Sacramento expects 2.3 inches of rain (or more) in the next three days
The gutters don’t unclog themselves! Avoid creating street ponds by making sure gutters and storm drains are clear before the rain starts. Check downspouts around the house, too. Kathy Morrison
According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento will get a one-two punch this weekend from a pair of major storm systems. The first arrives Friday evening and will soak Saturday events. The second – and the heaviest – starts Sunday night with rain expected to continue through Wednesday.
These twin atmospheric rivers are expected to drop about 2.3 inches of rain in the next three days in downtown Sacramento – and more in the foothills. So, plan accordingly.
* If you haven’t already, turn off sprinklers and other irrigation. Everything should get a deep soaking from these storms.
* It may be too much water for some plants – especially succulents. If possible, move succulents growing in containers to someplace under cover so their pots (and roots) don’t become waterlogged.
* Make sure gutters and storm drains are clear of leaves and other debris.
* Be careful walking on wet soil; it can compact easily – squeezing out any air. Microbes (and roots) need those underground air pockets to survive.
* January is the time to apply horticultural oils on fruit trees (especially copper spray on peaches), but put off that chore for at least a week. It’s too wet for those anti-fungal sprays to be effective.
* Don’t dig in the garden this next week – it’s too wet and risks soil compaction. Any planting can wait until these storms pass. Right now, all that water could rot their roots.
* Got bare-root roses or other plants waiting to go in the ground? Pot them up in large black plastic pots with potting soil. Then, transplant them – soil and all – into the garden in March. They’ll benefit from this head start.
* Watch out for leaning trees. All this moisture can destabilize their roots. If you see trouble, call an arborist – before the tree falls.
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Food in My Back Yard Series
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
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March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
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Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
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Garden Checklist for week of April 27
Once the clouds clear, get to work. Spring growth is in high gear.
* Set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, 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. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.
* Weed, weed, weed! Don’t let unwanted plants 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.
* 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.
* Start thinning fruit that's formed on apple and stone fruit trees -- you'll get larger fruit at harvest (and avoid limb breakage) if some is thinned now. The UC recommendation is to thin fruit when it is about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Peaches and nectarines should be thinned to about 6 inches apart; smaller fruit such as plums and pluots can be about 4 inches apart. Apricots can be left at 3 inches apart. Apples and pears should be thinned to one fruit per cluster of flowers, 6 to 8 inches apart.
* 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.
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