WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Phoenix reclinata, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Senegal date palm in California

In July on the south coast, established Senegal date palm in loam needs a deep watering about every 11 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 35 gallons a week. Senegal date palm is a clumping feather palm from tropical Africa that sends up several slender, light gray trunks curving outward. Its arching fronds carry long, sharp spines near the base. It grows fairly fast in full sun with regular water, yet like other palms it suffers in soggy, poorly drained soil.

TreePalm or cycadRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water Senegal date palm, 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 Senegal date palm 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

  • Soil dry several inches down around the trunks during a hot spell means the clump is due for a deep soak
  • Older fronds fading to pale green or yellow usually point to a nitrogen shortage, not a lack of water
  • A few lower fronds dying on one side, with a dark streak along the stalk, point to petiole blight rather than thirst
  • Yellowing fronds over ground that stays soggy point to too much water, since palms are sensitive to poor drainage
  • Fronds browned after a hard freeze are cold damage, not a sign of drought

How to water it

  • Build a berm 4 to 6 inches high around a new palm, keeping the root ball evenly moist but not saturated
  • Water established clumps deeply, to about 2 feet, and let the top few inches dry before the next soak
  • Keep sprinkler spray off the trunks and crown, and use drip or bubblers at the base instead
  • Keep lawn and other plants at least a foot from the trunks, and cover that strip with coarse organic mulch
  • Widen the watered area as new trunks lean outward and the clump spreads 15 to 25 feet wide

Through the seasons

Keep a newly planted palm evenly moist but never saturated while it settles in. Established clumps grow fairly fast with regular deep water through the warm months. They need far less in winter, since palms grow slowly in cool weather. Frost in the mid to upper 20s can burn the fronds. WUCOLS rates Senegal date palm moderate water on the south coast, in South Inland and in the low desert. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the north-central coast, the Central Valley or the high desert. On the south coast, winter rain usually carries the palm through the cool months.

In pots

A young Senegal date palm can live in a large container for several years before it needs the ground. Use a fast-draining potting mix and a heavy pot with drainage holes. In summer heat, check the mix 2 inches down every few days and water when it is dry there, until water runs from the base. Never let the pot stand in a full saucer. Mind the spines at the leaf bases when moving it. In winter, water sparingly and shelter it from hard frost.

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

WUCOLS lists Senegal Date Palm as not suited to this region for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Senegal Date Palm: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan––0.780.78–0.78
Feb––0.810.87–0.93
Mar––1.151.3–1.52
Apr––1.41.61–1.95
May––1.611.95–2.45
Jun––1.742.29–2.79
Jul––1.982.51–2.85
Aug––1.862.33–2.6
Sep––1.491.86–2.08
Oct––1.151.33–1.49
Nov––0.840.9–0.96
Dec––0.650.68–0.68
Year––15.518.41–21.08

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 not suited to this region in the Central Valley, like Senegal date palm. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Sugar MapleAcer saccharumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueensland KauriAgathis robustanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCherimoyaAnnona cherimolanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple Orchid TreeBauhinia variegata (purpurea)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingToogBischofia javanicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingClustered Fishtail PalmCaryota mitisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWhite SapoteCasimiroa edulisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFilbertCorylus maximanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSpotted GumCorymbia maculata (Eucalyptus maculata)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDove TreeDavidia involucratanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRoyal PoincianaDelonix regianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingTriangle PalmDypsis decaryinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain White GumEucalyptus dalrympleananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRainbow EucalyptusEucalyptus degluptanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRoxburgh FigFicus auriculatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingIndian BanyanFicus benghalensisnot 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 Senegal date palm, 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 Senegal date palm in summer?

In July, established Senegal date palm in loam needs a deep watering 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 Senegal date palm need per day?

In July on the south coast, established Senegal date palm needs about 5.0 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 20 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 Senegal date palm change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Senegal date palm separately for each of the six California climate zones: not suited to this region in the North-Central Coastal zone, not suited to this region in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region 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.

How tall does Senegal date palm grow?

Expect 20 to 30 feet or more in height, with a spread nearly as wide. Each trunk stays fairly thin, about 4 to 8 inches across.

Does Senegal date palm have thorns?

Yes. The stiff lower leaflets on each leaf stalk turn into long, narrow spines. Wear gloves and eye protection when pruning, and keep the clump back from paths.

Does Senegal date palm produce dates?

Each plant is male or female, and only females bear the small, date-like fruits. Remove spent flower and fruit stalks in June or July if the litter is a nuisance.

How cold can Senegal date palm take?

Damage can begin when temperatures drop into the mid to upper 20s. It suits mild winter gardens best.

How should I prune Senegal date palm?

Remove only dead fronds, and leave the old leaf bases until they dry and come away easily. Never cut green fronds or skin the trunks, since wounds let disease in.

Can you overwater Senegal date palm?

Yes. Palms are sensitive to poor drainage, and sprinkler spray on the crown can lead to heart rot. Water deeply at the base, then let the top few inches dry.

More plant watering guides

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Sources