WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Yucca aloifolia, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Spanish bayonet in California

In July on the north-central coast, established Spanish bayonet 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. Spanish bayonet is a coastal yucca from the southeastern United States with stiff, sword-shaped leaves that end in needle-sharp tips. Over time it forms trunks up to 10 to 15 feet tall and offsets into clumps. Tall spikes of fragrant white flowers open in summer. It resists drought and salt spray but demands excellent drainage.

ShrubSucculentRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water Spanish bayonet, 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 Spanish bayonet 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

  • Dry soil 6 inches down beside the trunk tells you Spanish bayonet can take a deep soak in a long dry spell
  • Leaf tips browning back in a prolonged hot spell can show the roots have dried deeply
  • Leaves yellowing above a soft, rotting base in poorly drained soil point to too much water
  • Fewer flowers on a plant in shade reflect the light, not its watering

How to water it

  • Water Spanish bayonet at the soil around the trunks, keeping water out of the leaf rosettes
  • Soak about a foot deep, then let the soil dry thoroughly before the next watering
  • Plant in full sun in sandy, loamy or rocky soil with excellent drainage
  • Site it well away from paths and play areas, since the leaf tips are dangerously sharp
  • Widen the watered area slowly as offsets form a clump

Through the seasons

Water a new Spanish bayonet now and then through its first summer, letting the soil dry between drinks, so roots spread. Established plants resist drought and need little water. The leaves are evergreen, and flower spikes rise in early summer. WUCOLS rates Spanish bayonet very low water on the north-central coast and in South Inland. It rates low water on the south coast, in the high desert and in the low desert. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley.

In pots

Young Spanish bayonet can grow in a large, heavy pot of gritty, fast-draining mix. Water deeply when the top few inches have dried, checking every few days in summer heat. Let all excess drain and leave no water in the saucer. Place the pot where the sharp leaf tips will not catch anyone walking by. In winter, water rarely, since cool, wet mix can rot the roots.

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

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

Monthly water need by climate zone

Spanish Bayonet: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.04–0.310.080.30.31
Feb0.05–0.320.090.370.37
Mar0.09–0.460.130.580.61
Apr0.12–0.560.160.760.78
May0.15–0.640.20.950.98
Jun0.16–0.690.231.141.12
Jul0.16–0.790.251.221.14
Aug0.15–0.740.231.121.04
Sep0.12–0.60.190.860.83
Oct0.09–0.460.130.580.6
Nov0.05–0.330.090.370.38
Dec0.03–0.260.070.260.27
Year1.2–6.21.848.518.43

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 Spanish bayonet. 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 ratingPurple SpurgeEuphorbia dulcisnot 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 rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

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

In July, established Spanish bayonet in loam needs a deep watering about every 27 days 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 Spanish bayonet need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established Spanish bayonet needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 0.3 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 Spanish bayonet change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Spanish bayonet separately for each of the six California climate zones: very low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, very low water in the South Inland zone, low water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, low water 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 Spanish bayonet?

Its stiff leaves end in extremely sharp points, like bayonets. Keep it away from walkways and play areas.

Does Spanish bayonet grow a trunk?

Yes. Over many years it builds one or more trunks that can pass 10 feet, and it adds offsets at the base. Older plants branch after flowering.

Can Spanish bayonet grow at the beach?

Yes. It is native to coastal dunes and sandy soils and tolerates salt spray. Sandy soil drains fast, so a young plant needs checks until it roots in.

How do I propagate Spanish bayonet?

Divide offsets, take root cuttings or sow seed. Let new plants settle with light, occasional water until they root.

Can you overwater Spanish bayonet?

Yes. It demands excellent drainage, and wet soil rots the roots. Water deeply only after the soil has dried.

More plant watering guides

Cabbage on a StickBasket PlantForest SedgeAmerican HornbeamJapanese HornbeamChilean Feather BambooAmerican YellowwoodAnemone Clematis

Sources