WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Fragaria spp. & cvs. (CA native and non-natives species), WUCOLS IV

How often to water strawberries in California

In July in the Central Valley, established strawberries in loam need a deep watering about every 8 days: about 2.2 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.9 gallons a week. Garden strawberries spread from low crowns with roots close to the soil surface. Steady moisture supports developing berries, but the crowns also need air and drainage. Check the bed beneath the leaves before watering a wilted plant, since a wet root zone can also leave it limp.

Ground coverCalifornia nativeRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water strawberries, month by month

Your city
Plant width
2 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 strawberries 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

  • Soil dry an inch or two down beside strawberry crowns signals that the shallow root zone needs water
  • Dull blue-green leaves remaining limp into evening can indicate thirst when the soil is dry
  • Small, dry berries can accompany moisture shortage during sizing but do not establish the cause alone
  • Plants wilting or collapsing over wet soil can indicate crown or root trouble
  • Gray fuzzy mold on ripening berries warrants a check for persistently wet fruit and foliage

How to water it

  • Water soil beside strawberry crowns while keeping the crowns and ripening fruit dry
  • Moisten soil about 6 to 12 inches deep along strawberry rows, covering roots beneath established crowns and newly rooted runners
  • Run drip tubing along each row to keep overhead water off the berries
  • Mulch with clean straw or another loose material to hold fruit above wet soil and slow evaporation
  • Use mounded rows in heavy clay and widen the wet strip as runners fill the planting

Through the seasons

Keep newly planted crowns evenly moist around their roots as they establish, then soak a wider area as runners spread. Established fruiting plants need steady moisture from bloom through harvest and during warm-season growth. Reduce irrigation as cool weather slows growth, without assuming a small root system cannot dry in winter. Coastal and Central Valley rain can supply the bed; check both deserts during dry winter spells. WUCOLS rates strawberries low water on the south coast and moderate water in the other five climate zones.

In pots

Strawberry baskets expose a small volume of mix to drying air around every side. Check the top inch often in California summer heat, including daily during heat waves. Water when dry there, soaking until excess leaves the drainage holes, then empty the saucer. Afternoon shade can help baskets at hot inland sites. As growth slows in cool weather, reduce irrigation but keep checking beneath eaves, where rain may not reach the roots.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
2.67gal per sq ft in JulyModerate water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
17.11 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.761.52.33.00.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.761.52.33.00.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Strawberries: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.310.780.740.78
Feb0.530.650.320.870.930.93
Mar0.871.090.461.31.461.52
Apr1.181.520.561.611.891.95
May1.462.080.641.952.392.45
Jun1.612.480.692.292.852.79
Jul1.612.670.792.513.042.85
Aug1.492.390.742.332.792.6
Sep1.241.80.61.862.142.08
Oct0.871.180.461.331.461.49
Nov0.470.560.330.90.930.96
Dec0.310.340.260.680.650.68
Year1217.116.218.4121.2721.08

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 moderate water in the Central Valley, like strawberries. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Star JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHoneysuckleLonicera japonicamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyIvyHedera helixmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen Supreme ManzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Green Supreme'moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMassachusetts ManzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Massachusetts'moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySerbian BellflowerCampanula poscharskyanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBunchberryCornus canadensismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyKenilworth IvyCymbalaria muralismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCranesbillGeranium spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen CarpetHerniaria glabramoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySpotted DeadnettleLamium maculatummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyLemon BalmMelissa officinalismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese SpurgePachysandra terminalismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMoss PinkPhlox subulatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySpring CinquefoilPotentilla neumannianamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than strawberries in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

BougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyYarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Native YarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWoolly YarrowAchillea tomentosalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGround Morning GloryConvolvulus mauritanicuslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRock CotoneasterCotoneaster horizontalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySouth African GeraniumPelargonium sidoideslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLippia GroundcoverPhyla nodiflora (Lippia nodiflora) cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRock SoapwortSaponaria ocymoideslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMother of ThymeThymus praecoxlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyVancouver Jade BearberryArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Vancouver Jade'low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTrailing LantanaLantana montevidensis (sellowiana) ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGermanderTeucrium chamaedrys ssp. & cvs.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 strawberries, 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 strawberries in summer?

In July, established strawberries in loam need a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 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 do strawberries need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established strawberries need about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.1 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 strawberries change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates strawberries separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, moderate water 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.

How do I water strawberries after planting?

Set crowns level with the soil surface and water to settle roots against the bed. Check the upper root area while new leaves develop. Gradually soak more deeply, letting the surface dry slightly between applications.

Where should I hang a strawberry basket?

At hot inland sites, morning sun and afternoon shade can reduce drying. Wind reaches all sides of the basket, so check it separately from a sheltered garden bed. A damp bed does not mean the basket is still moist.

Do raised strawberry beds need closer checks?

They can drain and warm faster than flat ground. Check within the shallow root area instead of assuming the rest of the garden shares its moisture. Raised rows still need drainage around the crowns.

Can you overwater strawberries?

Yes. Excess irrigation can also keep ripening strawberries wet and encourage fruit rot. Remove moldy berries and reposition outlets that wet fruit instead of soil.

Can dry soil make strawberries small?

Poor pollination can also leave strawberries small or misshapen. Compare berry shape and inspect soil moisture before assuming that more irrigation will enlarge the crop.

More plant watering guides

Brazilian Butterfly TreeHardy BegoniaWax BegoniaEnglish DaisyHyacinth OrchidJapanese BoxwoodEnglish BoxwoodBodinier Beautyberry

Sources