How to help your garden cope with 112 degrees
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Harvesting your ripe or even nearly ripe vegetables
is a good idea ahead of our expected heat wave
this weekend. (Photos: Kathy Morrison) |
We’re having (another) heat wave, and this one may be of record proportions.
According to the National Weather Service, much of Northern California is under an “excessive heat watch,” with some pretty ominous warnings for Labor Day weekend.
“An excessive heat watch is an extended period of dangerously hot conditions with record temperatures up to 115 possible,” says the weather service. “Extreme heat will significantly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities over the holiday weekend.”
Those activities, of course, include gardening. Get any chores done early, before 9 a.m. if possible. Wear a hat and sunscreen. Stay hydrated. Retreat to the shade or indoors as quickly as possible.
The hottest days are expected to be Sunday and Monday, but no cooldown is in sight until sometime next week.
The current NWS forecast high for Downtown Sacramento on Sunday and Monday: 112 degrees.
Nights will be warm, too, says the weather service. “There will be limited overnight relief from the heat, with lows in the upper 60s to mid 80s.”
Those 112 marks, if reached, would be records, not only as the hottest Labor Day weekend on record but hottest Sacramento September days ever. Labor Day 2020 (Sept. 6, 2020) tied the current mark – 109 degrees – originally set in September 1955.
If that dire 115 degrees mark comes to pass, history is possible, edging past a nearly century-old milestone. Downtown Sacramento’s all-time record is 114 degrees, set in July 1925. Sacramento Executive Airport recorded 115 degrees – South Sacramento’s hottest day ever – in June 1961.
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Soil moisture is a key preventive measure for plants in
a heat wave. Mulch and/or temporary shade helps, too.
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Deep-water your garden early in the day or overnight. Wilting in the heat of the afternoon is normal, especially for big-leafed plants such as squash or hydrangeas. But if you see a droopy plant early in the morning, give it a drink.
Otherwise, watch out for sunburn – on you and your vegetables. Provide temporary shade to ripening peppers, tomatoes and eggplant that may be prone to sunburn. Better yet, harvest what you can before this weekend’s heat. Without its fruit, the plant won’t need as much water and can concentrate its energies (and moisture) on survival.
For more on heat stress and plants: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/ENVIRON/thermal.html .
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Garden Checklist for week of April 14
It's still not warm enough to transplant tomatoes directly in the ground, but we’re getting there.
* 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 needs nutrients. Fertilize 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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