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Reset clocks this weekend -- and sprinklers, too

Daylight time starts Sunday; expanded watering schedule already here

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED MAR 12, 2021

Sprinklers should be adjusted so they're not watering the sidewalk or the

gutter. Sacramento also does not permit irrigation during midday, only between 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Time to spring forward! Daylight-saving time starts Sunday, March 14.

Remember to reset your clocks before you go to bed Saturday night.

Also, reset clocks and timers on your irrigation system. With lengthening days, you’ll likely want to water earlier and later than your winter schedule.

In Sacramento, March also brings a return of the warm-season watering schedule. Residents may use sprinklers twice a week, depending on address. Even-numbered homes may water Wednesday and Sunday; odd-numbered homes water on Tuesday and Saturday.

Regardless of your watering days, hours are restricted to the period 7 p.m. to 10 a.m. So, either water in the evening, overnight or early morning.

The exception: Drip irrigation may be used at any time. Also, plants in containers may be watered as needed.

Installing new sod or other landscaping? You may water 30 consecutive days to help get it established. Same goes for a reseeded lawn.

City of Sacramento reminds residents that runoff from irrigation is not permitted at any time. So use this weekend to check for leaks and malfunctioning sprinkler heads, too. Water the landscaping, not the sidewalk.

And if it rains (as we saw this week), remember to turn off irrigation – at least for a little while. The city recommends keeping sprinklers off for 48 hours after .125 inch of rain or more.

For more tips: https://bit.ly/3ezajsY

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time change Sacramento March irrigation gardening sprinklers daylight irrigation limits spring water conservation rainfall watering

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Garden Checklist for week of April 21

This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.

* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.

* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.

* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.

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