So far, 2022 among driest years in city's history
The downspouts and street gutters are full of rainwater -- at least today. Take this opportunity to note how the landscape is handling real rain. Kathy Morrison
November started with something Sacramento has seen little of this year: Rain!
Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service upped its original storm prediction from 0.1 inch to 0.25-0.5 inch – enough to turn off irrigation for at least a few days.
Rain is normal in November, the second month of our annual water year and the start of our usual rain season. November rain totals typically average just over 2 inches in Sacramento.
But there’s been nothing typical about our weather lately. 2022 most likely will go down as one of our driest years on record.
How dry has 2022 been? October had no measurable precipitation in Sacramento. We were also rainless in August and received barely a trace (0.01 inch or less) in February, May and July.
The first 10 months of 2022 have totaled 2.45 inches – almost 10 inches below normal for that period.
For more Sacramento area weather information and forecast: https://www.weather.gov/sto/#
To reach our annual average of 17.65 inches by Dec. 31, Sacramento will need 12.2 inches in two months. November and December are two of our rainiest months, averaging 5.32 inches for that 61-day period. But even double that amount will leave us far short of “normal.”
All that dry weather may have changed your landscape’s ability to cope with real rain. With so little deep-soaking moisture this year, soil may have become rock hard. (I know that’s true for sections of our lawn.) Watch out for runoff during heavy cloudbursts.
During this storm, note how your landscape is handling the water. Is it pooling or running off? Can it soak in? Make note of problem areas. (The solution may be more mulch or compost.)
Remember to irrigate plants that rainwater may have missed, particularly under large trees or eaves.
Most likely, the winds that accompanied this rain knocked down a lot of leaves. (November also marks the start of Sacramento’s leaf season.) Remember to rake leaves away from gutters and storm drains, too.
After so much drought, we’ll take any rain we can get. This storm may not produce a huge total, but it’s a start.
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Garden Checklist for week of May 5
Survey your garden after the May 4 rainstorm. Heavy rain and gusty winds can break the neck of large flowers such as roses. Also:
* Keep an eye on new transplants or seedlings; they could take a pounding from the rain.
* Watch out for powdery mildew. Warmth following moist conditions can cause this fungal disease to “bloom,” too. If you see a leaf that looks like it’s dusted with powdered sugar, snip it off.
* After the storm, start setting out tomato transplants, but wait on the peppers and eggplants (they want warmer nights). Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* 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, 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.
* Don’t wait; plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.
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