WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Rubus parviflorus, WUCOLS IV

How often to water thimbleberry in California

In July in the Central Valley, established thimbleberry 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. Thimbleberry is a deciduous California native shrub with big, soft, maple-like leaves and white flowers in spring. Red, thimble-shaped berries follow in summer. It spreads into thickets in moist, shady woods, from the redwoods to Sierra forests. In the garden, part shade and humusy soil help it get by on less water.

ShrubCalifornia nativeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water thimbleberry, 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 thimbleberry 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 to 4 inches down under the thicket in summer means it is time for a deep soak
  • Large, soft leaves that hang limp in the afternoon, with dry soil below, point to a thirsty plant
  • A plant in full sun that wilts sooner than shaded plants nearby needs moister soil or more shade
  • Yellowing leaves over soil that stays soggy in summer point to poor drainage, since it grows best in humusy soil that drains well
  • Leaves yellowing and dropping in fall are normal for this deciduous shrub and do not mean thirst

How to water it

  • Run drip line or a soaker hose through the patch so water reaches the whole spreading root area
  • Soak until moisture reaches about 12 inches down, then let the top few inches dry before the next soak
  • Spread leaf litter or shredded bark over the root area to keep the humusy soil cool and moist
  • Plant it in part shade, or in sun only where summers stay cool
  • Extend the watered area as the plant spreads by underground stems into new ground

Through the seasons

Keep a new thimbleberry evenly moist through its first summer while its roots spread. Established plants in shade get by on less. Leaves come out in spring, the white flowers open, berries ripen in summer, and the stems go bare in winter. Summer is when watering matters, most of all for plants in sun. Winter rain covers the cool months on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley, where WUCOLS rates it low water. It rates moderate water on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Thimbleberry can grow in a large container, which also keeps its spreading roots in check. Use a wide pot with a humusy mix and set it in part shade. Check the mix 2 inches down every few days in summer, and daily in a heat wave. Water until it drains from the holes, then empty the saucer. A pot in sun dries far faster than the shady ground this shrub prefers. In winter the bare plant needs little water, so let the mix dry slightly between soakings and let rain help.

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

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.780.78––
Feb0.210.260.810.87––
Mar0.350.431.151.3––
Apr0.470.611.41.61––
May0.580.831.611.95––
Jun0.640.991.742.29––
Jul0.641.071.982.51––
Aug0.60.951.862.33––
Sep0.50.721.491.86––
Oct0.350.471.151.33––
Nov0.190.220.840.9––
Dec0.120.140.650.68––
Year4.86.8415.518.41––

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 thimbleberry. 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 thimbleberry, 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 thimbleberry in summer?

In July, established thimbleberry in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 11 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 does thimbleberry need per day?

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

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

Are thimbleberries edible?

Yes. The red, thimble-shaped berries are edible, with a mild flavor much like a raspberry. They ripen in summer, and birds eat them too.

Does thimbleberry spread?

Yes. It spreads by underground stems and forms colonies or thickets. Give it room in a natural corner of the yard, where a thicket is welcome.

Can thimbleberry grow in full sun?

It does best in part shade. In full sun it needs moister soil, and cool coastal summers suit it far better than inland heat. Shade from a tree or the north side of a building is a good fit.

Can thimbleberry grow under redwoods?

Yes. It grows wild in redwood forests and copes with their shade and root competition. Check the soil under the leaf litter in summer, since shade slows drying but does not stop it.

Is thimbleberry good for wildlife?

Yes. Bees visit the flowers and birds eat the berries. It is also a host plant for butterfly and moth caterpillars.

More plant watering guides

Pine TreesJunipersRussian SageYarrowMountain AlyssumSagebrushWild PrivetFlowering Woodbine

Sources