WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Malvaviscus arboreus, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Turk's cap in California

In July on the north-central coast, established Turk's cap in loam needs a deep watering about every 13 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 4.6 gallons a week. Turk's cap is a freely branching evergreen shrub from southern Mexico and Central America that can reach 15 feet tall and 12 feet wide. Its soft, slightly lobed leaves frame red flowers whose petals stay wrapped around the floral tube, showing only the tip. Blooms appear most of the year and draw birds, butterflies and bees.

ShrubRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water Turk's cap, 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 Turk's cap 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 4 inches down under the shrub in summer means Turk's cap can take a deep soak
  • Soft leaves drooping in afternoon heat suggest the root zone dried
  • Fewer flowers in a long dry spell can follow too little water
  • Leaves yellowing over soggy soil point to overwatering

How to water it

  • Water occasionally and deeply, letting the upper soil dry between soakings
  • Plant in full sun to light shade in well-drained soil
  • Prune regularly to keep it smaller and tighter
  • Use it as a hedge or let it grow open and tall
  • Leave room for birds and butterflies to reach the flowers

Through the seasons

Water a new shrub regularly through its first summer. Established plants need occasional deep watering, with a bit more on the cooler north-central coast where WUCOLS rates it higher. It flowers most of the year and is hardy to about 20 degrees F. WUCOLS rates Turk's cap moderate water on the north-central coast. On the south coast and in South Inland it carries a low water rating. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Turk's cap can grow in a large container, where regular trimming keeps it compact and full of flowers. Use a well-drained mix. Water when the top couple of inches dry, until it drains through. In summer, check every few days. Never let it sit in water. Prune to shape as needed. In winter, water only when the mix dries, and protect it from hard frost.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Turk's Cap for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Turk's Cap as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Turk's Cap: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37–0.310.31––
Feb0.53–0.320.35––
Mar0.87–0.460.52––
Apr1.18–0.560.64––
May1.46–0.640.78––
Jun1.61–0.690.92––
Jul1.61–0.791––
Aug1.49–0.740.93––
Sep1.24–0.60.74––
Oct0.87–0.460.53––
Nov0.47–0.330.36––
Dec0.31–0.260.27––
Year12–6.27.37––

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 not evaluated in the Central Valley, like Turk's cap. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Formosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingChilean Feather BambooChusquea culeou (C. breviglumis)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlackbrushColeogyne ramosissimanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGlaucous Scorpion VetchCoronilla valentina glaucanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWillowleaf CotoneasterCotoneaster salicifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMadagascar SagoCycas thouarsii (SHADE)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingIrish HeathDaboecia cantabricanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingButterfly PalmDypsis lutescens (Areca)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingUmbrella BambooFargesia murielaenot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlue Fountain BambooFargesia nitida (Sinarundinaria nitida) (BAMBOO)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPrickly HeathGaultheria mucronata (Pernettya mucronata)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingOtterbossieGossypium harknessiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBox-leaved HollyIlex crenatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBellyache BushJatropha gossypiifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain LaurelKalmia latifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBarbados CherryMalpighia glabranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes Turk's cap, 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 Turk's cap in summer?

In July, established Turk's cap in loam needs a deep watering 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 Turk's cap need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established Turk's cap needs about 0.7 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 2.6 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 Turk's cap change across California?

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

Does Turk's cap attract hummingbirds?

Its red flowers attract birds, butterflies and bees. It blooms most of the year. Plant it where you can watch visitors.

How big does Turk's cap get?

It can grow 15 feet tall and 12 feet wide if unpruned. Regular pruning keeps it much smaller. It can even make a tight hedge.

Why don't Turk's cap flowers open?

The red petals naturally stay wrapped around the floral tube. Only the tip shows. That is how the flower looks.

How cold hardy is Turk's cap?

It is hardy down to about 20 degrees F. Protect it during hard frost. A warm, sheltered spot helps.

How do I keep Turk's cap compact?

Prune it regularly. Left alone it grows tall and open. Water after heavy pruning.

More plant watering guides

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Sources