WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Wood's Compact', WUCOLS IV

How often to water Wood's Compact manzanita in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Wood's Compact manzanita in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 2.2 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.9 gallons a week. Wood's Compact manzanita is a low, creeping evergreen bearberry that forms a dense mat of small, glossy leaves. Small urn-shaped flowers in white and pink are followed by red berries. It grows slowly and roots where its stems touch the ground. It wants lean, fast-draining soil and modest summer water, and wet ground harms it more than a dry spell.

Ground coverCalifornia nativeRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water Wood's Compact manzanita, 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 Wood's Compact manzanita 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

  • Soil dry 2 to 3 inches down under the edge of the mat means a young planting is ready for a soak
  • Glossy leaves that turn dull while the soil below the mat is dry can point to a thirsty root zone
  • Bronze leaves in winter are normal for bearberry and turn green again in spring
  • Patches that yellow and die back while the soil stays wet point to root rot rather than thirst
  • Spotted or galled leaves are more common in poorly drained or overly hot spots, so check drainage first

How to water it

  • Water a young planting with drip or a slow hose at the root ball and along the growing edges of the mat
  • Soak until the water reaches about a foot down, then let the top few inches dry before the next soak
  • Plant in sandy or gritty soil that drains fast, and never in a low spot where water stands after rain
  • Keep the soil loose and uncompacted, and skip fertilizer, which this plant does not need
  • Move emitters outward as the stems spread and root along the ground, so the new edges get water too

Through the seasons

Give a new Wood's Compact manzanita regular soil checks through its first summer while the roots spread. After that it gets by on far less, and summer is when checks matter most. This evergreen keeps its leaves all year. They take on a bronze tone in winter and green up again in spring. Winter rain covers the cool months on the coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates it low water on the north-central coast and on the south coast. It rates moderate water in the Central Valley, where hot summers call for closer soil checks. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Wood's Compact manzanita can trail over the rim of a wide, shallow container or a planter wall. Use a gritty, fast-draining mix and a pot with open drainage holes. Check the mix 2 inches down every few days in summer heat, and water only when it is dry there. Water until it drains from the holes, then empty the saucer so the roots never sit wet. Bearberry dislikes root disturbance, so choose its final home early. In winter, rain can keep an exposed pot moist, so check before adding more.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
2.67gal per sq ft in JulyModerate water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
17.11 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.671.32.02.70.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.671.32.02.70.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Wood's Compact Manzanita: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.40.31–––
Feb0.210.650.32–––
Mar0.351.090.46–––
Apr0.471.520.56–––
May0.582.080.64–––
Jun0.642.480.69–––
Jul0.642.670.79–––
Aug0.62.390.74–––
Sep0.51.80.6–––
Oct0.351.180.46–––
Nov0.190.560.33–––
Dec0.120.340.26–––
Year4.817.116.2–––

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 moderate water in the Central Valley, like Wood's Compact manzanita. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Star JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHoneysuckleLonicera japonicamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyIvyHedera helixmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyStrawberriesFragaria spp. & cvs. (CA native and non-natives species)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen Supreme ManzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Green Supreme'moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMassachusetts ManzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Massachusetts'moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySerbian BellflowerCampanula poscharskyanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBunchberryCornus canadensismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyKenilworth IvyCymbalaria muralismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCranesbillGeranium spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen CarpetHerniaria glabramoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySpotted DeadnettleLamium maculatummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyLemon BalmMelissa officinalismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese SpurgePachysandra terminalismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMoss PinkPhlox subulatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than Wood's Compact manzanita in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

BougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyYarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Native YarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWoolly YarrowAchillea tomentosalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGround Morning GloryConvolvulus mauritanicuslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRock CotoneasterCotoneaster horizontalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySouth African GeraniumPelargonium sidoideslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLippia GroundcoverPhyla nodiflora (Lippia nodiflora) cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRock SoapwortSaponaria ocymoideslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMother of ThymeThymus praecoxlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyVancouver Jade BearberryArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Vancouver Jade'low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTrailing LantanaLantana montevidensis (sellowiana) ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGermanderTeucrium chamaedrys ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes Wood's Compact manzanita, 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 Wood's Compact manzanita in summer?

In July, established Wood's Compact manzanita in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley and about every 27 days on the south coast. 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 Wood's Compact manzanita need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Wood's Compact manzanita needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.1 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 Wood's Compact manzanita change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Wood's Compact manzanita separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, not suited to this region 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.

Can Wood's Compact manzanita grow in shade?

Yes. It is described as the most shade tolerant selection of bearberry. The species grows in full sun to part shade. A shaded mat dries more slowly, so check the soil before each soak.

Should I fertilize Wood's Compact manzanita?

No. Bearberry grows well in poor, infertile soil, and feeding is discouraged. Lean soil and good drainage suit it better than rich, moist beds.

Why are my Wood's Compact manzanita leaves bronze in winter?

Bearberry leaves turn bronze in winter and become green again in spring. This is a normal seasonal change, not a sign of thirst. Water in winter only if rain has failed and the soil is dry.

Can I transplant Wood's Compact manzanita?

Avoid it if you can. Established bearberry does not tolerate root disturbance well and is hard to move. Pick a well-drained spot at planting time and leave it there.

Does Wood's Compact manzanita grow near the coast?

Yes. The species is listed as tolerant of salt and salt spray. It suits sandy coastal soils that drain fast, as long as water never stands around the mat.

Are Wood's Compact manzanita berries edible?

Bearberry fruits are technically edible but mealy and nearly tasteless. Birds and small mammals eat them. They ripen red in fall and can hang on into winter.

More plant watering guides

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Sources