WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Monarda didyma, WUCOLS IV

How often to water scarlet bee balm in California

In July in the Central Valley, established scarlet bee balm in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.9 gallons a week. Scarlet bee balm is a clumping perennial in the mint family, native to eastern North America and growing 2 to 4 feet tall. From July to September it carries whorled heads of scarlet, tubular flowers that hummingbirds and bees visit. It spreads by underground runners and wants soil that stays moist but drains, never drying out in summer.

PerennialRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water scarlet bee balm, month by month

Your city
Plant width
2 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 scarlet bee balm 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 foot 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

  • Leaves drooping by midday while the soil is dry an inch or two down mean bee balm needs water now
  • White powder on the leaves points to powdery mildew, which overhead watering makes worse
  • Rusty orange spots on the leaves point to rust, a fungal disease, rather than a water shortage
  • Crowns rotting or dying out over a soggy winter show the soil stayed too wet in the cold months
  • Clumps that widen fast each year are spreading by underground runners, a normal habit for this mint relative

How to water it

  • Water at the soil with drip or a soaker, never over the leaves, to keep mildew down
  • Soak the root zone 6 to 8 inches deep, and water again in summer before the top inch or two dries
  • Plant in moist, moderately fertile, well-drained soil in full sun or light shade
  • Mulch the bed to hold summer moisture, and ease off in winter so the crowns do not sit wet
  • Divide clumps in spring, and widen the watered area only as far as you let the runners spread

Through the seasons

Keep a new planting evenly moist until its runners take hold. Established clumps need steady moisture from spring growth through the July to September bloom, since the soil should not dry out in summer. After flowering, the stems die back, and the crowns rest through winter, when soggy soil is the bigger risk. WUCOLS rates scarlet bee balm moderate water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. South Inland, the high desert and the low desert carry the same moderate water rating. On the coast and in the Central Valley, winter rain normally carries the resting crowns until spring.

In pots

Scarlet bee balm grows well in a large container, which also keeps its runners in check. Use a rich mix that holds moisture and a pot with drainage holes. Through hot spells, feel the mix each day and add water while the top inch is still slightly damp, since the plant resents drying out. Wet the soil rather than the leaves, and empty the saucer afterward. Divide the clump in spring once it fills the pot. In winter, keep the mix barely moist so the crown does not rot.

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
0.761.52.33.00.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.761.52.33.00.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Scarlet Bee Balm: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.780.780.740.78
Feb0.530.650.810.870.930.93
Mar0.871.091.151.31.461.52
Apr1.181.521.41.611.891.95
May1.462.081.611.952.392.45
Jun1.612.481.742.292.852.79
Jul1.612.671.982.513.042.85
Aug1.492.391.862.332.792.6
Sep1.241.81.491.862.142.08
Oct0.871.181.151.331.461.49
Nov0.470.560.840.90.930.96
Dec0.310.340.650.680.650.68
Year1217.1115.518.4121.2721.08

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 scarlet bee balm. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

DahliasDahlia spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernsNephrolepis cordifolia (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyDayliliesHemerocallis spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBegoniasBegonia & ssp. & cvs. (shade in the desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCalla LiliesZantedeschia aethiopica SHADE IN DESERTmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBicolor MonkshoodAconitum cammarummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGarden MonkshoodAconitum napellusmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySnowdrop WindflowerAnemone sylvestrismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain SandwortArenaria montanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySwamp MilkweedAsclepias incarnatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyOrange MilkweedAsclepias tuberosamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreater MasterwortAstrantia majormoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHardy BegoniaBegonia grandismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWax BegoniaBegonia semperflorensmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

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

AgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyIrisesIris germanicalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyYarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain AlyssumAlyssum montanumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver SageSalvia argentealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPurple MulleinVerbascum phoeniceumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilvery YarrowAchillea clavennaelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFern Leaf YarrowAchillea filipendulinalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Native YarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWoolly YarrowAchillea tomentosalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPerennial HollyhockAlcea rosea cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain Lady's MantleAlchemilla alpinalow 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 scarlet bee balm, 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 scarlet bee balm in summer?

In July, established scarlet bee balm in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days in the Central Valley, about every 7 days on the south coast and about every 6 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 scarlet bee balm need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established scarlet bee balm needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 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 scarlet bee balm change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates scarlet bee balm 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, moderate water in the South Inland zone, moderate water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Why does my bee balm get white powder on the leaves?

That is powdery mildew, a common bee balm problem. Water at the base instead of overhead. For new plantings, choose a cultivar bred to resist mildew, since some hold up noticeably better.

Does scarlet bee balm spread?

Yes. It spreads quickly by underground runners and can turn weedy in a small bed. Divide or edge the clumps in spring to keep it in bounds.

Do hummingbirds like scarlet bee balm?

Yes. The scarlet tubular flowers draw hummingbirds, bees and butterflies through mid to late summer. Deadhead regularly while it blooms.

Should I cut back bee balm in fall?

You can cut the stems to the ground in fall. To help native bees, which nest in the hollow stems, leave 12 to 24 inch stubs standing until they break down.

Can you eat bee balm?

The flowers are edible, and the leaves smell minty when crushed. It is a traditional tea herb, which is why it is also called Oswego tea.

Is scarlet bee balm deer resistant?

Yes, deer and rabbits tend to leave it alone. Slugs can still damage it.

More plant watering guides

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Sources