The Reason California Native Plants Die On You

We live in California and we love to grow the plants that were here before the white folks showed up.

It gives us a sense of place.

Plus, it adds to the uniqueness and beauty of our landscapes. They’re also very easy to grow.

Yes, you saw that right. California native plants are easy to grow.

There are many sources out there that state that California native plants are prone to overwatering, especially in the summer, which is our dry season. It probably does make sense to water them a lot less during the summer because that’s also a great reason to grow native plants: they save your water bill.

But we have to closely examine the idea that they are prone to root rot because of overwatering.

If you consider what most native plants are grown in when grown by nurseries, what does the mix usually contain? We’ve personally seen many native plants grown in potting mixes that have chunks of wood, whatever kind it might be. Having wood products in the native potting mix probably doesn’t set the plant up for success.

Let’s think about what native plants grow in natively. They grow in sand, silt, and clay. Some of these soils might be decomposed from granite originally. Some might have come from basalt. Some even grow in serpentine soil.

The point is that native plants don’t grow in wood chips. They grow in mineral, rock-based soils. When we add compost, bark, wood pieces or manure to a potting mix, we create an artificial mix that is far from what the native plants evolved to grow in.

A better potting mix is going to help you avoid the overwatering, root-rot situation that you might encounter with California native plants. A good potting mix for natives is going to be similar to avocado potting mix. A 2-to-1 ratio of pumice to peat moss will have plenty of airflow, moisture retention, and lack of organic ingredients that can rot.

You can add a mycorrhizal product into this mix to ensure you get microbial populations entangled with your plant. We would avoid adding fertilizer, but if you wanted to add rock dusts to give the natives some minerals, then that probably wouldn’t hurt. The main thing is that you want to avoid any nitrogen with native plants.

Once you’ve made your mix and planted your seeds, you’ll need to water often enough so the mix doesn’t dry. If you’re going to transplant the natives into your soil, don’t add any amendments to the planting hole. You want just native soil.

Giving the plants a slow, deep watering every few weeks is more than enough for them to survive. Because they are from California, they are adapted to go longer periods without water.

The non-organic potting soil should also help you completely avoid the risk of root rot.