WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Hypericum androsaemum, WUCOLS IV

How often to water sweet amber in California

In July in the Central Valley, established sweet amber in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. Sweet amber, also called tutsan, is a bushy shrub 2 to 4 feet tall with paired oval leaves that take on reddish tints in fall. Clusters of yellow, cup-shaped flowers with showy stamens appear in summer, followed by berrylike fruits that ripen from red to black. It grows easily in most soils and self-sows freely.

ShrubRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water sweet amber, 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 sweet amber 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 3 inches down under the shrub in summer signals sweet amber needs a soak
  • Leaves drooping and edges curling on hot afternoons can indicate thirst
  • Flowers dropping early and berries shriveling can follow a dry root zone in summer
  • Orange rust pustules on leaf undersides point to rust disease rather than a water problem
  • Yellowing leaves and soft stems over soggy soil suggest overwatering

How to water it

  • Water the root zone under the shrub with drip or a soaker
  • Soak about 8 inches down, then let the top couple of inches dry
  • Plant in full sun or part shade in almost any soil that drains
  • Mulch to hold moisture and to make seedlings easy to pull
  • Cut spent fruit clusters if you want to stop self-sowing

Through the seasons

Water a new sweet amber regularly through its first summer. Established shrubs are fairly drought resistant but look fuller with water in dry summers. Flowers come in summer, and the colorful fruits last into fall. Cutting it back in early spring keeps it neat. WUCOLS rates sweet amber moderate water on the north-central coast and in South Inland. In the Central Valley it carries a low water rating. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert or the low desert, and has not evaluated it for the south coast.

In pots

Sweet amber grows well in a medium pot, which also keeps its seedlings out of nearby beds. Water when the top inch or two of mix is dry, then let it drain fully. In summer heat, a pot can dry in a couple of days. Empty the saucer each time. A spring trim keeps a potted plant compact and leafy. In winter, water only when rain leaves the mix dry. Move the pot into afternoon shade during inland heat waves.

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
0.631.31.92.50.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.631.31.92.50.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Sweet Amber: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.16–0.78––
Feb0.530.26–0.87––
Mar0.870.43–1.3––
Apr1.180.61–1.61––
May1.460.83–1.95––
Jun1.610.99–2.29––
Jul1.611.07–2.51––
Aug1.490.95–2.33––
Sep1.240.72–1.86––
Oct0.870.47–1.33––
Nov0.470.22–0.9––
Dec0.310.14–0.68––
Year126.84–18.41––

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 sweet amber. 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 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 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 JulyWild PrivetLigustrum vulgarelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCoralberrySymphoricarpos orbiculatus (SHADE)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue Leaf WattleAcacia salignalow 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 sweet amber, 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 sweet amber in summer?

In July, established sweet amber in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley 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 does sweet amber need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established sweet amber needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.7 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 sweet amber change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates sweet amber separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, not evaluated in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region 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.

Are sweet amber berries edible?

No, the fruits are ornamental and should not be eaten. Keep children and pets from them. Wear gloves when handling the plant.

Is sweet amber invasive?

It self-sows freely and can form dense stands, so it can be weedy. Remove fruit before it drops if you want to limit spread. Pull seedlings while young.

How should I prune sweet amber?

Cut it back in early spring to keep it full and neat. Remove crowded or dead stems at the same time. Water as usual once new growth starts.

Why are there orange spots on my sweet amber?

That is likely rust, a common fungal problem. Water at the soil instead of over the leaves. Rust-resistant cultivars are available.

Can sweet amber grow in shade?

Yes, it grows in full sun or part shade. In hot inland gardens, afternoon shade suits it best. Shade slows drying, so check soil before watering.

More plant watering guides

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Sources