WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Myrtus communis ssp. & cvs., WUCOLS IV

How often to water true myrtle in California

In July in the Central Valley, established true myrtle 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. True myrtle is a slow growing evergreen shrub from the Mediterranean, dense with small, glossy leaves that smell pleasant when crushed. Fragrant white summer flowers with long stamens are followed by small dark berries. It can reach 8 to 12 feet but is usually kept smaller, and it wants well-drained soil with deep, infrequent watering once established.

ShrubRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water true myrtle, 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 true myrtle 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

  • When the ground under the outer leaves of an established myrtle feels dry a few inches down, it is ready for a soak
  • Leaves losing their gloss and new tips drooping in summer heat can indicate thirst, especially inland
  • Yellowing leaves and sparse growth over soggy ground can indicate poor drainage, which myrtle dislikes
  • Reddish new growth is the normal color of young shoots, not a sign of stress

How to water it

  • Water true myrtle at the drip line with drip or a slow hose, keeping the base of the stems dry
  • Give each watering enough time to wet the root zone a foot down, and wait for the top few inches to dry out
  • Plant in well-draining soil, using a mound or slope where clay holds water
  • Water a clipped hedge along its whole length so every plant gets an even soak
  • Move emitters outward as the shrub fills out, and mulch lightly over the root area

Through the seasons

Keep a new true myrtle evenly moist through its first summer while roots spread into native soil. Established shrubs take deep, infrequent soakings, with the soil allowed to dry between them. This evergreen flowers in summer and sets berries afterward, and it tolerates moderate frost. WUCOLS rates true myrtle low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. It rates moderate water in South Inland, the high desert and the low desert. Winter rain usually covers it on the coast and in the Central Valley, while desert plants need checks during dry winters.

In pots

True myrtle takes well to containers and to clipping, and compact forms suit pots best. Choose a container with open holes and a gritty, free-draining mix. In summer heat, poke a finger into the mix every few days and water once the top 2 inches feel dry. Run water through until it drains, and do not leave the pot sitting in it. A pot in full sun dries faster than one in light shade. In winter, water only when the mix starts to dry.

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

True Myrtle: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.310.780.740.78
Feb0.210.260.320.870.930.93
Mar0.350.430.461.31.461.52
Apr0.470.610.561.611.891.95
May0.580.830.641.952.392.45
Jun0.640.990.692.292.852.79
Jul0.641.070.792.513.042.85
Aug0.60.950.742.332.792.6
Sep0.50.720.61.862.142.08
Oct0.350.470.461.331.461.49
Nov0.190.220.330.90.930.96
Dec0.120.140.260.680.650.68
Year4.86.846.218.4121.2721.08

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 true myrtle. 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 true myrtle, 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 true myrtle in summer?

In July, established true myrtle 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 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 true myrtle need per day?

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

Yes. WUCOLS rates true myrtle 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, moderate 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.

Are true myrtle berries edible?

Yes, the small dark berries are edible, though not especially tasty. The leaves, flowers and fruit can all flavor food. The leaves also smell pleasant when crushed.

Can true myrtle be grown as a hedge?

Yes. It is dense and is usually pruned well below its natural 8 to 12 feet. Water a hedge along its full length so the inner plants are not shortchanged.

How cold hardy is true myrtle?

It tolerates moderate frost and survives temperatures below 10 degrees F. That suits it to gardens in USDA zones 8 to 10.

Can you overwater true myrtle?

Yes. It needs well-draining soil, and roots kept soggy decline. Let the upper soil dry between soakings.

Why is true myrtle used in weddings?

Myrtle has long been a symbol of love, and sprigs still go into wedding bouquets. It reached California in 1858 and has been grown here ever since.

More plant watering guides

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Sources