WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Wollemia nobilis, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Wollemi pine in California

In July on the north-central coast, established Wollemi pine 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. Wollemi pine is not a true pine but an ancient Australian conifer in the araucaria family. It was known only from fossils until a few wild trees turned up in 1994. It likes moist but well drained, slightly acidic soil and a sheltered spot. Let the soil dry a little between soakings rather than keeping the roots wet.

TreeRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water Wollemi pine, 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 Wollemi pine 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 3 inches down beside the root ball of a young Wollemi pine means it needs a deep drink
  • Soft new shoots that droop in warm weather, over dry soil, point to a thirsty root zone
  • Foliage that yellows soon after a move into full sun is usually sun stress while the tree adjusts, not thirst
  • Needles browning over soil that stays wet for days point to poor drainage around the roots
  • Pink waxy caps on the branch tips in winter are resting buds and no sign of trouble

How to water it

  • Water slowly over the root ball and just beyond it with drip or a hose at ground level
  • Soak to about 18 inches deep, then let the top couple of inches dry before the next watering
  • Plant in loose, slightly acidic soil that drains freely, setting the root ball on a low mound in heavy clay
  • Spread bark or wood chip mulch over the roots, leaving a gap around the trunks
  • Give it shelter from hot afternoon sun and drying wind, most of all in South Inland

Through the seasons

Keep a new Wollemi pine evenly moist through its first summer while it roots into the ground. Established trees still need regular summer soakings in dry California weather, with the topsoil drying between them. Growth slows in winter, when pink waxy resting buds form at the branch tips, and light green shoots break in spring. Winter rain usually covers the cool months near the coast. WUCOLS rates Wollemi pine moderate water on the north-central coast and on the south coast, and high water in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley, the low desert or the high desert.

In pots

Wollemi pine is often kept in a large container for years, which makes shade and shelter easy to provide. Use a good potting mix and a pot with open drainage holes. In summer, push a finger 2 inches into the mix every few days, and daily during South Inland heat waves. Pour water in slowly until it runs from the base, then tip out the saucer so the roots never sit in water. Growth slows in winter, so skip a watering whenever the mix is still damp below the surface.

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

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

Monthly water need by climate zone

Wollemi Pine: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37–0.781.24––
Feb0.53–0.811.39––
Mar0.87–1.152.08––
Apr1.18–1.42.58––
May1.46–1.613.12––
Jun1.61–1.743.67––
Jul1.61–1.984.02––
Aug1.49–1.863.72––
Sep1.24–1.492.98––
Oct0.87–1.152.13––
Nov0.47–0.841.44––
Dec0.31–0.651.09––
Year12–15.529.46––

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 Wollemi pine. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Hawthorn MapleAcer crataegifoliumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain MapleAcer glabrumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMiyabe MapleAcer miyabeinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingEverglades PalmAcoelorraphe wrightiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPink CedarAcrocarpus fraxinifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingYellowwoodAfrocarpus falcatus (Podocarpus falcatus)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNew Caledonian PineAraucaria columnaris (A. cookii)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFormosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNeemAzadirachta indicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBismarck PalmBismarckia nobilisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican HornbeamCarpinus caroliniananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingJapanese HornbeamCarpinus japonicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican YellowwoodCladrastis kentukeanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPagoda DogwoodCornus alternifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGiant DogwoodCornus controversanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingButterfly PalmDypsis lutescens (Areca)not 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 Wollemi pine, 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 Wollemi pine in summer?

In July, established Wollemi pine in loam needs a deep watering about every 11 days on the south coast and about every 5 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 Wollemi pine need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established Wollemi pine 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 Wollemi pine change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Wollemi pine separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, high 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 Wollemi pine a real pine?

No. It belongs to the araucaria family, and its mature foliage looks much like that of Araucaria. Its soft juvenile sprays look more like coast redwood.

Why is my Wollemi pine turning yellow?

A move into full sun can yellow the foliage at first, and the tree usually adapts. Check that the soil drains, since roots sitting in water can also discolor the needles. Partial shade suits it best.

Does Wollemi pine need pruning?

No. It needs no regular pruning, and it often sends up several trunks from the base. Leave the extra stems and water the whole base of the clump.

How cold can a Wollemi pine get?

It has met lows near 23 degrees F in the wild, and trials elsewhere suggest it can survive about 10 degrees F. Move a potted tree against a sheltered wall before a hard freeze.

What are the pink tips on my Wollemi pine?

They are dormant buds that form as growth slows in winter, coated in pink wax. New foliage breaks from them in spring. They do not mean the tree needs more water.

More plant watering guides

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Sources