WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Arbutus unedo & ssp. & cvs., WUCOLS IV

How often to water strawberry tree in California

In July in the Central Valley, established strawberry tree 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. Strawberry tree is a Mediterranean evergreen with leathery leaves, peeling reddish bark and clusters of urn-shaped flowers that overlap with the previous year's ripening fruit. It tolerates long dry stretches once its roots are established in open, fast-draining ground. A newly planted tree still needs regular soakings while that root system develops.

ShrubTreeRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water strawberry tree, 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 strawberry tree 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 several inches down at a young strawberry tree's root ball signals it needs a deep soak
  • Dull or curled strawberry tree leaves call for checking root-ball moisture and inspecting the foliage
  • An established tree holding its leaves through a long dry summer is typical for this species
  • A sudden increase in strawberry tree leaf, flower or fruit loss warrants inspection alongside soil checks
  • Damaged bark at a strawberry tree base above wet ground needs assessment, including a check for poor drainage

How to water it

  • Give a newly planted strawberry tree regular, deep soakings across its full root ball
  • Space out waterings as the tree settles in, checking soil depth rather than counting days
  • Use fast-draining soil and good air circulation, since wet, heavy ground encourages root and crown rot
  • Water at the drip line with drip emitters or a slow hose instead of wetting the trunk and canopy
  • Widen the watered area outward each year as the multitrunk crown spreads

Through the seasons

Give a newly planted strawberry tree steady moisture through its first one to two summers while roots spread into surrounding soil. Established trees tolerate drought, but need soil checks through summer, especially in desert gardens with higher water ratings. This evergreen holds its leaves year round, and overlapping flowers and fruit appear together in fall. WUCOLS rates it low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in South Inland. It rates moderate water in the high desert and the low desert. Winter rain can cover much of the cool season on the coast and in the Central Valley, but desert plantings need regular dry-spell checks.

In pots

For a potted strawberry tree, allow room for the root ball and use a draining mix; Compacta is a smaller form. Check the top two to three inches often during California summer heat and water when that layer is dry. Let water run through the drainage holes, then empty the saucer so roots do not sit wet. Dropped leaves, flowers and fruit can collect around a container and should be cleared regularly. In winter, water only once the mix has dried, since growth slows considerably.

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
0.761.52.33.00.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.761.52.33.00.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Strawberry Tree: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.310.310.740.78
Feb0.210.260.320.350.930.93
Mar0.350.430.460.521.461.52
Apr0.470.610.560.641.891.95
May0.580.830.640.782.392.45
Jun0.640.990.690.922.852.79
Jul0.641.070.7913.042.85
Aug0.60.950.740.932.792.6
Sep0.50.720.60.742.142.08
Oct0.350.470.460.531.461.49
Nov0.190.220.330.360.930.96
Dec0.120.140.260.270.650.68
Year4.86.846.27.3721.2721.08

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 low water in the Central Valley, like strawberry tree. 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 strawberry tree, 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 strawberry tree in summer?

In July, established strawberry tree 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 strawberry tree need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established strawberry tree 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 strawberry tree change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates strawberry tree 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, 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.

Why is my strawberry tree dropping leaves, flowers and fruit at once?

Strawberry tree can carry ripening fruit alongside fresh flowers, and fallen fruit creates litter. A sudden increase in shedding does not identify drought by itself. Inspect the foliage and soil before changing irrigation.

Does Compacta strawberry tree need different watering?

Compacta is a smaller selection, described at about six to eight feet tall and wide. It shares the species' WUCOLS ratings, but a smaller plant has a different watered area than a full-size tree. Check its root ball or container on its own terms.

Is strawberry tree messy to grow near a patio?

Fallen strawberry tree fruit can be messy on pavement, and leaves and flowers add to the cleanup. Choose a site where that litter is manageable. Clear fallen material rather than changing irrigation solely to suppress it.

Why does the bark on my strawberry tree peel?

Strawberry tree naturally sheds outer bark, exposing reddish-brown bark beneath it. That peeling alone does not indicate drought or disease. Inspect any soft, injured or declining areas separately from the normal bark pattern.

Can strawberry tree grow near the beach?

Strawberry tree tolerates salt and is used in coastal gardens. That does not establish greater tolerance than every comparable evergreen. In a sandy seaside bed, check moisture and drainage around the root ball before watering.

More plant watering guides

Blue Hesper PalmQuaking GrassShrubby Hare's EarDwarf PoincianaBottle BrushEuropean Gray SedgeRiver She-OakCommon Hackberry

Sources