WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Rhus typhina, WUCOLS IV

How often to water staghorn sumac in California

In July in the Central Valley, established staghorn sumac 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. Staghorn sumac is a fast, suckering deciduous shrub or small tree whose young branches are covered in velvety hairs like a stag's antlers. Long divided leaves turn scarlet, orange and yellow in fall, and upright clusters of fuzzy red fruit stand above them. It tolerates drought once established but not poorly drained soil.

ShrubTreeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water staghorn sumac, 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 staghorn sumac 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 3 to 4 inches down among the stems of a young planting means it is ready for a deep soak
  • Leaflets drooping and browning at the tips in summer heat, over dry soil, point to a thirsty young plant
  • Leaves yellowing early and stems dying back over soggy ground point to poor drainage, which sumac will not tolerate
  • Suckers popping up well away from the clump show roots on the move, not a need for more water
  • Leggy, sparse growth on an old clump calls for cutting it back to the ground to renew it

How to water it

  • Water a young planting deeply at the base until it establishes, then taper off
  • Once the clump is established, let the soil dry well down between soakings
  • Plant in sun or part shade in any soil that drains well, including rocky slopes
  • Keep irrigation within the space you want it to fill, and mow or edge around it to stop suckers
  • Use it on dry, sunny banks, where its spreading roots help hold the soil

Through the seasons

Water a new staghorn sumac regularly through its first summer, then move to deep, occasional soakings. Greenish flowers open in late spring to early summer, followed by the red fruit clusters. The leaves color brightly in fall, and the bare stems often keep their fruit into winter. Winter rain covers the dormant months on the coast and in the valley, so irrigation can stop then. WUCOLS rates staghorn sumac low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in the high desert. South Inland has not been evaluated, and WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the low desert.

In pots

A low-suckering cultivar such as 'Tiger Eyes', with golden leaves, can live in a large container, which also keeps the roots from wandering. Use a free-draining mix. Check the mix 2 inches down every few days in summer and water once it is dry there. Water until it drains from the holes, then empty the saucer, since the roots need good drainage. In winter the bare plant needs little, so water only when the mix is dry well below the surface.

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
0.300.610.921.20.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.300.610.921.20.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Staghorn Sumac: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.31–0.3–
Feb0.210.260.32–0.37–
Mar0.350.430.46–0.58–
Apr0.470.610.56–0.76–
May0.580.830.64–0.95–
Jun0.640.990.69–1.14–
Jul0.641.070.79–1.22–
Aug0.60.950.74–1.12–
Sep0.50.720.6–0.86–
Oct0.350.470.46–0.58–
Nov0.190.220.33–0.37–
Dec0.120.140.26–0.26–
Year4.86.846.2–8.51–

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 staghorn sumac. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

LavenderLavandula spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRosemaryRosmarinus officinalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyOlive 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 JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria 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 JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low 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 staghorn sumac, 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 staghorn sumac in summer?

In July, established staghorn sumac 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 staghorn sumac need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established staghorn sumac 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 staghorn sumac change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates staghorn sumac 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 evaluated in the South Inland zone, low water 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.

Is staghorn sumac poisonous?

No. Staghorn sumac is listed as not poisonous. Its bigger drawback is how aggressively it spreads by suckers.

How do I stop staghorn sumac from spreading?

It spreads by root suckers and seed into thickets. Mow or cut suckers at the edge of the planting, or choose 'Tiger Eyes', which suckers much less.

Why is it called staghorn sumac?

Its young branches are covered in reddish-brown hairs, much like the velvet on a stag's antlers. The fuzz is most noticeable on new growth.

Should I cut back my staghorn sumac?

You can cut a leggy clump to the ground to renew it, and new shoots will follow. Water the regrowth as you would a young plant through its first summer.

Does staghorn sumac keep its red fruit in winter?

The upright red fruit clusters often stay on after the leaves drop, adding winter interest. Leave them in place unless you want fewer seedlings.

More plant watering guides

WisteriaLantanaSalviaIrisesAloeSucculentsPomegranate TreesEucalyptus

Sources