Leaf season and street pick-up extended through Feb. 6
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| The Claw will be performing street pick-ups later into the year, the City of Sacramento decided. (Photo courtesy city of Sacramento) |
Sacramento’s leaf season is lasting longer this new year.
Instead of its original Jan. 23 cutoff date, the City of Sacramento extended its in-street pick-up of garden waste and Christmas trees two weeks. The last date to put green waste curbside is now Feb. 6.
A quirky Sacramento tradition, in-street pick-up is limited to November through January. But city crews that operate The Claw – the articulated tractor used to scoop up the piles – have been running way behind schedule. Due to staffing shortages, Sacramento has been operating only five Claw crews; in past years, they’ve had eight.
Heavy storms in October and December further complicated pick-ups. Meanwhile, piles in some leafy neighborhoods continued to grow and grow. Both the Sacramento Bee and local TV stations reported this week about delays. The City of Sacramento already had extended its leaf season schedule to attempt to catch up.
Usually, The Claw visits residential streets seven times during leaf season, with pick-ups spaced about two weeks apart. Residents can get an estimate of when The Claw will arrive on their street using the Leaf Season collection calendar. Find the link at S acLeafSmart.org .
Some reminders:
* When recycling Christmas trees, trees should be clean of all lights, tinsel, tree stands, nails and decorations. Flocked trees will be accepted.
* Leaf piles can be no bigger than 4 by 4 by 9 feet (and just one per household). Make sure there is space between the pile and the curb so water can flow down the gutter. Also, place the pile at least 6 feet away from cars, boats, basketball hoops or other obstructions. The Claw needs room to maneuver.
* Don’t put plastic bags in street piles (including bags full of leaves). And don’t contaminate the leaf pile with trash or dog poop (a common problem).
* During leaf season, the City of Sacramento continues to pick up green waste containers. Fill those first before piling leaves in the street, advises the recycling and solid waste department. The containers will get picked up 13 times during Leaf Season while residents can expect seven visits from The Claw.
For more information: SacLeafSmart.org .
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3
November still offers good weather for fall planting:
* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.
* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.
* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.
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