WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Potentilla argentea, WUCOLS IV

How often to water silver cinquefoil in California

In July on the north-central coast, established silver cinquefoil in loam needs a deep watering about every 9 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.1 gallons a week. Silver cinquefoil, also called hoary cinquefoil, is a low perennial with fine, branched stems about a foot tall that stand upright or sprawl. Its leaves split into five narrow leaflets, felted white underneath. From late spring through summer it carries open sprays of small sulfur-yellow flowers. It needs full sun and well-drained soil.

PerennialRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water silver cinquefoil, 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 silver cinquefoil 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

  • A finger pushed into the soil beside the stems that comes out dry in summer heat means it is ready for water
  • Stems flopping and yellowing in heavy, soggy soil point to poor drainage
  • Sparse, floppy growth in shade reflects too little sun, since it wants full sun
  • Top growth dying back in winter is normal for this deciduous perennial, not drought

How to water it

  • Water at the base with drip, wetting the soil about 6 inches deep
  • Allow the surface to dry out before the next watering
  • Plant in full sun in sandy, loamy or chalky soil that drains well
  • Use it in a meadow, gravel or wildlife planting where its sprawling stems have room
  • Leave the stems unpruned, since it needs no regular pruning

Through the seasons

Water new plants regularly until they root in. Growth starts in spring, and flowers open from late spring through summer. As a deciduous perennial it dies back for winter and regrows in spring. On the north-central coast, winter rain usually covers its rest period. WUCOLS rates silver cinquefoil moderate water on the north-central coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley, the south coast, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Silver cinquefoil can grow in a shallow container in full sun, where its sprawling stems drape over the edge. Choose a gritty, well-drained mix and a pot with drainage holes. During hot spells, check the mix by touch twice a week or so and water when the upper inch feels dry. Let excess run out, then empty the saucer. After it dies back in winter, water only lightly.

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

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

Monthly water need by climate zone

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37––0.78––
Feb0.53––0.87––
Mar0.87––1.3––
Apr1.18––1.61––
May1.46––1.95––
Jun1.61––2.29––
Jul1.61––2.51––
Aug1.49––2.33––
Sep1.24––1.86––
Oct0.87––1.33––
Nov0.47––0.9––
Dec0.31––0.68––
Year12––18.41––

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 cinquefoil. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Lilyleaf LadybellsAdenophora liliifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingArnicaArnica montananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFrilly BergeniaBergenia ciliatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCabbage on a StickBrighamia insignisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBasket PlantCallisia fragransnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingForest SedgeCarex sylvaticanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingUmbrella DracaenaDianella ensifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRusty FoxgloveDigitalis ferrugineanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBig-Flowered FoxgloveDigitalis grandifloranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWoolly FoxgloveDigitalis lanatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSunset FoxgloveDigitalis obscuranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMale FernDryopteris filix-masnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAlpine Sea HollyEryngium alpinumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple SpurgeEuphorbia dulcisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueen of the MeadowFilipendula ulmarianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDropwortFilipendula vulgaris (Filipendula hexapetala)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 silver cinquefoil, 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 silver cinquefoil need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established silver cinquefoil needs about 0.2 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.7 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 silver cinquefoil change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates silver cinquefoil separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, not evaluated in the South Coastal zone, moderate 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 is it called silver cinquefoil?

Its leaves, divided into five narrow leaflets, are felted white underneath, which gives the plant a silvery look. Hoary cinquefoil is another common name.

Is silver cinquefoil a shrub?

No. It is an herbaceous perennial with fine stems, unlike the shrubby cinquefoils. It dies back in winter and regrows in spring.

How do I propagate silver cinquefoil?

Grow it from seed. It reaches full size in a year or two.

Does silver cinquefoil need pruning?

No regular pruning is needed. Tidy away the dead stems after the plant dies back if you prefer a neat look.

Can you overwater silver cinquefoil?

Yes. It needs well-drained soil, and heavy ground that stays wet weakens it. Let the top inch or two dry between waterings.

More plant watering guides

Clublawn GrassWillowleaf CotoneasterMadagascar SagoIrish HeathUmbrella DracaenaRusty FoxgloveBig-Flowered FoxgloveWoolly Foxglove

Sources