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Dig In: Garden checklist for week of March 6

Dry week ahead with more chilly nights

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED MAR 5, 2022

The weeds are out there, and they're not getting smaller. Whack them down

now. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)

So much for that “rain.” Although storm clouds dropped a few sprinkles on their way to the Sierra, Downtown Sacramento has yet to get any measurable precipitation from these passing weather systems, says the National Weather Service.

Our record dry winter streak is now 56 days (through Friday) and counting. Sacramento’s last measurable rain (0.05 inches) fell Jan. 7.

On the bright side: It could be worse. Sacramento got so much rain in October and December, our total rain year is still tracking “normal.” Since July 1, Sacramento has received 14.47 inches; normal to date is 13.55 inches. So, that total actually measures 107% of average.

But we still really, really need rain. According to the weather service, Sacramento is at 80% of its annual average total of 18.14 inches and our “rainy season” ends in less than two months. Historically, Sacramento receives 3.9 inches in March and April combined.

No rain is expected this week with 0% chance of precipitation in Sacramento through at least Friday. Meanwhile, temperatures will remain cool. Clear skies overnight will help plunge lows back into the 30s – not quite below freezing, but close enough. Daytime highs will nudge into the low 70s by mid-weed, but soil temperatures will stay chilly – too cold for tomatoes!

Spend this dry week preparing for spring:

* Seed and renovate the lawn (if you still have one). Feed cool-season grasses such as bent, blue, rye and fescue with a slow-release fertilizer. Check the irrigation system and perform maintenance. Make sure sprinkler heads are turned toward the lawn, not the sidewalk.

* Pull weeds now! Don’t let them get started. Take a hoe and whack them as soon as they sprout.

* Start preparing vegetable beds for summer favorites. Spade in compost and other amendments.

* What can you plant now? Transplant lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, collards and kale.

* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground. (Beet seeds benefit from soaking first.)

* Plant summer bulbs, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias and callas. Also plant dahlia tubers.

* Shop for perennials. Many varieties are available in local nurseries and at plant events. They can be transplanted now while the weather remains relatively cool.

* Fertilize roses, annual flowers and berries as spring growth begins to appear.

Yuck! This is the downside of growing camellias. Get those

blossoms up to help control blossom blight.

* Feed camellias at the end of their bloom cycle. Pick up browned and fallen flowers to help corral blossom blight.

* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.

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CHECKLIST FOR THE WEEK

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seeds Sacramento March camellias annual rainfall lawn care fertilizer weather gardening vegetables bulbs perennials dahlias weeds winter

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March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds

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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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