Sacramento County master gardeners host free event Saturday
The orchard at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center includes espaliered fruit trees, above, as well as trees pruned to be "fruit bushes," kept under 7 feet tall to allow easy harvesting. Learn about both types of pruning/training during Open Garden Day. Kathy Morrison
After three weeks of rain, we gardeners have a lot of pent-up energy – and questions. What should we be doing now to help our gardens be their best – or just survive?
Get those answers Saturday morning – and maybe learn some new techniques – during “Open Garden” with the Sacramento County master gardeners. Admission and parking are free.
Set for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in Fair Oaks Park, Open Garden is a chance to hang out with experts as they tackle their garden tasks. At various garden stations, see hands-on demonstrations. Here are some of Saturday’s topics:
* Compost: Sorting home food waste – Compost pile? Worm bin? Organic Waste Can?
* Water-Efficient Landscape Garden: Flowering bulbs and colorful foliage.
* Vegetables: Tasty cool weather crops.
* Herbs: Brighten winter dishes with flavorful herbs.
* Proper pruning methods for: cane berries and blueberries; deciduous fruit trees; and grapevines.
And of course, Sacramento County master gardeners will be available to answer questions and offer advice from local experience. Got a mystery pest or problem? Bring photos or a sample, packed in a sealed zippered plastic bag.
The forecast calls for sun although it will be chilly with temperatures in the 40s; dress warmly with closed-toe shoes. Open Garden will go on, rain or shine.
Fair Oaks Horticulture Center is located at 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., in Fair Oaks.
For more details: https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/.
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Garden Checklist for week of April 21
This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.
* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.
* 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 is really hungry. Feed 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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