After so much rain, our gardens gets a chance to dry out
Some roses may still be trying to bloom but they need pruning. However, hold off on breaking out the pruners until the weather's drier, Tuesday or later. Kathy Morrison
We’re wet and getting wetter. How often do you see “100% chance” of rain in the Sacramento forecast? But according to the National Weather Service, more thunderstorms and showers are “definite” Sunday night into Monday.
After a half inch or more on Saturday, Sacramento can expect another inch Sunday night and Monday morning. Lots of wind (again) is expected with that wave of rain, too. Watch out for falling branches!
On Tuesday, we’ll finally start to dry out, says the weather service. A few showers may blow through midweek, but overall no real rain – not like we’ve seen – is in the forecast for later this coming week.
How much rain have we had this very wet January? Through Friday midnight, Downtown Sacramento totaled 5.5 inches – more than three times normal for those 13 days. Historically, January averages 3.64 inches.
After so much winter weather, take advantage of dry days by getting outdoors and giving your garden some TLC.
No. 1 task right now is clean up. Those storms left tons of tree debris all over the place – including branches stuck in other trees and shrubs.
If you see cracks in soil around trees, that means their roots may be moving – call an arborist! That tree is at risk of toppling.
Avoid walking on and working in muddy soil; it can compact easily, squeezing out the air. When that compacted soil dries (especially clay soils), it becomes like bricks. So, put off planting until the soil has a chance to drain.
* All this water can prompt crown rot. Pull mulch and tree litter away from trunks to let them dry out and breathe.
* Prune, prune, prune. Now is the time to cut back most deciduous trees and shrubs while you can see their structure. The exceptions are spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs.
* Now is the time to prune deciduous fruit trees. Clean up leaves and debris around the trees to prevent the spread of disease.
* Prune roses, even if they’re still trying to bloom. Strip off any remaining leaves, so the bush will be able to put out new growth in early spring.
* Clean up leaves and debris around your newly pruned roses and shrubs. Put down fresh mulch or bark to keep roots cozy.
* When forced bulbs sprout, move them to a cool, bright window. Give them a quarter turn each day so the stems will grow straight.
* Divide daylilies, Shasta daisies and other perennials.
* Cut back and divide chrysanthemums.
* Once the soil dries out a little, plant bare-root roses, trees and shrubs. If your ground seems saturated, consider planting your garden additions in large black plastic pots. The black plastic will warm up faster than the ground soil and give roots a healthy start. Then, transplant the new addition (rootball and all) into the ground in April as the weather warms.
* Browse through seed catalogs and start making plans for spring and summer.
Comments
0 comments have been posted.Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Food in My Back Yard Series
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
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
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of May 11
Make the most of the lower temperatures early in the week. We’ll be back in the 80s by Thursday.
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)
* Plant dahlia tubers.
* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.
* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.
* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.
* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.
* Add mulch to the garden to maintain moisture. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch-to-1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.
* Remember to weed! Pull those nasties before they set seed.
* Water early in the day and keep seedlings evenly moist.