WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Cotoneaster salicifolius, WUCOLS IV

How often to water willowleaf cotoneaster in California

In July on the north-central coast, established willowleaf cotoneaster in loam needs a deep soak only about once a month or less: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across. Willowleaf cotoneaster is an evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub from the mountains of western China with arching branches and narrow leaves that can turn purplish in winter. Clusters of small white flowers in early summer lead to bright red berries that last into winter. It spreads quickly and is often used on slopes and banks.

ShrubRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water willowleaf cotoneaster, 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 willowleaf cotoneaster 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

  • Arching branches losing their gloss while the soil beneath is dry well down in summer means willowleaf cotoneaster could use a soak
  • Leaves dulling and dropping in a long hot spell can indicate thirst
  • Leaves turning purplish in winter is normal color
  • Shoot tips blackening and curling like a shepherd's crook point to fire blight, not water

How to water it

  • Give a long, slow drink, then allow the ground to dry out again
  • Choose sun to part shade and loose soil that drains
  • Allow lots of room, since it spreads quickly
  • Plant it on banks and slopes that are hard to maintain
  • Prune only to control size, cutting blighted shoots well below the damage

Through the seasons

Water a new shrub regularly until it spreads. Established plants need only occasional deep water near the coast, and more in hot South Inland. Flowers open in early summer, and red berries hold into winter. Its biggest problem is fire blight, not water. Willowleaf cotoneaster gets a low water rating from WUCOLS on the north-central coast and a moderate water rating in South Inland. The Central Valley, the south coast and both deserts have no WUCOLS evaluation for it.

In pots

Willowleaf cotoneaster can grow in a large planter, where its arching branches spill over the edge and show off red winter berries. Fill it with a mix that drains freely. Once the upper couple of inches feel dry, soak until water escapes below. In summer, look at it every few days. Tip out saucer water. Trim to control size. Over winter, wait for the mix to dry between rains.

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

WUCOLS lists Willowleaf Cotoneaster as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Willowleaf Cotoneaster: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.15––0.78––
Feb0.21––0.87––
Mar0.35––1.3––
Apr0.47––1.61––
May0.58––1.95––
Jun0.64––2.29––
Jul0.64––2.51––
Aug0.6––2.33––
Sep0.5––1.86––
Oct0.35––1.33––
Nov0.19––0.9––
Dec0.12––0.68––
Year4.8––18.41––

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 evaluated in the Central Valley, like willowleaf cotoneaster. 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 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 ratingSiberian CypressMicrobiota decussatanot 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 willowleaf cotoneaster, 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 willowleaf cotoneaster need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established willowleaf cotoneaster needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.0 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 willowleaf cotoneaster change across California?

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

Is willowleaf cotoneaster good for slopes?

Yes, it is often used on slopes and banks that are hard to mow. It spreads quickly. Give it plenty of room.

What is fire blight?

Fire blight is a bacterial disease that this plant is highly susceptible to. Shoot tips blacken and curl. Prune out infected stems well below the damage.

Does willowleaf cotoneaster have berries?

Yes, bright red berries follow the June flowers and persist into winter. They add winter color. Leaves may turn purplish then too.

Is willowleaf cotoneaster evergreen?

It is evergreen to semi-evergreen, and leaves may turn purplish in winter. It keeps most of its leaves. New growth is green.

What pests bother willowleaf cotoneaster?

Scale insects and spider mites can attack it. Fire blight is the biggest problem. Avoid overhead watering.

More plant watering guides

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Sources