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Ozone can be stressing your garden

Hot, smoky conditions create dangerous pollutant levels

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED SEP 7, 2020

These pictures compare a normal tulip tree leaf
and one exposed to too much ozone.

(Photos courtesy National Park Service)

Smoky skies and record heat make gardening -- or just about any outdoor activity -- intolerable right now. Usually our gardens cope better with these conditions than we do; they can filter out the pollutants and conserve their resources.

But the air is so bad now, even plants are feeling ill effects.

Today (Monday) will be the 22nd consecutive Spare the Air Day for the Bay Area -- and the greater Sacramento region, a record for this current streak of poor air quality. Driving, operating gas-powered equipment, barbecuing and other activities are discouraged (if not prohibited).

The past few days that bad air has been accompanied by excessive heat, creating a ground-hugging layer of ozone. That's making our eyes water -- and our plants suffer.

Ozone is created by a combination of wildfire ash and other pollutants (usually nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds), intensified by bright sunlight and triple-digit heat. It can prevent a plant's leaves from properly doing their job. Ozone enters the leaves' stomata and burns the leaves' tissue.

Signs of ozone damage include dark stippling and bleaching of foliage. Plants lose their vigor and stop blooming or yielding fruit. Ozone damage weakens the plant and makes it much more susceptible to pests and disease.

Worried about the long-term effects of too much ozone, researchers and the National Park Service surveyed plants in national parks across the country and found hundreds of species with ozone sensitivity, from ash and asters to sycamores and yarrow. Maple, cherry, poplar and plum trees are all on the ozone-sensitive list. Find it here: https://irma.nps.gov/NPSpecies/Reports/Systemwide/List%20of%20Ozone-sensitive%20Species

What can you do to help your plants cope? Keep them hydrated. Offer them some afternoon shade. Wash ash and soot from leaves.

And continue to "Spare the Air." These smoky conditions are expected to last at least through Wednesday.

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Keywords:

gardening Sacramento heat ozone damage trees heat wave air quality heat stress leaves

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Garden Checklist for week of March 23

The warm weather expected early in the week will prompt rapid growth – especially weeds! Make the most of those sunny breaks and get to work!

* Fertilize roses, annual flowers and berries as spring growth begins to appear.

* Watch out for aphids! Knock them off plants with a strong stream of water from the hose.

* Pull weeds now! Don’t let them get started. Take a hoe and whack them as soon as they sprout.

* Prepare vegetable beds. Spade in compost and other amendments.

* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs after bloom.

* Feed camellias at the end of their bloom cycle. Pick up browned and fallen flowers to help corral blossom blight.

* Feed citrus trees, which are now in bloom and setting fruit.

* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.

* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce and cole family plants, such as cauliflower, broccoli, collards and kale.

* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground. (Soak beet seeds overnight in room-temperature water for better germination.)

* Plant summer bulbs, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias and callas. Also plant dahlia tubers.

* Shop for perennials. They can be transplanted now while the weather remains relatively cool.

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