WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Glyceria maxima 'Variegata', WUCOLS IV

How often to water variegated water grass in California

In July on the north-central coast, established variegated water grass needs about 1.8 gallons a week for a plant 2 feet across. Variegated water grass is a vigorous, rhizomatous grass whose narrow leaves are striped with cream and sometimes flushed pink. Purplish green flower plumes appear in late summer. It grows in constantly moist, fertile soil or in shallow water up to about 6 inches deep, and it spreads into wide stands unless divided.

Ornamental grassRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water variegated water grass, 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 variegated water grass and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: the plant’s WUCOLS rating times your city’s climate for the month, over the area the plant covers. 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 drying at the surface around the clump means variegated water grass needs water now
  • Leaf tips browning and the stand thinning in summer heat show the soil has been too dry
  • Standing water around the crown is normal for this marginal grass, not a sign of overwatering
  • A crowded, weak center shows the clump needs dividing rather than more water

How to water it

  • Keep the soil around variegated water grass constantly moist, or grow it in shallow water
  • Set pond plantings so the crown sits no more than about 6 inches below the surface
  • Plant in fertile soil in full sun, where clay or other poorly drained soil is fine
  • Contain the rhizomes with a sunken pot or edging, since it forms extensive stands
  • Divide clumps every few years in spring to keep the stand vigorous

Through the seasons

Keep a new variegated water grass wet from planting on. Established stands stay vigorous with constant moisture and spread steadily by rhizomes. Flower plumes come in late summer, and the leaves die back in late autumn, when they can be cut down. Division every few years in spring keeps it from crowding itself. WUCOLS rates variegated water grass high water on the north-central coast and the south coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley, South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Variegated water grass grows well in a container set into a pond, or in a large pot without drainage holes kept topped up with water. Use a heavy, fertile soil. Check the water level often in summer heat, since shallow containers lose water fast. Divide the plant every few years in spring when it crowds the pot. Cut back dead leaves in late autumn.

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

WUCOLS lists Variegated Water Grass as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Variegated Water Grass: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.6–1.24–––
Feb0.84–1.29–––
Mar1.39–1.84–––
Apr1.88–2.23–––
May2.33–2.58–––
Jun2.58–2.78–––
Jul2.58–3.17–––
Aug2.38–2.98–––
Sep1.98–2.38–––
Oct1.39–1.84–––
Nov0.74–1.34–––
Dec0.5–1.04–––
Year19.2–24.8–––

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 8

Rated not evaluated in the Central Valley, like variegated water grass. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Clublawn GrassCorynephorus canescensnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBlue Hair GrassKoeleria glaucanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGolden Wood MilletMilium effusumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCommon ReedPhragmites australisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPlume GrassSaccharum ravennae (Erianthus ravennae)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSand RyegrassLeymus arenariusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGolden Meadow FoxtailAlopecurus pratensis 'Aureus'not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingTufted FescueFestuca amethystinanot 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 variegated water grass, 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 variegated water grass need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established variegated water grass needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.0 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 variegated water grass change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates variegated water grass separately for each of the six California climate zones: high water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, high water in the South Coastal zone, not evaluated 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.

Can variegated water grass grow in a pond?

Yes. It grows in moist soil or in water up to about 6 inches deep. Plant it in a sunken container to keep the rhizomes in check.

Will variegated water grass spread?

Yes. It forms extensive stands and can become a nuisance if not managed. Divide it every few years and keep it out of natural waterways.

Why are my water grass leaves pink?

The cream-striped leaves sometimes take on a pink flush. It is a normal color change, not a water problem.

When should I cut back variegated water grass?

Cut the leaves down in late autumn, once they die off. New shoots return from the rhizomes in spring.

Can variegated water grass grow in a regular bed?

Only if the soil stays reliably moist. It wants fertile, wet ground, so a bog bed or pond margin suits it far better than a dry border.

More plant watering guides

Bellyache BushMountain LaurelBlue Hair GrassChilean BellflowerJapanese LarchBush CloverTiger LilyGreat Blue Lobelia

Sources