WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Pinus contorta var. contorta, WUCOLS IV

How often to water shore pine in California

In July on the north-central coast, established shore pine 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. Shore pine is the coastal form of lodgepole pine, a California native conifer of bluffs, rocky shores and wetlands from northern California to Alaska. Wind twists it into a crooked, picturesque shape. It shrugs off salt spray, wind and poor soil, but it is not among the most drought tolerant pines.

TreeCalifornia nativeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water shore pine, 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 shore pine 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 young shore pine needs a soak once the soil beside its root ball has dried 3 to 4 inches down
  • Needle tips yellowing on a young tree during a warm, dry spell can point to thirst
  • Wilting that does not recover after watering, with soggy soil at the trunk, warrants a check for root rot
  • Pitch on the trunk is common in this pine and is not, by itself, a sign of thirst
  • Needles chewed down to stubs in spring point to sawfly larvae rather than drought

How to water it

  • Water a young tree slowly over the root ball and a little beyond, widening the ring as it grows
  • Give each soaking time to reach about 18 inches down, then wait until the top few inches are dry
  • Plant in full sun in sandy, gravelly or loamy soil, where poor ground and salt spray will not trouble it
  • Mulch the root zone, which helps established coastal trees through dry summers
  • Keep lawn sprinklers off the trunk, and water around the canopy edge of an older tree

Through the seasons

Water a new shore pine deeply through its first two dry seasons while the roots spread. Once established near the coast, a mulched tree needs only occasional summer soakings, helped by fog and winter rain. Pollen cones appear from April to June, and seed cones take 16 to 20 months to mature, some staying closed for years. WUCOLS rates shore pine moderate water on the north-central coast and on the south coast. It has not been evaluated for the Central Valley or the high desert. WUCOLS marks South Inland and the low desert as not suited.

In pots

Shore pine is a classic bonsai subject and also grows for years in a large container. Use a gritty conifer mix that drains quickly. Check it 1 to 2 inches down every day or two in warm weather, since shallow bonsai pots dry fast. Water until it runs out of the drainage holes, then empty the saucer. Keep the pot in full sun but away from reflected heat off walls. In winter, coastal rain may do the work, so feel the mix first.

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

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

Monthly water need by climate zone

Shore Pine: 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 shore pine. 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 shore pine, 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 shore pine need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established shore pine 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 shore pine change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates shore pine 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 suited to this region 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.

Why is my shore pine growing crooked?

Coastal wind naturally twists and bends it, which is where the name contorta comes from. A crooked trunk is normal and does not mean the tree needs more water.

Is shore pine the same as lodgepole pine?

They are the same species. Shore pine is the coastal variety, often short and twisted, while the inland variety grows tall and columnar.

Can shore pine grow right on the coast?

Yes. It tolerates wind, salt spray and poor, sandy soil, and it grows wild on coastal bluffs. Mulch helps young trees hold moisture through dry summers.

Can I grow shore pine as a bonsai?

Yes, it is a popular bonsai and Japanese garden pine. A bonsai pot dries quickly, so check the mix daily in warm weather.

How big does shore pine get?

Size varies widely. Windswept coastal trees often stay small and shrubby, while sheltered trees can pass 40 feet. Plan its spot for the larger size unless you buy a dwarf form.

More plant watering guides

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Sources