Sacramento City, County offer options to turn trees into mulch
Even if you're not ready to un-decorate your tree, think about how and where to recycle it.
Kathy Morrison
Happy Boxing Day! Are you ready to box up your Christmas decorations – and deal with the tree?
Living Christmas trees – those in pots with roots – should get back outdoors ASAP. They need sun, water and air. Conifers don’t make good houseplants.
Real Christmas trees – once living, but by now pretty dead – can be recycled. The City of Sacramento as well as Sacramento County turn old trees into mulch.
For Sacramento residents with curbside trash pick-up, trees can be left in the street or cut up and placed in the green waste container. “The Claw” will pick up trees through Jan. 23. Please keep trees out of bikes lanes and away from storm drains, the city says.
Flocked trees will be accepted. Please remove all tinsel, decorations, lights, nails or tree stands.
In addition, several free drop-off events are scheduled:
-- 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7; SMUD Corporation Yard, 6100 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento. Get your tree mulched for free and take home the mulch to use in your garden. Bring large trash bags or containers to cart home the mulch.
-- 8 a.m.-6 p.m Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 7 and 8; North Area Recovery Station, 4450 Roseville Road, North Highlands.
-- 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 7 and 8; Kiefer Landfill, 12701 Kiefer Blvd., Rancho Cordova. Directions: From Jackson Highway, go north on Grant Line, then right on Kiefer Boulevard.
-- 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7; Elder Creek Recovery and Transfer, 8642 Elder Creek Road, Sacramento. Directions: From Jackson Highway, go south on Florin Perkins Road, then left on Elder Creek Road.
-- 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7; Sacramento Recycling & Transfer Station, 8491 Fruitridge Road, Sacramento. This site is also accepting trees weekdays through Jan. 7. Directions: From Jackson Highway, go south on Florin Perkins Road, then right on Fruitridge Road.
-- 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7; Dan Russell Rodeo Arena, Rodeo Park, end of Stafford Street, Folsom.
For more details: https://bit.ly/3YSEqQP
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For week of Dec. 10:
Take advantage of these dry but crisp conditions. It’s time to get out the rake!
* Rake leaves away from storm drains and keep gutters clear.
* Fallen leaves can be used for mulch and compost. Chop up large leaves with a couple of passes with a lawn mower.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they’re dormant. Without their foliage, trees are easier to prune.
* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.
* Make sure to take frost precautions with new transplants and sensitive plants. Mulch, water and cover tender plants in the late afternoon to retain warmth.
* Succulent plants are at particular risk if temperatures drop below freezing. Don’t water succulents before frost; cover instead. Use cloth sheets, not plastic. Make sure to remove coverings during the day.
* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.
* Brighten the holidays with winter bloomers such as poinsettias, amaryllis, calendulas, Iceland poppies, pansies and primroses.
* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location. Water thoroughly. After the holidays, feed your plants monthly so they'll bloom again next December.
* Just because it rained doesn't mean every plant got watered. Give a drink to plants that the rain didn't reach, such as under eaves or under evergreen trees. Also, well-watered plants hold up better to frost than thirsty plants.
* Plant garlic (December's the last chance -- the ground is getting cold!) and onions for harvest in summer.
* Bare-root season begins. Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb. Beware of soggy soil. It can rot bare-root plants.