WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Jatropha integerrima, WUCOLS IV

How often to water spicy jatropha in California

In July on the north-central coast, established spicy jatropha in loam needs a deep watering about every 13 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 4.6 gallons a week. Spicy jatropha, also called peregrina, is a dense, rounded evergreen shrub from Cuba, usually 3 to 10 feet tall. Its pointed leaves are velvety on top and flecked with purple beneath. Clusters of five-petaled, deep red flowers with yellow stamens keep branching and blooming for months from late spring through summer. It may be poisonous.

ShrubRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water spicy jatropha, 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 spicy jatropha 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

  • A soil check that finds the top few inches dry beside spicy jatropha in late spring or summer means it is time to water
  • Flowering slowing in midsummer heat can follow dry soil
  • Leaves dropping in a cold winter is its semi-deciduous response in cooler spots
  • Leaves yellowing in poorly drained, soggy soil point to too much water

How to water it

  • Water regularly through late spring and summer
  • Let the top couple of inches dry between waterings
  • Plant in full sun in well-drained soil
  • Choose a frost-free spot, or expect leaf drop in colder areas
  • Wear gloves when pruning, since the plant may be poisonous

Through the seasons

Water a new shrub regularly through its first summer. Established plants want regular water in late spring and summer, when they bloom, and less in the cool months. In colder spots they turn semi-deciduous. It tolerates salty conditions and a range of soil pH if drainage is good. WUCOLS rates spicy jatropha moderate water on the north-central coast, on the south coast, in South Inland and in the low desert. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley or the high desert.

In pots

Spicy jatropha does well in a large container on a sunny, warm patio, blooming for months. Use a well-drained mix. In late spring and summer, water when the top couple of inches dry, until it drains. Check pots every couple of days in heat. Empty the saucer after each watering. Move it to shelter on frosty nights. In winter, water sparingly while growth slows.

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

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

Monthly water need by climate zone

Spicy Jatropha: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37–0.780.78–0.78
Feb0.53–0.810.87–0.93
Mar0.87–1.151.3–1.52
Apr1.18–1.41.61–1.95
May1.46–1.611.95–2.45
Jun1.61–1.742.29–2.79
Jul1.61–1.982.51–2.85
Aug1.49–1.862.33–2.6
Sep1.24–1.491.86–2.08
Oct0.87–1.151.33–1.49
Nov0.47–0.840.9–0.96
Dec0.31–0.650.68–0.68
Year12–15.518.41–21.08

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 spicy jatropha. 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 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 ratingBarbados CherryMalpighia glabranot 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 spicy jatropha, 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 spicy jatropha in summer?

In July, established spicy jatropha in loam needs a deep watering about every 11 days on the south coast and about every 9 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 spicy jatropha need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established spicy jatropha needs about 0.7 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 2.6 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 spicy jatropha change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates spicy jatropha separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not evaluated in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

When does spicy jatropha bloom?

It blooms in late spring and summer, with clusters that keep branching and flowering for weeks. Regular summer water supports bloom. Full sun helps.

Is spicy jatropha poisonous?

It may be poisonous. Keep children and pets from chewing it. Wear gloves when pruning.

Is spicy jatropha frost hardy?

It is hardy to about 25 to 30 degrees F. It performs best in frost-free spots. In colder areas it may drop leaves.

Does spicy jatropha tolerate salt?

Yes, it has a good tolerance of saline conditions. It also handles a wide range of soil pH. Good drainage is essential.

Can spicy jatropha grow in shade?

It performs best in full sun but grows in light shade. Expect fewer flowers in shade. Water less there.

More plant watering guides

Silver BuffaloberryBrazilian NightshadeCanada GoldenrodFalse SpireaRose AppleAlpine Meadow RuePurple Meadow RueYellow Meadow Rue

Sources