WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Sapindus saponaria, WUCOLS IV

How often to water soapberry in California

In July on the south coast, established soapberry in loam needs a deep watering about every 11 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 35 gallons a week. Soapberry is a round-headed evergreen tree, 30 to 40 feet tall, with long, feathery, compound leaves. Small white flowers lead to shiny orange-brown berries that were once used to make soap, and the seeds inside are poisonous. It takes full sun, almost any soil, drought and salt spray, and it has no serious pests.

TreeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water soapberry, 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 soapberry 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

  • Soil dry 18 inches down under the canopy of a young tree in summer signals soapberry needs a deep soak
  • Leaflets folding and drooping in the afternoon can indicate drought stress in a young tree
  • Leaf drop from inside the crown during a long hot spell can follow a dry root zone
  • Yellowing leaves and a sparse crown over waterlogged soil suggest poor drainage

How to water it

  • Water in a wide ring from the trunk zone out past the canopy edge
  • Soak a young tree 18 inches deep, then let the soil dry well down before the next soak
  • Plant in full sun in clay, sand or loam, as long as it drains
  • Prune young trees to develop a strong branch structure
  • Move emitters outward as the crown widens

Through the seasons

Water a young soapberry deeply through its first summers while roots develop. Established trees handle drought and salt well, though young trees need deep soaks in long, hot summers. It is evergreen, flowering off and on through the cooler months, with berries following. On the south coast, WUCOLS rates soapberry moderate water. In South Inland it carries a low water rating. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the north-central coast, the Central Valley, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Soapberry is a shade tree and belongs in the ground, but a young one can spend a season or two in a large, deep container. Water once the mix is dry a few inches down, letting the excess run out the bottom. In summer heat, a pot may dry within a few days. Empty the saucer each time. Keep fallen berries away from children and pets, since the seeds are poisonous. In winter, water only when the mix has dried.

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

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

Monthly water need by climate zone

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan––0.780.31––
Feb––0.810.35––
Mar––1.150.52––
Apr––1.40.64––
May––1.610.78––
Jun––1.740.92––
Jul––1.981––
Aug––1.860.93––
Sep––1.490.74––
Oct––1.150.53––
Nov––0.840.36––
Dec––0.650.27––
Year––15.57.37––

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 not evaluated in the Central Valley, like soapberry. 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 soapberry, 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 soapberry in summer?

In July, established soapberry in loam needs a deep watering about every 11 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 soapberry need per day?

In July on the south coast, established soapberry needs about 5.0 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 20 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 soapberry change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates soapberry separately for each of the six California climate zones: not evaluated in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, moderate 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 soapberry seeds poisonous?

Yes, the seeds inside the berries are poisonous. Keep it away from play areas, or rake fruit regularly. Teach children not to eat the berries.

Why is it called soapberry?

The berries contain a soapy material that has been used to make soap in tropical countries. That gives the tree its name. The fruits are orange-brown and shiny.

Is soapberry a good street tree?

It is used for street, median and shade plantings, and its roots are not usually a problem. It tolerates drought and salt. Give it full sun.

What insects visit soapberry?

The fruits attract boxelder bugs. They are a nuisance but do little harm. Clean up fallen fruit to reduce them.

Does soapberry need pruning?

Prune young trees to direct growth and build a strong branch structure. After that, it needs little care. It is free of serious pests and diseases.

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Sources