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Stay off the mud!

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED FEB 15, 2019

Friday morning hail turned flower beds white in Sacramento's Greenhaven/Pocket neighborhood. (Photo: Debbie Arrington)

Wet soil can lead to compaction and complications

Look before you step.

All this rain has over-saturated the soil in many places, particularly spots with clay soil or poor drainage. Unable to absorb any more moisture, our yards may have become waterlogged – and more rain is forecast.

This week, Sacramento already has received more than 3 inches of rainfall. Friday’s thunderstorms dumped more (plus unexpected hail in some neighborhoods).

That excess moisture can drown plant roots, especially if the soil becomes compacted.

Stay off waterlogged soil, advises UC Cooperative Extension master gardeners. Your footprints can do lasting damage.

Walking or rolling wheels on wet soil can cause compaction, depriving plant roots and microorganisms of the air and space they need. Healthy soil contains tiny air pockets that allow plant roots and microbes to “breathe.” Compaction squeezes out that necessary air. Plants die and so do the tiny organisms that make a healthy soil.

Imagine a ball of wet clay. What happens when you squeeze it? It becomes very hard and dense; you don’t want that to happen to your soil.

To avoid compacting soil, lay planks across the wet spots and use those to access your garden, if needed. Otherwise, give your garden time for the excess water to percolate down, run off or evaporate.

The hailstones will just add to the soggy conditions here

when they melt. Stepping stones are a good idea in

areas that stay wetter long. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

For future access, consider placing stepping stones in areas that tend to stay wetter longer. Just don’t lay the stones until the soil dries out.

During this wet weather, notice where water is pooling in your garden and make a note on improving drainage. Don’t let water pool next to your home’s foundation, fences or other structures; it will lead to expensive repairs. Instead, redirect it away from the house.

Low spots may have potential as “rain gardens,” areas where storm water is allowed to pool temporarily and slowly sink down. That deeply irrigates nearby trees, shrubs and perennials. But remember: Most plants don’t like standing in water, even for a day or two. Plant a rain garden with plants that can take the wet, but also are happy with dry conditions the rest of the time.

Don’t forget potted plants during storms. Their containers can fill up with rain, drowning the plants inside. Tip pots sideways so water can drain out.

Bonsai and succulents are at greatest risk from too much moisture. If possible, move these plants under eaves where they can get some protection during stormy water.

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An article about gardening.

Keywords:

runoff UCCE master gardeners Sacramento winter weather roots rain garden soil succulents gardening storms soil aeration container plants plants compaction rainfall drainage hail rain

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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.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

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