WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Lysichiton americanus, WUCOLS IV

How often to water skunk cabbage in California

In July on the north-central coast, established skunk cabbage in loam needs a deep watering about every 6 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.8 gallons a week. Skunk cabbage, the western or yellow skunk cabbage, is a West Coast native of creek channels, swamps and seasonally wet woods. In early spring a bright yellow, hooded spathe rises before the huge leaves, which can reach about 4 feet long. It needs constantly wet soil all year and resents sun and even moderately dry sites.

PerennialCalifornia nativeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water skunk cabbage, 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 skunk cabbage 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

  • Soil that has dried at the surface around the clump means skunk cabbage needs water right away
  • Leaves wilting, yellowing or scorching in summer point to a site that is too dry or too sunny
  • Stunted leaves that never reach full size show the plant lacks the year-round moisture it needs
  • Standing water around the crown is normal for this bog plant, so do not read wet soil as overwatering
  • Bright yellow spathes in early spring are normal bloom, and a skunky odor comes with them

How to water it

  • Water skunk cabbage generously so the soil stays saturated, or plant it where water stands naturally
  • Keep the root zone wet year-round, well below the rhizome
  • Plant in deep, rich, peaty soil in partial to full shade
  • Mulch with leaf litter to hold moisture and keep the soil cool
  • Site it at a pond edge or in a lined bog bed that holds water as the clump grows larger

Through the seasons

Keep a new skunk cabbage constantly wet from planting on. Established clumps return each year from rhizomes and gain size slowly, but they will not establish without consistent year-round water. Spathes appear in early spring before the leaves, which grow large through spring and summer and die back later in the year. WUCOLS rates skunk cabbage high water on the north-central coast and the south coast. It is marked not suited to the Central Valley, South Inland and the low desert, and WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert.

In pots

If you grow skunk cabbage in a container, choose a large, deep one set in a saucer or shallow pond so the mix stays wet. Use a rich, peaty mix and keep it saturated through the whole year. Check daily in warm weather, since a pot loses moisture far faster than a bog. Keep the container in shade. In winter, keep the mix wet even while the plant is dormant.

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

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

Monthly water need by climate zone

Skunk Cabbage: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.6–1.24–––
Feb0.84–1.29–––
Mar1.39–1.84–––
Apr1.88–2.23–––
May2.33–2.58–––
Jun2.58–2.78–––
Jul2.58–3.17–––
Aug2.38–2.98–––
Sep1.98–2.38–––
Oct1.39–1.84–––
Nov0.74–1.34–––
Dec0.5–1.04–––
Year19.2–24.8–––

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 skunk cabbage. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Desert RoseAdenium obesumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingKahili GingerHedychium gardnerianumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAlpine ToadflaxLinaria alpinanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingEgyptian Star FlowerPentas lanceolatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSwedish IvyPlectranthus verticillatusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSolomon's SealPolygonatum odoratum (japonicum)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPainted DaisyTanacetum coccineum (Pyrethrum roseum)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWandering JewTradescantia fluminensis (SHADE)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMoses-in-the-CradleTradescantia spathacea (Rhoeo spathacea)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingHeath-Leafed BanksiaBanksia ericifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCalifornia Black WalnutJuglans californicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDesert IronwoodOlneya tesotanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMonterey PinePinus radiatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQuaking AspenPopulus tremuloidesnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSaguaroCarnegiea giganteanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingOcotilloFouquieria splendensnot 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 skunk cabbage, 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 skunk cabbage need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established skunk cabbage needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.0 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 skunk cabbage change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates skunk cabbage separately for each of the six California climate zones: high water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not suited to this region in the Central Valley zone, high 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 does skunk cabbage smell?

It gives off a skunky odor when it blooms. The strength varies, and it is usually milder than that of eastern skunk cabbage.

Is skunk cabbage poisonous?

It contains calcium oxalate crystals that irritate the mouth and gut, and larger amounts can be toxic. Keep children and pets from chewing it, and wear gloves when dividing it.

Can skunk cabbage grow in a regular garden bed?

Only if the soil stays wet all year. It resents sun and even moderately dry sites and will not establish without constant water. A pond edge or bog bed works best.

Does skunk cabbage spread?

It grows from rhizomes and slowly gains size, and in some regions it has spread along waterways. Keep garden plants away from natural creeks where it could escape.

How big does skunk cabbage get?

In the wild it can reach about 3 feet tall and wide, with leaves among the largest of any western native. Give it room at the pond edge.

More plant watering guides

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Sources