June ends with a warming trend; triple digits coming soon
Grapes grow larger with some pruning of fruit. At the very least, trim the last 2-3 inches off the bunches. (These already have been done.) Kathy Morrison
Prepare to get hot. According to the National Weather Service, June closes out with a warming trend. After several days of below-normal temperatures, this week’s afternoon highs will zip up to almost 100 degrees by Friday. That’s a 20-degree swing in just seven days.
This past week, Sacramento enjoyed four afternoons in the high 70s – 10 degrees below our late June average. Friday’s expected 99 degrees is 10 degrees above.
Friday likely will the hottest day of 2023, so far. Sacramento saw 94 degrees on June 4 and 95 on May 13. (Those were both records for those dates.) But otherwise, we’ve been relatively chilly.
But this coming 20-degree jump in high temperatures can stress fast-growing plants. Make sure your summer vegetables are deeply watered. Don’t let tomatoes, peppers, squash or eggplant dry out.
One good thing about this coming heat wave: It should wipe out powdery mildew and similar fungal diseases. They can’t stand temperatures above 95 degrees.
Meanwhile, concentrate on keeping your plants and yourself comfortable.
* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.
* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.
* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.
* Avoid pot “hot feet.” Place a 1-inch-thick board under container plants sitting on pavement. This little cushion helps insulate them from radiated heat.
* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.
* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.
* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.
* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.
* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries after harvest.
* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.
* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering perennials to encourage a second bloom in the fall.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.
* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, squash, melons and sunflowers.
* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.
* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, snapdragons, marigolds and zinnias.
* It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.
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Garden Checklist for week of Feb. 2
During this stormy week, let the rain soak in while making plans for all the things you’re going to plant soon:
* During rainy weather, turn off the sprinklers. After a good soaking from winter storms, lawns can go at least a week without sprinklers, according to irrigation experts. For an average California home, that week off from watering can save 800 gallons.
* February serves as a wake-up call to gardeners. This month, you can 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 Brussels sprouts – 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.