WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Shepherdia argentea, WUCOLS IV

How often to water silver buffaloberry in California

In July on the north-central coast, established silver buffaloberry in loam needs a deep soak only about once a month or less: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across. Silver buffaloberry is a thorny, thicket-forming deciduous shrub with silver-scaled leaves and stems, native from Canada south to California. Male and female flowers grow on separate plants, and only pollinated females bear the bright red fruit. Its roots fix nitrogen, and it tolerates drought and poor, dry soil.

ShrubCalifornia nativeRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water silver buffaloberry, 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 silver buffaloberry 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

  • In its first summer, a young buffaloberry needs a deep soak once the soil at its root ball edge is dry a few inches down
  • Silver leaves that hang limp into the next morning, with dry soil below, point to a thirsty young plant
  • Bare, spiny branches in winter are normal for this deciduous shrub and are no sign of drought
  • Leaves turning dull, yellow or purplish over soil that stays wet, and not recovering after watering, can mean root rot

How to water it

  • Water a young silver buffaloberry over its root ball and a little beyond, moving the wet zone outward as the thicket spreads
  • Once it is established, soak deeply but rarely, letting the top few inches dry well between soakings
  • Water at the base with drip or a slow hose, keeping spray off the main stems and crown
  • Choose full sun and ground that drains well, whether it is poor, dry, sandy, rocky or alkaline
  • Mulch lightly with gravel or wood chips, keeping it clear of the base of the stems

Through the seasons

Water a new silver buffaloberry deeply through its first summer, widening the wet area as roots spread. Once established it tolerates drought and needs water only in long dry spells. Tiny yellowish flowers open in early spring, before the leaves. Red fruit on pollinated females ripens in fall, though birds start eating it in late summer. Leaves drop in autumn. Coastal winter rain usually covers the cool months. WUCOLS rates silver buffaloberry very low water in South Inland and on the south coast, and low water on the north-central coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert, the low desert or the Central Valley.

In pots

Silver buffaloberry typically grows to 12 feet tall and as wide, so a container is a short stay. Use a large pot with open drainage holes and a gritty mix. Push a finger into the mix every few days in summer and water once the top 2 inches are dry. Let excess run out, then empty the saucer. It tolerates cold, so the pot can stay outdoors in winter. The leafless shrub needs little then, so water only when the mix is dry.

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

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

Monthly water need by climate zone

Silver Buffaloberry: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.15–0.080.08––
Feb0.21–0.080.09––
Mar0.35–0.110.13––
Apr0.47–0.140.16––
May0.58–0.160.2––
Jun0.64–0.170.23––
Jul0.64–0.20.25––
Aug0.6–0.190.23––
Sep0.5–0.150.19––
Oct0.35–0.110.13––
Nov0.19–0.080.09––
Dec0.12–0.070.07––
Year4.8–1.551.84––

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 silver buffaloberry. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Formosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingChilean Feather BambooChusquea culeou (C. breviglumis)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlackbrushColeogyne ramosissimanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGlaucous Scorpion VetchCoronilla valentina glaucanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWillowleaf CotoneasterCotoneaster salicifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMadagascar SagoCycas thouarsii (SHADE)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingIrish HeathDaboecia cantabricanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingButterfly PalmDypsis lutescens (Areca)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingUmbrella BambooFargesia murielaenot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlue Fountain BambooFargesia nitida (Sinarundinaria nitida) (BAMBOO)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPrickly HeathGaultheria mucronata (Pernettya mucronata)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingOtterbossieGossypium harknessiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBox-leaved HollyIlex crenatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBellyache BushJatropha gossypiifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain LaurelKalmia latifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBarbados CherryMalpighia glabranot 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 silver buffaloberry, 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 silver buffaloberry in summer?

In July, established silver buffaloberry in loam needs a deep watering about once a month or less on the south coast and about once a month or less 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 silver buffaloberry need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established silver buffaloberry needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.0 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 silver buffaloberry change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates silver buffaloberry separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, very low water in the South Coastal zone, very low water in the South Inland zone, not evaluated in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not evaluated in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Why doesn't my silver buffaloberry have berries?

Each plant is either male or female, and only a female bears fruit, after pollen reaches it from a male nearby. A lone male never fruits, and a lone female stays bare. Plant both if you want the red fruit.

Can you eat buffaloberries?

Yes, the ripe red fruit is edible but sour. It can be eaten fresh or cooked into jams, jellies or pies. Some experts advise eating it in moderation because of its saponin content.

Does silver buffaloberry spread?

Yes. It forms thickets, and in moist ground near rivers those thickets can be massive. Use it where a dense hedge, screen or windbreak is welcome. It is also used for erosion control.

Where does silver buffaloberry grow wild in California?

It grows along streams east of the Sierra, in the Cuyama Valley and around Mount Pinos. It also grows on the banks and marshes around Mono Lake. Those streamside origins do not mean an established garden plant needs wet soil.

How thorny is silver buffaloberry?

Mature branches often end in spines up to 2 inches long. Wear gloves when you work on drip lines under it. Keep it back from paths and play areas.

Is silver buffaloberry cold hardy?

Yes. It tolerates cold and wind, and it is rated hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Winter cold is no reason to water it more.

More plant watering guides

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Sources