WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Prunus sargentii, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Sargent cherry in California

In July on the north-central coast, established Sargent cherry in loam needs a deep watering about every 13 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 29 gallons a week. Sargent cherry is a flowering tree from eastern Russia, Korea and Japan that can reach 30 feet tall with an equal spread. Pink flowers open in early spring, the leaves color in fall, and its polished bark is reddish to chestnut brown. It grows best in full sun and well-drained soil of medium moisture, and it struggles with high heat.

TreeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water Sargent cherry, 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 Sargent cherry 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

  • A trowel test showing dry soil well below the mulch in summer means Sargent cherry wants a deep soak
  • Leaves scorching brown at the edges in hot summer sun can follow dry soil
  • Leaves yellowing and dropping in late summer can indicate drought stress
  • Yellowing leaves over soggy, slow-draining soil point to root trouble

How to water it

  • Run a soaker ring or drip emitters out near the edge of the branches
  • Let water sink deep into the root zone, then wait for the upper soil to dry
  • Plant in full sun in well-drained soil that holds moderate moisture
  • Spread mulch over the root zone, kept off the trunk
  • Choose a cooler site, since high heat can scorch its leaves

Through the seasons

Water a new tree regularly through its first summers until roots spread. Once settled, the tree wants moderate water, given as deep, spaced-out soaks through the dry season, since dry soil and hot sun bring leaf scorch. It blooms in early spring, colors in fall and stands bare in winter. WUCOLS rates Sargent cherry moderate water on the north-central coast and the south coast. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the low desert, and has not evaluated it for the Central Valley, South Inland or the high desert.

In pots

Sargent cherry grows into a broad tree, so a container suits only a young plant for a few years. Choose a wide, heavy pot and a well-drained mix. Water once the top couple of inches dry, and soak until it drains out. In summer, check every couple of days. Pour off saucer water. Move the pot out of afternoon sun in heat waves. Through the leafless months, wait until the mix is dry before adding more.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Sargent Cherry for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Sargent Cherry as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Sargent Cherry: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37–0.78–––
Feb0.53–0.81–––
Mar0.87–1.15–––
Apr1.18–1.4–––
May1.46–1.61–––
Jun1.61–1.74–––
Jul1.61–1.98–––
Aug1.49–1.86–––
Sep1.24–1.49–––
Oct0.87–1.15–––
Nov0.47–0.84–––
Dec0.31–0.65–––
Year12–15.5–––

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 not evaluated in the Central Valley, like Sargent cherry. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Hawthorn MapleAcer crataegifoliumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain MapleAcer glabrumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMiyabe MapleAcer miyabeinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingEverglades PalmAcoelorraphe wrightiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPink CedarAcrocarpus fraxinifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingYellowwoodAfrocarpus falcatus (Podocarpus falcatus)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNew Caledonian PineAraucaria columnaris (A. cookii)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFormosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNeemAzadirachta indicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBismarck PalmBismarckia nobilisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican HornbeamCarpinus caroliniananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingJapanese HornbeamCarpinus japonicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican YellowwoodCladrastis kentukeanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPagoda DogwoodCornus alternifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGiant DogwoodCornus controversanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingButterfly PalmDypsis lutescens (Areca)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes Sargent cherry, 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 Sargent cherry need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established Sargent cherry needs about 4.1 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 16 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 Sargent cherry change across California?

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

When does Sargent cherry bloom?

It flowers in early spring, with pink blossoms. Flower color and timing vary a little between trees. Water in dry springs to support bloom.

Why are my Sargent cherry leaves scorched?

Foliage can scorch in full sun during hot summers. Deep, steady watering helps. A cooler site helps more.

How big does Sargent cherry get?

It can reach about 30 feet tall and as wide. It casts dense shade. Give it room from buildings.

Does Sargent cherry have nice bark?

Yes, its bark is a polished reddish to chestnut brown. It shows best in winter. Keep mulch off the trunk.

Is Sargent cherry a good street tree?

It can be used as a street tree and tolerates wind. It resists most cherry pests well. Deer often damage young trees.

More plant watering guides

Big-Flowered FoxgloveWoolly FoxgloveSunset FoxgloveMale FernButterfly PalmAlpine Sea HollyAbyssinian Coral TreePurple Spurge

Sources