WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Casimiroa edulis, WUCOLS IV

How often to water white sapote in California

In July on the north-central coast, established white sapote in loam needs a deep watering about every 13 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 29 gallons a week. White sapote is a mostly evergreen fruit tree from central Mexico, grown in California wherever oranges thrive. It has hand-shaped leaves and an extensive, spreading root system. Regular deep watering gives better fruit and keeps roots down, while shallow sprinkling raises surface roots that can lift paving.

TreeRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water white sapote, 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 white sapote 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 4 to 6 inches down under the canopy signals that white sapote needs a deep soak
  • Leaves dropping during a dry spell can mean drought stress, since the tree sheds leaves under stress
  • Leaf burn after hot winds can happen even in moist soil, so check below the surface before adding water
  • Roots surfacing in lawn or lifting paving point to shallow, frequent watering
  • Yellowing leaves over soil that stays wet can point to poor drainage

How to water it

  • Water white sapote across the whole area under the canopy rather than at the trunk alone
  • Soak the soil 18 to 24 inches deep so roots grow down, then let the top few inches dry
  • Skip frequent light sprinkling, which draws roots up to the surface
  • Plant in well-drained soil away from paving, and keep salty soil and runoff away from the roots
  • Mulch the root zone with wood chips and move irrigation outward as the canopy spreads

Through the seasons

Give a young white sapote regular deep soakings for its first few years while roots spread. Established trees handle dry spells better but bear better fruit with regular, deep watering. The tree is mostly evergreen and can drop leaves after drought, cold or heat stress, then push a new flush. Fruit ripens 6 to 9 months after flowering, mostly in October and November, so keep checking soil through late summer and fall. Winter rain usually covers the cool months on the coast. WUCOLS rates white sapote moderate water on the north-central coast, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the Central Valley, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Seedling white sapotes can reach 50 feet, and grafted trees are usually held at 15 to 20 feet. A container only suits a young tree. Use a deep pot with drainage holes and check 2 to 3 inches down every few days in summer heat. Water until it drains through, then empty the saucer. Young trees can be hurt near 30 degrees, so move a potted tree under cover on frosty nights. Plant it out before the roots circle the pot.

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

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

Monthly water need by climate zone

White Sapote: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37–0.780.78––
Feb0.53–0.810.87––
Mar0.87–1.151.3––
Apr1.18–1.41.61––
May1.46–1.611.95––
Jun1.61–1.742.29––
Jul1.61–1.982.51––
Aug1.49–1.862.33––
Sep1.24–1.491.86––
Oct0.87–1.151.33––
Nov0.47–0.840.9––
Dec0.31–0.650.68––
Year12–15.518.41––

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 suited to this region in the Central Valley, like white sapote. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Sugar MapleAcer saccharumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueensland KauriAgathis robustanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCherimoyaAnnona cherimolanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple Orchid TreeBauhinia variegata (purpurea)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingToogBischofia javanicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingClustered Fishtail PalmCaryota mitisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFilbertCorylus maximanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSpotted GumCorymbia maculata (Eucalyptus maculata)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDove TreeDavidia involucratanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRoyal PoincianaDelonix regianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingTriangle PalmDypsis decaryinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain White GumEucalyptus dalrympleananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRainbow EucalyptusEucalyptus degluptanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRoxburgh FigFicus auriculatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingIndian BanyanFicus benghalensisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWeeping Chinese BanyanFicus benjaminanot 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 white sapote, 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 white sapote in summer?

In July, established white sapote in loam needs a deep watering about every 11 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 white sapote need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established white sapote needs about 4.1 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 16 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 white sapote change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates white sapote 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, 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 white sapote dropping leaves?

Drought, prolonged cold and unusual heat can all make it shed leaves. A new flush usually follows once conditions improve. Check soil moisture before assuming the tree needs more water.

Why does my white sapote have roots on the surface?

Shallow watering draws its roots up, where they can break pavement or ruin lawns. Switch to deep, less frequent soakings that wet the soil well down.

How cold can white sapote take?

Established trees handle occasional frost to about 22 degrees. Young trees can be damaged at 30 degrees, so cover them on frosty nights.

Do white sapote branches break easily?

Yes. The wood is brittle and often splits at crotches in strong wind. Hot winds can also burn the leaves and scar or drop fruit, so a sheltered site helps.

Can you overwater white sapote?

Yes. It prefers well-draining soil, and ground that stays wet can harm the roots. Water deeply, then let the upper soil dry before the next soak.

When is white sapote fruit ripe?

Most fruit ripens in October and November, 6 to 9 months after pollination. Keep watering steady while fruit sizes up through summer. Snails can damage fruit, so check under the tree.

More plant watering guides

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Sources