WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Acacia longifolia, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Sydney golden wattle in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Sydney golden wattle 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. Sydney golden wattle is a fast, bushy evergreen shrub or small tree from coastal southeastern Australia, 12 to 20 feet tall and as wide. Long, light green phyllodes with parallel veins line the branches. Fragrant golden blossoms open in cylindrical clusters from winter into early spring. It is drought and salt tolerant in coastal gardens, but it can invade dunes and creeks.

ShrubTreeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water Sydney golden wattle, 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 Sydney golden wattle 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

  • A young Sydney golden wattle with soil gone dry a foot and a half down in its first summer needs a slow soak
  • Leaflike phyllodes hanging limp and sparse after an inland heat wave suggest the roots have run dry
  • Seedlings coming up around the shrub show it is spreading by seed
  • Branch dieback with constantly soggy ground below means it is getting too much water

How to water it

  • Set a soaker in a circle around a young plant, a few feet from the trunk
  • Soak deeply, then wait until the ground is dry well below the surface
  • Choose a sunny, free-draining site far from dunes, creeks and wild areas
  • Taper irrigation after the first year in coastal gardens
  • Pull seedlings while small

Through the seasons

Water a young Sydney golden wattle deeply through its first summer, then let it rely mostly on rain near the coast. It is evergreen and blooms from winter into early spring, when rain usually covers its needs. It is cold hardy to about 20 degrees F. Across the north-central coast, the Central Valley, the south coast and South Inland, WUCOLS assigns this wattle a low water rating. The deserts are another matter, and WUCOLS marks the high desert and the low desert not suited.

In pots

Sydney golden wattle outgrows any container quickly. A young plant can wait a season in a deep pot of free-draining mix. Feel the mix a few inches down and soak it only when that depth is dry, letting all the excess escape. On hot inland days, look at it often. Empty any water left in the saucer. Plant it out before roots wind around the pot, choosing a spot away from natural areas.

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
0.270.540.801.10.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.270.540.801.10.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Sydney Golden Wattle: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.310.31––
Feb0.210.260.320.35––
Mar0.350.430.460.52––
Apr0.470.610.560.64––
May0.580.830.640.78––
Jun0.640.990.690.92––
Jul0.641.070.791––
Aug0.60.950.740.93––
Sep0.50.720.60.74––
Oct0.350.470.460.53––
Nov0.190.220.330.36––
Dec0.120.140.260.27––
Year4.86.846.27.37––

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 Sydney golden wattle. 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 Sydney golden wattle, 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 Sydney golden wattle in summer?

In July, established Sydney golden wattle 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 Sydney golden wattle need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Sydney golden wattle 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 Sydney golden wattle change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Sydney golden wattle 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 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 Sydney golden wattle invasive?

It self-sows readily and can invade natural areas, especially dunes and streamsides. Do not plant it near wild land. Pull seedlings promptly.

Is Sydney golden wattle good by the ocean?

Yes, it is salt tolerant and drought tolerant in coastal gardens. It is often used as a screen or windbreak. Keep it away from dunes.

When does Sydney golden wattle bloom?

Its fragrant blossoms open from late winter into early spring. Seedpods follow. Remove pods if seedlings are a problem.

How cold can Sydney golden wattle get?

It is hardy to about 20 degrees F. Young plants are more tender. Protect them in hard frost.

Can Sydney golden wattle be a screen?

Yes, its bushy growth makes a quick screen or windbreak. Give it room to spread 10 to 20 feet. Water deeply while it establishes.

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Sources