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Dig In: Garden checklist for week of April 21

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED APR 20, 2019

Citrus trees benefit from a low dose of fertilizer during bloom and fruit set. (Photo: Debbie Arrington)

Spring bursts into bloom; watch out for weeds

Warmer temperatures have finally put the zing in spring.

Flowers are opening everywhere as plants respond to longer days and more sunshine. Growth speeds, too, which means keep an eye on weeds. Also, watch out for aphids, slugs and other pests that may be munching on this lush green growth.

Did you get an Easter lily? These beautiful white flowers prefer cool temperatures indoors, 60 to 65 degrees away from windows, drafts or heat. After the flowers fade, the lily can be transplanted outdoors into the garden. These bulbs prefer cool growing conditions, so plant them deep – about 6 inches. Cover the bulbs with mulch or compost in a semi-shady spot (morning sun preferred).

But don’t expect them to flower in April. In the garden, Easter lilies bloom in midsummer.

* 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.

* Ripe oranges, lemons or grapefruit may still be on the tree. Citrus tends not to flower with fruit on its branches. Finish the harvest. Pick up any dropped fruit; it attracts pests. Remember: Sacramento is under quarantine for Oriental fruit fly and Asian citrus psyllid , which means citrus can’t be moved out of county. Keep your home-grown fruit at home.

* If leaves look yellow, your citrus tree may need an iron boost. Feed with a chelated iron fertilizer.

* Weed, weed, weed! Whack them while they’re young. Don’t let unwanted invaders go to seed or grow deep roots. In particular, pull out any bindweed, bedstraw or milk thistle, which seem to grow overnight.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds. Don’t mound mulch around trunks or main stems; it can cause crown rot.

* Set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, 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. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

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Food in My Back Yard Series

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July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions

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SPRING

June 17: Help pollinators help your garden

June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests

June 3: Make your own compost

May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?

May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success

April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers

April 8: When to plant summer vegetables

April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths

March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth

WINTER

March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds

March 4: Potatoes from the garden

Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space

Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting

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Garden checklist for week of July 13

Put off big chores and planting until later in the week when the weather is cooler. In the meantime, remember to stay hydrated – advice for both you and your garden.

* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.

* Water, then fertilize vegetables and blooming annuals, perennials and shrubs to give them a boost. Feeding flowering plants every other week will extend their bloom.

* Give vegetable plants bone meal or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting.

* Add some summer color. Plant petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.

* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, winter squash and sunflowers. Plant Halloween pumpkins now.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.

* Remove spent flowers from roses, daylilies and other bloomers as they finish flowering.

* Pinch off blooms from basil so the plant will grow more leaves.

* Cut back lavender after flowering to promote a second bloom.

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