WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Afrocarpus falcatus (Podocarpus falcatus), WUCOLS IV

How often to water yellowwood in California

In July on the north-central coast, established yellowwood 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. Yellowwood, also called African fern pine, is a dense, graceful evergreen conifer from Africa with dark gray bark and drooping branches. Narrow, dark green leaves clothe the branches, and the tree can reach 40 to 60 feet. Long grown in California as Podocarpus gracilior, it takes sun or part shade and regular water. Female trees bear small fleshy fruits that ripen from yellow to purplish blue.

TreeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water yellowwood, 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 yellowwood 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 18 inches down under the canopy in summer signals yellowwood needs a deep soak
  • New growth wilting and leaves dulling in a hot spell can indicate drought stress
  • Inner leaves browning and dropping during a long dry spell can follow a dry root zone
  • Yellowing leaves and thinning over soggy soil suggest poor drainage

How to water it

  • Soak a wide ring under the canopy and past its edge with soakers
  • Wet the soil about 18 inches down, then let the upper few inches dry
  • Plant in sun or part shade in well-drained soil
  • Mulch beneath the canopy to keep the root zone even
  • Expand the watered area as the tree spreads

Through the seasons

Water a young yellowwood regularly and deeply through its first summers. Established trees still do best with regular water, especially inland and in the low desert. It is evergreen and grows into a dense shade tree or tall screen. It is hardy to about 20 to 25 degrees F, so young trees in cold spots may need shelter. WUCOLS rates yellowwood moderate water on the north-central coast, on the south coast, in South Inland and in the low desert. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley or the high desert.

In pots

A young yellowwood can live for some years in a large container, and it makes a dark green screen in a planter box. Use well-drained mix and water when the top couple of inches dry, letting excess drain away. In summer heat, check every few days. Empty the saucer each time. In winter, water when the mix dries between rains, and shelter young plants from hard frost.

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

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

Monthly water need by climate zone

Yellowwood: 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 16

Rated not evaluated in the Central Valley, like yellowwood. 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 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 ratingAbyssinian Coral TreeErythrina abyssinicanot 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 yellowwood, 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 yellowwood in summer?

In July, established yellowwood 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 yellowwood need per day?

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

Yes. WUCOLS rates yellowwood 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, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not evaluated 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 yellowwood a pine?

No, it is a podocarp, one of the few conifers native to Africa. Its narrow leaves give it a soft, fernlike look. It was long sold as Podocarpus gracilior.

Does yellowwood make fruit?

Female trees produce small fleshy structures that ripen from yellow to purplish blue. Expect some drop under the tree. Male trees produce none.

Can yellowwood be a hedge or screen?

Yes, its dense, dark green foliage makes a good large screen. Water the whole row evenly.

How big does yellowwood get?

Old trees in cultivation are around 60 feet tall, and in the wild they grow taller. Spread can reach 20 to 40 feet. Plant it where it has room.

Can yellowwood grow in shade?

It grows in sun or part shade. Shade slows drying of the soil. Check before watering.

More plant watering guides

Sargent CherryWillow OakMonterrey OakHeritage OakPrairie Flameleaf SumacSpreading GooseberryWingthorn RoseSilky-Leaved Bramble

Sources