Sacramento's February weather outlook looks good for gardening
Thin winter sunshine highlights narcissus in bloom. We could have more dry days than wet this month. Kathy Morrison
After a very wet January, what can we expect in February?
Will our local groundhogs (OK, they’re ground squirrels) see their shadows on Thursday’s Groundhog Day? More important: After three years of drought, can we expect more rain?
Accuweather predicts a few other stormy days this month with the longest stretch of wet weather likely to be Feb. 20-23. Even then, rainfall totals are expected to be low.
That is unlikely to fulfill February’s average rainfall total. This month’s rainfall in non-drought years averages 3.63 inches – a major chunk of our annual total.
Our February days will be mild, predict the weather experts. Most of this month will be right around average – highs of 60 and lows of 42 – before warming into the high 60 by month’s end. But record temperatures (high of 76 degrees and low of 23) on either end of the scale are unlikely.
December and January storms have put plenty of moisture into our water bank. Downtown Sacramento totaled 9.52 inches in December and 7.54 in January; those two months almost surpassed our annual average of 17.6 inches.
Heavy Sierra snowpack looks like it will assure relatively good snow melt – and fuller reservoirs. Our drought isn’t over – yet – but we at least have a more positive water outlook for the hotter months to come.
Before turning on the sprinklers or irrigation system, check soil moisture; your landscape may not need watering. With these cooler temperatures, soil is slow to dry out, and plants may get too much water. Be on the lookout for crown rot.
Expect to see rapid growth sooner than later this month. Prompted by rain on the warmer side, daffodils and other bulbs have been quick into bloom. Newly pruned roses are sprouting shoots. Buds are already swelling on fruit trees.
This could be a good month to plant bare-root trees and shrubs, too. The same goes for perennials. They’ll put down roots quickly in that moist soil.
Afternoons in the high 60s are forecast for the last week of February, ending winter on a warm note. Maybe we’ll be in for an early spring, no matter what the groundhog’s shadow predicts.
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Garden Checklist for week of Feb. 16
Take advantage of this nice weather. There’s plenty to do as your garden starts to switch into high gear for spring growth.
* This is the last chance to spray fruit trees before their buds open. Treat peach and nectarine trees with copper-based fungicide. Spray apricot trees at bud swell to prevent brown rot. Apply horticultural oil to control scale, mites and aphids on fruit trees.
* Check soil moisture before resuming irrigation. Most likely, your soil is still pretty damp.
* Feed spring-blooming shrubs and fall-planted perennials with slow-release fertilizer. Feed mature trees and shrubs after spring growth starts.
* Transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.
* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots.
* Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and cauliflower – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).
* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.
* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions.
* Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.
* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.
* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.
* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.
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