WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Liriodendron tulipifera, WUCOLS IV

How often to water tulip tree in California

In July in the Central Valley, established tulip tree in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 47 gallons a week. Tulip tree is a huge, fast-growing deciduous tree from eastern North America, named for its tulip-shaped green and orange flowers. It wants deep, moist, well drained soil and is sensitive to heat and drought. In dry summer heat it sheds yellow leaves early, so steady deep soakings matter more than for most shade trees.

TreeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water tulip tree, 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 tulip tree 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

  • Soil dry 3 to 4 inches down at the edge of a young tulip tree's root ball means it needs a deep soak
  • Inner leaves turning yellow and dropping in hot, dry weather show the tree is short of water
  • Sticky leaves and black sooty mold on surfaces under the canopy come from aphids, not from the watering
  • Leaves wilting over soggy, compacted ground point to stressed roots, since this tree handles compaction poorly
  • One limb or one side of the crown wilting while the soil is moist can mean verticillium wilt

How to water it

  • Water a young tulip tree over its root ball and a wide ring beyond it, enlarging the ring as it grows
  • Soak slowly to about 18 inches, and water again once the top few inches dry, since it dislikes drought
  • Plant in deep, moist, slightly acidic loam, well away from compacted soil and paving
  • Keep a wide ring of organic mulch over the shallow roots, and avoid foot traffic and digging there
  • Run drip lines or soakers under the outer canopy of an older tree, where its shallow roots spread

Through the seasons

Keep a new tulip tree evenly moist through its first two or three summers while its shallow, spreading roots establish. Established trees still need deep soakings through the dry season, since heat and drought turn the leaves yellow and make them drop early. Flowers open from spring into early summer, and the leaves turn golden yellow in fall. Winter rain covers the dormant months on the coast and in the Central Valley. In South Inland WUCOLS rates it high water, while the north-central coast, the Central Valley and the south coast rate moderate water. WUCOLS lists the low desert and the high desert as not suited to it.

In pots

Tulip tree grows far too large for a container, so a pot only suits a young sapling waiting to be planted. In summer, check the mix 2 inches down every day or two, since this tree dislikes drying out. Water until it drains from the bottom, then tip out the saucer. Shade the pot from hot afternoon sun, especially in South Inland. Once the leaves fall, the bare sapling needs only light watering whenever the mix dries.

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
1.02.03.04.00.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC1.02.03.04.00.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Tulip Tree: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.781.24––
Feb0.530.650.811.39––
Mar0.871.091.152.08––
Apr1.181.521.42.58––
May1.462.081.613.12––
Jun1.612.481.743.67––
Jul1.612.671.984.02––
Aug1.492.391.863.72––
Sep1.241.81.492.98––
Oct0.871.181.152.13––
Nov0.470.560.841.44––
Dec0.310.340.651.09––
Year1217.1115.529.46––

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 tulip tree. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Citrus TreesCitrus spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese MapleAcer palmatummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAvocado TreesPersea americanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMagnolia TreesMagnolia grandiflora ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPalm TreesSyagrus romanzoffiana (Arecastrum romanzoffianum)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyApple TreesMalus spp. (edible) e.g, 'Anna' (low chill variety for low desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPeach TreesPrunus spp. ediblemoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPersimmon TreesDiospyros kakimoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAmur MapleAcer ginnalamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernleaf MapleAcer japonicummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBox ElderAcer negundomoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyNorway MapleAcer platanoidesmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed MapleAcer rubrummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyChinese MapleAcer truncatummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed BuckeyeAesculus paviamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed HorsechestnutAesculus x carneamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than tulip tree in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

Olive 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 JulyAloeAloe 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 JulyTexas Red OakQuercus buckleyilow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPortuguese OakQuercus faginealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySoapbark TreeQuillaja saponarialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyNecklace TreeSophora affinislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBailey AcaciaAcacia baileyanalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver WattleAcacia dealbatalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen WattleAcacia decurrenslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow 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 tulip tree, 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 tulip tree in summer?

In July, established tulip tree in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley, about every 11 days on the south coast and about every 5 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 tulip tree need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established tulip tree needs about 6.8 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 27 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 tulip tree change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates tulip tree separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, high 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.

Why is my tulip tree dropping yellow leaves in summer?

Hot, dry weather makes tulip tree shed yellow leaves early. Check the soil 3 to 4 inches down and give a deep soak if it is dry. Steady moisture through summer is the best prevention.

Why is there sticky residue under my tulip tree?

Aphids feeding on the leaves drip honeydew, and black sooty mold grows on it. The tree's watering does not cause it. Park cars and set patio furniture away from the canopy during heavy outbreaks.

Is tulip tree good for a small yard?

No. It can grow 80 feet or more and needs a large area. Narrow cultivars such as 'Arnold' or the columnar 'Fastigiatum' fit tighter spaces.

Do tulip tree branches break easily?

Its fast growth leaves the wood fairly weak, so limbs can break in high winds. Prune young trees to a strong structure. Keep the tree well away from roofs and play areas.

Does tulip tree attract hummingbirds?

Yes. Its spring flowers draw hummingbirds and butterflies, and birds like to nest in the crown.

More plant watering guides

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Sources