WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Tradescantia fluminensis (SHADE), WUCOLS IV

How often to water wandering Jew in California

In July on the north-central coast, established wandering Jew in loam needs a deep watering about every 9 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.1 gallons a week. Wandering Jew, also sold as small-leaf spiderwort or inch plant, is an evergreen trailing groundcover from southern Brazil and northern Argentina. Its fleshy, oval leaves have purple undersides, and tiny white three-petaled flowers last a single day. It roots at every node that touches soil, grows about 6 inches tall, and can smother other groundcovers.

PerennialRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water wandering Jew, 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 wandering Jew 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 foot 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 an inch down under the trailing stems in summer means wandering Jew needs water
  • Fleshy stems going limp in afternoon heat can indicate thirst
  • Leaves scorching pale or brown in afternoon sun point to too much light, not thirst
  • Stems turning soft and black at the base over soggy soil point to root rot

How to water it

  • Water the soil under the stems lightly and evenly
  • Moisten the soil 4 inches deep, then let the top inch dry
  • Plant in shade or bright indirect light in moist, well-drained soil
  • Pinch stem tips to keep growth dense
  • Cut back stems that root beyond the bed edge

Through the seasons

Water new plantings regularly until stems knit together. Established plants want steady, moderate moisture in shade and suffer leaf scorch in afternoon sun. It stays evergreen, and in its native range it flowers from spring to fall. WUCOLS adds a note that it needs shade. WUCOLS rates wandering Jew moderate water on the north-central coast, on the south coast, in South Inland and in the low desert. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the Central Valley or the high desert.

In pots

Wandering Jew is easiest in a hanging basket or pot, where its trailing stems cannot root into garden soil. Use a well-drained mix. Water when the top inch dries, and stop when water drips from the base. In summer, small baskets may need water daily. Empty the saucer so the stems do not rot. Pinch tips to keep it full. In winter, water only when the mix dries.

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

WUCOLS lists Wandering Jew as not suited to this region for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Wandering Jew: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37–0.780.78–0.78
Feb0.53–0.810.87–0.93
Mar0.87–1.151.3–1.52
Apr1.18–1.41.61–1.95
May1.46–1.611.95–2.45
Jun1.61–1.742.29–2.79
Jul1.61–1.982.51–2.85
Aug1.49–1.862.33–2.6
Sep1.24–1.491.86–2.08
Oct0.87–1.151.33–1.49
Nov0.47–0.840.9–0.96
Dec0.31–0.650.68–0.68
Year12–15.518.41–21.08

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 10

Rated not suited to this region in the Central Valley, like wandering Jew. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Desert RoseAdenium obesumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingKahili GingerHedychium gardnerianumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAlpine ToadflaxLinaria alpinanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSkunk CabbageLysichiton americanusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingEgyptian Star FlowerPentas lanceolatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSwedish IvyPlectranthus verticillatusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSolomon's SealPolygonatum odoratum (japonicum)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPainted DaisyTanacetum coccineum (Pyrethrum roseum)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMoses-in-the-CradleTradescantia spathacea (Rhoeo spathacea)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingHeath-Leafed BanksiaBanksia ericifolianot 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 wandering Jew, 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 wandering Jew in summer?

In July, established wandering Jew in loam needs a deep watering about every 7 days on the south coast and about every 6 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 wandering Jew need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established wandering Jew needs about 0.2 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.7 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 wandering Jew change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates wandering Jew separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not suited to this region in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region 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.

Is wandering Jew invasive?

Outdoors it roots at each node and can become invasive. In warm climates it can smother other groundcovers. Growing it in a pot or basket keeps it contained.

Can wandering Jew grow in sun?

It prefers bright, indirect light. Full sun needs afternoon protection to prevent leaf scorch. Shade suits it best in California gardens.

How do I propagate wandering Jew?

It roots easily from stem cuttings. Set cuttings in moist mix. Keep them shaded until they grow.

What pests bother wandering Jew?

Mealybugs, scale, whiteflies and spider mites can appear. Check under the leaves. Root rot follows soggy soil.

Is wandering Jew poisonous?

It has low severity poison characteristics. Keep pets from chewing it. Wear gloves if the sap bothers your skin.

More plant watering guides

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Sources