Preparing for spring and summer, Sacramento County master gardeners host free event
Expect the weather to be bright and warm this Saturday for the Open Garden at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center. The Berry Garden, in foreground, will be the focus of a mini talk on soil pH levels and applying sulfur. Kathy Morrison
From 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 16, the UCCE master gardeners of Sacramento County will be out in force to teach by doing – rain or shine. (Fortunately, Saturday is expected to be warm and sunny.)
“Open Gardens are informal free events where you roam the gardens, watch what we are doing, see what we are growing and ask questions,” explain the master gardeners.
Join dozens of master gardeners “among native trees, culinary herbs, raised vegetable beds, a citrus grove and more,” they say. Find out what you should be doing in your own garden by watching and questioning these local experts.
It’s also a wonderful opportunity to get answers to perplexing plant and pest questions.
“Bring samples of your problem plants, bagged insects and questions to the ‘Ask the Master Gardeners’ information table,” they add. “Get one-on-one advice based on the most recent research-based sustainable practices.”
Interested in composting? Learn which bin is right for your space and needs. Get advice on worm composting, too.
Two “mini-talks” are planned:
* Planting for summer color and propagating perennials; and
* How to measure and adjust pH levels with soil sulfur for berries. (This is especially important for blueberries.)
Fair Oaks Horticulture Center is located at 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks.
The next Open Garden is scheduled for Wednesday morning, April 17.
For more details and directions: https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/.
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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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