.38
Dec0.120.14––0.070.27
Year4.86.84––2.138.43

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 sand 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 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 sand 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 much water does sand sagebrush need per day?

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

Yes. WUCOLS rates sand sagebrush 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, very 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 sand sagebrush the same as culinary sage?

No. Sand sagebrush is an Artemisia in the aster family, a relative of wormwood. Culinary sage is a Salvia in the mint family. Do not use sand sagebrush leaves in cooking.

Can I shear sand sagebrush?

Shearing ruins the delicate, feathery look of the foliage. Leave its natural form and remove only dead or wayward stems. A lean water supply also keeps growth from turning soft and rank.

Does sand sagebrush cause hay fever?

It is listed as a hayfever plant. The tiny yellowish flowers are easy to overlook, but they still shed pollen. Plant it away from windows and seating areas if someone in the house has allergies.

Will sand sagebrush spread on its own?

It can self-sow where conditions suit it. Pull unwanted seedlings while they are small, before they root deeply. Seedlings in a bed need the same deep, spaced soaks as a new plant until they settle.

What soil does sand sagebrush need?

Sandy soil that drains fast. In the wild it grows on dunes and deep sand, and it is used to hold sandy ground against erosion. Heavy clay that stays wet does not suit it.

Why is my sand sagebrush dropping leaves?

The shrub keeps most of its leaves, but it sheds some in a long drought. Check the soil several inches down. If it is dry, give one deep soak. If it is wet, the cause lies elsewhere, so wait for the soil to dry.

More plant watering guides

Rigid SpurgeFleeceflowerCarolina JessamineYellow Horned PoppyHoney LocustSilk OakStrawflowerMacNab Cypress

Sources