Sacramento Digs Gardening: Gardeners, here's how to cope with this heat wave

Pretty eggplant can be scorched by the sun -- harvest them before they burn. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Stay hydrated -- both you and your plants

The heat is on! After a very mild August, Sacramento is getting blasted with triple-digit temperatures and the hottest days of the year (so far).

The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings for all of the Sacramento area. With high temperatures expected to top 105 degrees, conditions are described as “dangerous.”

“Heat like this only happens a few times a year,” according to the NWS bulletin. “Heat risk is high across much of the area, even for the general population.

“The rest of this week will see high temperatures in the triple digits in the Valley and some foothill locations,” added the NWS Sacramento office. “Little cooling is expected overnight. Stay hydrated and limit time outdoors if possible.”

Air quality districts also announced “Spare the Air” alerts with unhealthy air quality expected for sensitive groups such as children, seniors or people with heart or lung disease.

In other words, avoid being outdoors. Water plants deeply in the early morning or evening. Pay extra attention to container plants; they can dry out quickly.

Stay hydrated yourself, too. Drink plenty of water (not soda or coffee). When outside, dress in loose, lightweight clothing. Wear a hat and sunscreen.

During this heat wave, bring in your pets; if kept outside, make sure animals have shade and fresh water.

As for your plants, most cope better with heat than people do, as long as they have enough moisture. Check the soil around plants in the morning and water as needed. Avoid adding any fertilizer during this heat spell.

Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant can sunburn; harvest them before they bake on the bush.

The good news: This heat wave will be short. According to the NWS, we’ll be back to 89 degrees on Sunday – below normal.

GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

gardening Sacramento container plants heat heat stress temperatures soil moisture irrigation weather

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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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