WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Tom's Point', WUCOLS IV

How often to water Tom's Point manzanita in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Tom's Point manzanita in loam needs 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. Tom's Point manzanita is a low, creeping selection of bearberry, introduced by Tilden Botanic Garden. It knits into a dense evergreen mat of small, glossy leaves. Pink-tinged white flowers open in winter and spring, followed by small, red, apple-like berries. It wants fast-draining soil and only modest water, and ground that stays wet can bring root disease.

Ground coverCalifornia nativeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water Tom's Point manzanita, 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 Tom's Point manzanita 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 mat of a new planting during its first summer means it is ready for a slow soak
  • Glossy leaves turning dull and limp over dry soil during a hot spell point to a thirsty root zone
  • Patches of the mat browning and dying back while the soil stays damp point to root disease from wet ground
  • Yellowing leaves over soil that is still wet days after watering are a sign of too much water
  • A mat that stalls in heavy or compacted soil is reacting to poor drainage, and more water will only make it worse

How to water it

  • Water the soil under and just beyond the spreading stems with drip line or a slow soaker hose
  • Soak the young root zone well, then let the top few inches dry before the next watering
  • Plant in sandy, coarse or other fast-draining soil, and avoid low spots where water stands after rain
  • Keep foot traffic off the bed so the soil around the roots does not compact
  • Move drip lines outward as the mat widens so the newer growth at the edges gets water too

Through the seasons

Check a new planting through its first summer, since the nursery root ball dries faster than the ground around it. Once established it needs only occasional deep soaks. The leaves stay green all year. Flowers come in winter and spring, and red berries follow. On the coast it takes full sun, while inland plantings do better in part shade. Winter rain covers the cool months on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates it low water on the north-central coast. It rates moderate water in the Central Valley. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the south coast. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Tom's Point manzanita can live in a container if the mix drains fast. Use a gritty, slightly acidic mix and a pot with open drainage holes. Check 2 inches down every few days in summer, and more often in Central Valley heat, where a spot with afternoon shade helps. Water until it runs out the bottom, then empty the saucer. Bearberry dislikes being moved once settled, so plant it out while it is young. It is hardy to about 25 degrees F, so shelter pots before a harder freeze.

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
0.671.32.02.70.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.671.32.02.70.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Tom's Point Manzanita: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.4––––
Feb0.210.65––––
Mar0.351.09––––
Apr0.471.52––––
May0.582.08––––
Jun0.642.48––––
Jul0.642.67––––
Aug0.62.39––––
Sep0.51.8––––
Oct0.351.18––––
Nov0.190.56––––
Dec0.120.34––––
Year4.817.11––––

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 Tom's Point manzanita. 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 JulyStrawberriesFragaria spp. & cvs. (CA native and non-natives species)moderate 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 July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than Tom's Point manzanita 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 Tom's Point manzanita, 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 much water does Tom's Point manzanita need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Tom's Point manzanita needs 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 Tom's Point manzanita change across California?

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

How wide does Tom's Point manzanita spread?

Expect a mat about a foot tall or less that spreads several feet across. Its growth rate is moderate. Prune the edges as needed to keep it in bounds.

Does Tom's Point manzanita need sun or shade?

Give it full sun near the coast. Inland, it prefers a spot in part shade.

Should I fertilize Tom's Point manzanita?

No. Feeding is discouraged for bearberry. Put the effort into drainage instead, since soggy soil is the bigger threat.

Can I move an established Tom's Point manzanita?

It is best left in place, because bearberry does not take well to transplanting. Choose the spot carefully at planting. For new plants, take stem cuttings or layer a stem into the soil.

Are Tom's Point manzanita berries edible?

Bearberry fruit is technically edible but mealy and bland. Birds, bears and other wildlife eat it.

Is Tom's Point manzanita deer resistant?

It is listed as deer resistant, which suits it to open slopes. Its flowers also draw hummingbirds in winter and spring.

More plant watering guides

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Sources