Sacramento posts impressive rain totals after a series of atmospheric rivers
This rain gauge is full, at 5 inches, after last week's storms. Debbie Arrington
If rain is what we wished for, we sure got it.
Since Christmas, a series of nine atmospheric rivers have soaked Northern California – with a 10th potentially on the way. And the rain totals have been impressive.
So far in January, Downtown Sacramento has recorded 7.14 inches; 2.31 inches fell since Friday. That follows 9.52 inches in December including a record 2.37 inches on New Year’s Eve.
Our winter rain total is more than double historic averages. In three months (including 1.16 inches in a subpar November), Sacramento received as much rain as it averages in an entire year: 17.82 inches. Normal for that period: 8.27 inches.
And more is on the way: The National Weather Service expects one more wave of storms to pass through on Wednesday. Whether it will rate as another atmospheric river is uncertain. The current NWS estimate is about one-quarter inch for Sacramento, but the storm system is still building up steam.
After “definite rain showers” on Wednesday, it looks like we’ll finally dry out. The weather service predicts six to nine days of dry weather starting Thursday.
However, that dry spell will be accompanied by cold, with overnight lows dipping close to freezing. Those cold nights are expected to bring patchy frost and morning ground fog. Afternoons will warm up only to the low 50s, but they will be sunny.
That means it’s time to tackle some winter garden chores:
* Survey your trees. Now is the time to take care of damage or stabilize trees that may have gotten wobbly in wet soil.
* Apply horticultural oil to fruit trees to control scale, mites and aphids. Oils need 24 hours of dry weather after application to be effective – and we may finally have that.
* This is also the time to spray a copper-based oil to peach and nectarine trees to fight leaf curl.
* 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 healthy growth in early spring.
* Be careful of saturated soil; it compacts easily. Don’t dig in muddy ground.
* Hold off on planting bare-root roses, trees and other plants until soil has a chance to dry out a little.
* Pull back mulch from around trees and shrubs so trunks have a chance to dry out, too. This will help curb crown rot.
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Garden Checklist for week of July 21
Your garden needs you!
* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.
* Feed vegetable plants bone meal, rock phosphate or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting. (But wait until daily high temperatures drop out of the 100s.)
* Don’t let tomatoes wilt or dry out completely. Give tomatoes a deep watering two to three times a week.
* Harvest vegetables promptly to encourage plants to produce more. Squash especially tends to grow rapidly in hot weather. Keep an eye on zucchini.
* 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.
* It's not too late to add a splash of color. Plant petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.
* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, winter squash and sunflowers.
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