WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Symphoricarpos albus ssp. & cvs. (SHADE), WUCOLS IV

How often to water snowberry in California

In July in the Central Valley, established snowberry in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. Snowberry is a deciduous native shrub in the honeysuckle family, 3 to 6 feet tall, with twiggy, arching branches and bluish green leaves. Tiny pink bell flowers in summer give way to round berries that turn snow white and hang on bare stems into winter. It spreads by rhizomes into thickets, grows in sun or part shade and needs little summer water once established.

ShrubCalifornia nativeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water snowberry, 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 snowberry 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

  • Soil dry 4 to 6 inches down among the stems in late summer means a deep soak will help the ripening berries
  • Berries that never ripen to white in a very dry year show the shrub went short of water
  • Leaves yellowing on a shrub in ground that stays waterlogged point to overwatering
  • A white, powdery film on the leaves is powdery mildew rather than a watering problem
  • Berries turning brown and soft on the branch can point to berry rot

How to water it

  • Let a soaker or a slow hose run at the base of the clump until the soil is wet about a foot down
  • Allow the soil to dry well, several inches deep, between summer soakings
  • Plant in any soil that drains fairly well, from sand to clay, in morning sun or part shade
  • Use it on banks, where its deep, vigorous roots hold soil, and mulch the ground between the stems
  • Expand the watered area as rhizomes widen the thicket, or cut back suckers to hold its size

Through the seasons

Water a new snowberry regularly through its first summer while its roots and rhizomes spread. After that it gets by on winter rain plus an occasional deep soak in summer, which also helps the berry crop. Pink flowers open in summer and draw hummingbirds. The berries ripen white by fall and hang on the bare branches into winter after the leaves drop. WUCOLS rates snowberry low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Snowberry spreads by rhizomes and is happiest in open ground, but a young plant can live in a big container in part shade. Use a well-drained mix and a pot with drainage holes. In summer heat, check the mix every few days and water once the top 2 inches are dry. Water until it flows out the bottom, and do not leave it standing in a saucer. The white berries show best on the bare winter stems. After the leaves drop, water only when the mix has dried well.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
1.07gal per sq ft in JulyLow water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
6.84 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.270.540.801.10.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.270.540.801.10.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Snowberry: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.310.31––
Feb0.210.260.320.35––
Mar0.350.430.460.52––
Apr0.470.610.560.64––
May0.580.830.640.78––
Jun0.640.990.690.92––
Jul0.641.070.791––
Aug0.60.950.740.93––
Sep0.50.720.60.74––
Oct0.350.470.460.53––
Nov0.190.220.330.36––
Dec0.120.140.260.27––
Year4.86.846.27.37––

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 low water in the Central Valley, like snowberry. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

LavenderLavandula spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRosemaryRosmarinus officinalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyOlive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCrape MyrtleLagerstroemia spp., hybrids & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWild PrivetLigustrum vulgarelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCoralberrySymphoricarpos orbiculatus (SHADE)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue Leaf WattleAcacia salignalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes snowberry, 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 snowberry in summer?

In July, established snowberry in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 days on the south coast and about every 22 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 snowberry need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established snowberry needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.7 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 snowberry change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates snowberry separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, 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.

Are snowberry berries poisonous?

The berries are listed as mildly poisonous and can cause vomiting and diarrhea if eaten. Teach children not to pick them. Birds such as thrashers eat them when other food runs short.

Does snowberry spread?

Yes. It suckers from rhizomes and can form a dense thicket, which makes it useful for covering slopes. Cut unwanted suckers at the edge to keep it in bounds.

Why does my snowberry have so few berries?

Deep shade cuts fruiting, since berries are heaviest in sun. In dry years the berries may not ripen at all. A deep soak now and then through summer and early fall helps the branches load up.

Does snowberry grow in shade?

Yes. It grows from part shade to full sun and occurs naturally in open forests and woodlands. Expect fewer berries in deeper shade.

Can you overwater snowberry?

Yes, if the soil stays waterlogged. It tolerates brief flooding, but constantly soggy ground is a problem. Let the soil dry well between summer soakings.

More plant watering guides

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Sources