Topics include salvias, blueberries, grasses and more
Sacramento County master gardener Pat Schink explains winter pruning of woody sages, aka salvias, in a video available on YouTube. Screen grab from "Pruning Woody Sages," UCCE Master Gardeners of Sacramento County
No need to look far for great gardening advice: The Sacramento County group of master gardeners, not to mention other counties in California, have produced terrific -- and short -- videos on all kinds of topics.
This time of year the A-Number One topic is pruning, of course. Trees, roses, perennials, berry bushes all are dormant and can be pruned.
But pruning a plant you've invested time and money in can be scary to some people. What if it's ruined forever? They fret and then don't do anything. But ignoring pruning may ultimately hurt more than help that plant.
Below are suggestions on videos to watch that will explain the pruning process succinctly. But first, a few plants that should NOT be pruned during winter:
-- Apricot and cherry trees. Pruning cuts on these trees are susceptible infection from a fungus (Eutypa) and bacterial canker diseases that flourish in wet weather. Save those pruning duties for late summer.
-- Citrus trees. Pruning stimulates growth, and new growth is highly susceptible to frost damage. Wait until after harvest (usually April or May, depending on the type).
-- Lilacs, camellias and other spring-flowering shrubs. Easy reason: The risk of cutting off all those flower buds!
Here are my favorite master gardener pruning videos:
-- "Pruning Mature Blueberry Plants." Blueberries are fun to grow, but they can be mysterious to care for. Master gardener Tamara Engel demonstrates the best tools and techniques for thinning the plants before spring growth begins.
-- "Pruning Rosemary." Master gardener Karen Martin explains when and how to cut to keep this popular landscape herb looking great. A "hard pruning" to reshape the plant is recommended annually, usually in early spring, but any dead stems can be removed now. (Hint: Look near ground level for these.)
-- "Pruning Woody Sages." You know those wild-haired salvia plants? This is for them. They do so much better in the summer after a hard pruning in winter. Master gardener Pat Schink covers both growing-season pruning and dormant-season pruning, so bookmark this one for reference later in the year, too.
-- "Pruning Ornamental Grasses." This is a job for the February garden. Pat Schink explains the process for keeping these low-maintenance plants looking their best.
-- "How to Prune a Hybrid Tea Rose." Yolo County master gardener Marcia Nelson covers the basics in just 6 minutes. I also like Sacramento master rosarian Charlotte Owendyk's video, "How to Quickly Prune Roses," filmed for Green Acres and the Sierra Foothills Rose Society.
-- Of course, clean and sharp pruning tools are important to the process. "Sharpening Hand Pruners" is a must-see master gardener video, whatever type of plant will be pruned.
-- Winter pruning of fruit trees. For trees other than apricots and cherries, this is the time to shape deciduous fruit trees. Santa Clara County master gardener Allen Buchinski, in 2021 filmed a long presentation, "Pruning Fruit Trees," that covers many details. The county used to be known for its orchards, and this master gardener group has several fruit tree videos on its YouTube channel.
For more growing info from the UCCE master gardeners of Sacramento County: 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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