WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Ribes divaricatum, WUCOLS IV

How often to water spreading gooseberry in California

In July on the north-central coast, established spreading gooseberry 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. Spreading gooseberry is a thorny, winter-deciduous shrub native from British Columbia to California, in woodlands, coastal scrub and along streams. In spring it bears small hanging flowers with purple-tinted green sepals, followed by black berries. It needs little water once established, in soil that holds some moisture but drains well.

ShrubCalifornia nativeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water spreading gooseberry, 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 spreading gooseberry 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

  • In a new spreading gooseberry's first summer, a root ball edge that feels dry a couple of inches down calls for a soak
  • Toothed, hand-shaped leaves still limp the next morning, with dry soil below, point to thirst
  • Bare stems in winter are normal for this winter-deciduous shrub and are no reason to water
  • Yellowing, wilting leaves over soil that stays wet in summer can mean root rot, a risk for many California natives

How to water it

  • Soak a new spreading gooseberry across its root ball and a ring of soil around it, widening the ring as the shrub fills out
  • Apply water slowly, and wait until the upper few inches have dried before giving more
  • Lay drip line or a soaker hose under the branches so watering never means reaching into the thorns
  • Spread leaf mulch or wood chips over the root zone, keeping it clear of the crown
  • Plant in loamy soil that holds some moisture yet drains well, in full sun or part shade

Through the seasons

Water a new spreading gooseberry through its first summer, until its roots reach past the planting hole. After that, occasional deep soakings carry it through dry months. Small hanging flowers open in spring, and the berries ripen black. Leaves drop for winter, leaving bare, thorny stems. Along the north-central coast, winter rain usually handles the cool months. WUCOLS rates spreading gooseberry low water in South Inland and on the north-central coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the low desert, the high desert, the south coast or the Central Valley.

In pots

Spreading gooseberry is a thorny shrub, so a container suits it best while young or in a large tub. In summer, test the mix with a finger every few days and water once it is dry 2 inches down. South Inland heat dries a pot faster. Give enough that some drains out the bottom, then dump the saucer. A spot with afternoon shade slows drying. In winter the bare plant needs little water, so check the mix after rain and water only when it is dry.

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

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

Monthly water need by climate zone

Spreading Gooseberry: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.15––0.31––
Feb0.21––0.35––
Mar0.35––0.52––
Apr0.47––0.64––
May0.58––0.78––
Jun0.64––0.92––
Jul0.64––1––
Aug0.6––0.93––
Sep0.5––0.74––
Oct0.35––0.53––
Nov0.19––0.36––
Dec0.12––0.27––
Year4.8––7.37––

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 spreading gooseberry. 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 spreading gooseberry, 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 much water does spreading gooseberry need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established spreading gooseberry needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.0 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 spreading gooseberry change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates spreading gooseberry separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, not evaluated 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.

Does spreading gooseberry have thorns?

Yes. It is the thorniest of the gooseberries, with one to three thick brown thorns at the leaf nodes. That makes it a good barrier hedge or a bramble for wildlife in shade. Wear gloves when you set or move drip lines under it.

Can spreading gooseberry grow in shade?

Yes. It takes full sun as well as part shade, and in the wild it is a streamside and moist coastal understory shrub. Shaded soil dries more slowly, so check it before each soak.

Can spreading gooseberry handle wet soil?

It tolerates sand and seasonal flooding, which fits its streamside origins. Soil that stays soggy through summer warmth is a different risk. Many California natives can develop root rot when soil stays wet for long periods.

Are spreading gooseberry berries edible?

The black berries were food for a number of Native American groups of the Pacific Northwest. The shrub is also a good choice for a bird garden. Be certain of the plant before eating any wild fruit.

Why did my spreading gooseberry lose its leaves?

It is winter deciduous, so a leafless plant in winter is normal. Leaves yellowing and dropping in summer while the soil is dry suggest drought stress, so give a deep soak. Over wet soil, check drainage before adding water.

Do hummingbirds visit spreading gooseberry?

Yes. Hummingbirds are among the wildlife it supports, along with bees, butterflies and other birds. Its small hanging flowers open in spring.

More plant watering guides

Yulan MagnoliaHoupu MagnoliaSweet Bay MagnoliaBarbados CherrySiberian CypressGolden Wood MilletCreeping Forget-Me-NotBolivian Mountain Coconut

Sources