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Love oaks? Sac Tree needs volunteers

Tree planting set for Saturday at Stone Lakes wildlife refuge

Acorns
It doesn’t take long for acorns to grow into oak trees. Oak seedlings
will be planted Saturday at Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.
(Photo: Kathy Morrison)



Get more exercise. Help the environment. Volunteer.

Do those actions sound like your new year’s resolutions? Then, you’re in luck. On Saturday morning , the Sacramento Tree Foundation is hosting a tree planting event that covers all three.

From 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8 , SacTree volunteers will plant up to 150 native tree seedlings at Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Sacramento County. Registration is free but limited; volunteers should sign up in advance to get directions and save their spots.

“Help us reforest the riparian oak woodlands of the Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge,” says the foundation. “In partnership with refuge staff and the County of Sacramento, we will be planting up to 150 native tree seedlings along the upper reaches of Snodgrass Slough. Reforestation is underway at this location to secure and improve the wildlife habitat protected and stewarded by our only local National Wildlife Refuge. This event will be a great opportunity to learn more about locally native trees, wildlife habitat, and to see some of the migratory waterfowl that visit Stone Lakes in the winter.”

This tree planting event is no walk in the park. Volunteers will need to hike 1 mile across muddy cow pastures to get to the planting sites, then 1 mile back to the parking lot.

:This project will require significant physical exertion and may not be appropriate for all participants,” warns SacTree. “ You will get wet and muddy at this event. Rubber boots and rugged outdoor-wear are highly recommended.”

Volunteers must commit to the full four-plus hours, too.

“All attendees must meet the group at check-in and be able to stay for the entire event,” says SacTree. “ Late arrivals and early departures cannot be accommodated due to access requirements. We will be working in an area of the refuge that is not open to the public and travel to and from the site must be supervised by Sacramento Tree Foundation staff.”

Bring your muscle but leave tools at home.

“We provide all the necessary tools and supplies to care for trees,” SacTree says. “Participants will receive a short, hands-on training on site. After learning the tools and techniques, participants will split up into groups and begin planting trees on residential properties.”

Once registered, participants will get directions to the Stone Lakes parking lot and more details.

Sign up here: https://sactree.org/event/native-tree-planting-at-stone-lakes-national-wildlife-refuge/

For more information: www.sactree.com .


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Flowers in My Back Yard Series

Aug. 25: Crape myrtles, Sacramento's unofficial tree of summer

Aug. 18: Pollinators adore scabiosa, aka pincushion flower

Aug. 11: Hardy hibiscus adds big tropical impact

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July 14: How to keep hydrangeas happy

July 7: Grow these bright cosmos for bees and butterflies

June 30: Agapanthus adds blue fireworks to the garden

June 23: Easy-care gazanias fill those hot corners

June 16: Daylilies are perfect for water-wise gardens (and a lot more)

June 9: Grow coneflowers for pollinators -- and yourself

June 2: Sunflowers capture Sacramento's summer attitude

May 29: Are your roses going 'blind'?

May 26: Zinnias are the summer flowers every garden needs

May 19: Plant dahlias now for late-summer flower power

May 12: Know your coreopsis from your bidens

May 5: Mums the word on Mother's Day weekend

April 28: Majestic Matilija poppy is worth a look

April 21: Celebrate roses, America's favorite flower

April 14: Small flowers with outsized impact

April 7: Calendulas do double duty

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March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots

March 17: The perfect flower for beginners? Try zonal geraniums

March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come

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Garden checklist for week of Aug. 16

During this break in the heat, feed your garden. Make sure to water before and after applying fertilizer.

* In the garden, direct seed beets, carrots, leaf lettuce and turnips.

* Plant potatoes.

* Harvest tomatoes, beans, squash, pepper and eggplants to prompt plants to keep producing. Give your plants a deep watering twice a week, more if planted in containers. Also, give them a boost with phosphate-rich fertilizer to help fruiting.

* Watch out for caterpillars and hornworms in the vegetable garden. They can strip a plant bare in one day. Pick them off plants by hand in early morning or late afternoon.

* Feed citrus trees their last round of fertilizer for the year. This will give a boost to the fruit that’s still small.

* Mulch can be your garden’s best friend – it conserves moisture while blocking out weeds. But don't let mulch mound around stalks, stems or trunks. That can promote rot.

* Camellia leaves looking a little yellow? Give them some chelated iron. That goes for azaleas and gardenias, too.

* Pick up after your fruit trees. Clean up debris and dropped fruit; this cuts down on insects and prevents the spread of brown rot. Then feed fruit trees with slow-release fertilizer for better production for next year.

* To prolong bloom into fall, feed begonias, fuchsias and container plants. Always water before fertilizing.

* Fertilize fall-blooming perennials, too. Chrysanthemums can be fed until the buds start to open.

* Prepare for a fall full of flowers by paying a little extra attention to your garden. Cut off spent blooms from roses, annuals and perennials, then give them a boost of fertilizer. Make sure to water plants before feeding. Roses will rebloom about six to eight weeks after deadheading.

* Indoors, start seedlings for fall vegetable planting, including bunching onion, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, radicchio and lettuce.

* Sow seeds of perennials in pots for fall planting including yarrow, coneflower and salvia.

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Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

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SPRING

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Make your own compost

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Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

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