How often to water stonecrop in California
In July in the Central Valley, established stonecrop in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 2.2 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 0.8 gallons a week. Stonecrop is the common name for sedums, a large and varied group of succulents with fleshy leaves and clusters of small, star-shaped flowers. Low kinds creep into mats that root as they spread, while taller kinds such as Autumn Joy form upright clumps. All of them get by on little water, and wet, poorly drained soil is their main enemy.
How often to water stonecrop, month by month
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.
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.
How to tell it needs water
- Fleshy leaves turning thin and shriveled after weeks without rain mean the roots have run dry
- Soil completely dry an inch or more down between the stems is the cue to water
- Stems turning black and mushy at soil level over damp ground point to rot from poor drainage
- Tall kinds splaying open in late summer is a habit of their heavy flower heads, not a cue to water
- Ragged holes chewed in the leaves, with slime trails nearby, point to slugs or snails rather than a water problem
How to water it
- Plant stonecrop in coarse, fast-draining soil on a slope, berm or rock garden where water runs away from the stems
- Water slowly at the base until the root zone is moist, then let the soil dry an inch or more before the next soak
- Give low, mat-forming kinds only light, occasional irrigation once their rooting stems have filled in
- Keep stonecrop out of the spray from lawn heads and beds watered for thirstier plants
- Water the outer edge of a spreading mat as its stems root outward, and fill bare spots with fallen leaves or cuttings
Through the seasons
Water a new planting thoroughly, then let the soil dry before the next soak while stems take root. Established plants need little irrigation. Some kinds keep their leaves year round. Tall kinds such as Autumn Joy die back in winter and resprout at ground level in spring. Bloom comes in spring, summer or fall, depending on the kind. WUCOLS rates stonecrop low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in South Inland. Winter rain covers the cool months on the coast and in the Central Valley, so irrigation can usually stop then. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the low desert.
In pots
Stonecrop does well in pots, hanging baskets and shallow troughs filled with a coarse cactus mix. Its leaves break off at a touch, so set trailing kinds away from busy paths. In California summer heat, check the mix every few days and water when it is dry an inch down. Soak until water drains from the holes, then empty the saucer so the stems never sit wet. Bring tender trailing kinds grown in hanging baskets in from frost, and let every pot dry well between winter soakings.
- A year
- 6.84 gal per sq ft
- Reference
- Sacramento climate table
- Counts
- Plant need, before sprinkler losses
Monthly water need by climate zone
Stonecrop: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone
| Month | N. Coast | C. Valley | S. Coast | S. Inland | Hi Desert | Lo Desert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.15 | 0.16 | 0.31 | 0.31 | – | – |
| Feb | 0.21 | 0.26 | 0.32 | 0.35 | – | – |
| Mar | 0.35 | 0.43 | 0.46 | 0.52 | – | – |
| Apr | 0.47 | 0.61 | 0.56 | 0.64 | – | – |
| May | 0.58 | 0.83 | 0.64 | 0.78 | – | – |
| Jun | 0.64 | 0.99 | 0.69 | 0.92 | – | – |
| Jul | 0.64 | 1.07 | 0.79 | 1 | – | – |
| Aug | 0.6 | 0.95 | 0.74 | 0.93 | – | – |
| Sep | 0.5 | 0.72 | 0.6 | 0.74 | – | – |
| Oct | 0.35 | 0.47 | 0.46 | 0.53 | – | – |
| Nov | 0.19 | 0.22 | 0.33 | 0.36 | – | – |
| Dec | 0.12 | 0.14 | 0.26 | 0.27 | – | – |
| Year | 4.8 | 6.84 | 6.2 | 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 low water in the Central Valley, like stonecrop. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.
BougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
AgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
GeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
LantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
SalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
IrisesIris germanicalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
AloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
SucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
JunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Russian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
YarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Mountain AlyssumAlyssum montanumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
SagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Silver SageSalvia argentealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Purple MulleinVerbascum phoeniceumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Silvery YarrowAchillea clavennaelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTurn this into minutes on your water days
Every city page has a calculator that takes stonecrop, 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 stonecrop in summer?
In July, established stonecrop in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 days on the south coast and about every 22 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 stonecrop need per day?
In July in the Central Valley, established stonecrop needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 4 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 stonecrop change across California?
Yes. WUCOLS rates stonecrop 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, low water in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region 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.
Why is my sedum flopping over?
Tall kinds carry heavy flower heads that can splay open. Grow them in full sun and pinch the stems back in spring to make them sturdier. Extra water will not straighten them.
Should I cut back Autumn Joy in winter?
Yes. Its stems die back in winter and can be cut to the ground. New growth appears at ground level in spring as round sprouts. Birds feed on the seed heads in late fall, so some gardeners wait until then.
How do I propagate stonecrop?
Stem cuttings and detached leaves root easily. Even leaves that fall off on their own can start new plants. Set them on coarse, well-drained soil to root.
Can I walk on a stonecrop groundcover?
Only lightly. Sedums take light foot traffic, and their leaves break off easily. Lay stepping stones through a mat that sits beside a path.
Is there a stonecrop native to California?
Yes. Sedum spathulifolium grows wild on the California coast and in the Sierra Nevada. It forms tight tufts of small, powdery gray-green leaves and bears tiny yellow flowers in summer. Plant it on a slope so moisture does not collect around it.
Do sedums attract bees?
Yes. Bees visit the flowers for nectar, and the taller kinds suit pollinator gardens. Birds also eat the seeds.
More plant watering guides
Sources
- WUCOLS IV plant water use classification for Sedum spp. & cvs. (some are Hylotelephium), the University of California survey California agencies use for landscape plan reviewRead August 23, 2026 on wucols.ucdavis.edu
- Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, adopted text and appendices, effective 2025-01-02 · monthly reference evapotranspiration per city, Appendix CRead August 23, 2026 on water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Water-Use-And-Efficiency/MWELO-Rulemaking/Final-MWELO-Text-and-Appendices_20250103.pdf
- UC Statewide IPM Program, irrigation scheduling using evapotranspirationRead September 30, 2026 on ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/ENVIRON/evap.html
- Shaw and Pittenger, Landscape Irrigation System Evaluation and Management, UC Cooperative Extension, 2009Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2013-02/160836.pdf
- Pittenger, Water Management in Gardens and Landscapes, UC Riverside, 2017Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2017-03/258022.pdf