WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Abies pinsapo, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Spanish fir in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Spanish fir in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 19 gallons a week. Spanish fir is a slow growing evergreen conifer from the limestone mountains of southern Spain, reaching 50 to 75 feet in gardens. Its stiff, sharp-tipped, bluish gray-green needles radiate all around the stems, and its upright cones ripen from greenish purple to brown. It takes more heat and dryness than most firs but still needs deep, well-drained soil.

TreeRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water Spanish fir, 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 Spanish fir 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

  • When a trowel pushed in beside a young Spanish fir finds dry soil half a foot down, it is time for a slow, deep soak
  • Needle tips browning during a prolonged hot drought can indicate moisture stress, a known risk for this fir
  • Yellowing needles over soil that stays wet can indicate poor drainage, since it grows wild on deep-draining rocky soils
  • White woolly tufts or sticky residue on the shoots point to adelgids or aphids rather than thirst

How to water it

  • Run water slowly over a young tree's root ball and a band of native soil around it, moving outward each year
  • Soak slowly to 18 inches deep, then let the soil dry well before the next watering
  • Plant in deep, well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic soil, never in a low, wet spot
  • Give it full sun with some shelter from cold, drying winds
  • Mulch the root area with coarse bark, leaving the trunk base clear

Through the seasons

A newly planted Spanish fir needs deep watering for several summers until its roots reach well into the surrounding ground. In the wild it grows where summers are dry and warm and winters cool and moist. Established trees therefore take deep, widely spaced soakings in the dry months. WUCOLS rates Spanish fir low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. South Inland, the high desert and the low desert are marked as not suited to it. Winter rain usually covers the cool months in its rated zones, and the slow growing evergreen needs little extra then.

In pots

Spanish fir grows slowly, so a young tree can live in a large container for several years. Use a deep pot with open drainage holes and a gritty, well-drained mix. In summer heat, test the mix with a finger every few days and water once the top 2 inches are dry. Let the excess drain, then empty the saucer. Shelter the pot from hot, reflected afternoon sun. In winter, water lightly and only as the mix begins to dry.

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

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.31–––
Feb0.210.260.32–––
Mar0.350.430.46–––
Apr0.470.610.56–––
May0.580.830.64–––
Jun0.640.990.69–––
Jul0.641.070.79–––
Aug0.60.950.74–––
Sep0.50.720.6–––
Oct0.350.470.46–––
Nov0.190.220.33–––
Dec0.120.140.26–––
Year4.86.846.2–––

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 Spanish fir. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Olive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFig TreesFicus carica 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 JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPomegranate TreesPunica granatumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyEucalyptusEucalyptus polyanthemoslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPine TreesPinus canariensislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTexas Red OakQuercus buckleyilow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPortuguese OakQuercus faginealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySoapbark TreeQuillaja saponarialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyNecklace TreeSophora affinislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBailey AcaciaAcacia baileyanalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver WattleAcacia dealbatalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen WattleAcacia decurrenslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow 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 Spanish fir, 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 fir in summer?

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

In July in the Central Valley, established Spanish fir needs about 2.7 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 11 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 Spanish fir change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Spanish fir 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, not suited to this region in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region 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.

How is Spanish fir different from other firs?

It comes from dry Mediterranean mountains and takes more heat and dryness than many firs. Its short, stiff needles radiate all around the stem. It still needs deep, well-drained soil.

Why are Spanish fir needles so sharp?

Its needles are stiff and sharp-tipped, which earned it the name hedgehog fir. Wear gloves when handling it, and keep it back from paths.

Can you overwater a Spanish fir?

Yes. In the wild it grows on rocky, deep-draining slopes, and soggy soil harms its roots. Water deeply, then let the ground dry well before the next soak.

How big does Spanish fir get?

It grows slowly to 50 to 75 feet tall and 15 to 30 feet wide in gardens. Give it room to develop its upright, conical form. Widen watering as the canopy grows.

Does Spanish fir handle drought?

It tolerates more dryness than most firs, and WUCOLS rates it low water wherever it is rated. Even so, long, hot droughts can stress it. Give established trees a deep soak during extended dry spells.

More plant watering guides

Common HackberryMediterranean Fan PalmWintersweetSpurge OliveGround Morning GloryRock CotoneasterShrub CotoneasterIvy Leaf Cyclamen

Sources