August starts with cooler temperatures and opportunity to get things done
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Give citrus its last dose of fertilizer, but be sure to water the tree deeply beforehand.This also is a good time to thin some of the fruit to prevent breakage of limbs later. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)
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Say goodbye to triple-digit heat! (At least for a little while.)
Temperatures are expected to continue to cool down for the first week of August. According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento won’t even get out of the 80s on Sunday and will stay in the low 90s most of the coming week. Overnight lows are mild, too, dipping down to the mid to low 60s.
That may seem cool after a red-hot July, but it’s actually on the warm side for the month to come. Average for August in Sacramento: High of 91 and low of 58.
Of course, the next warm-up isn’t far away. The weather service predicts 99 degrees next weekend.
Make the most of this mild summer weather by showing your garden some TLC.
*Feed citrus trees their last round of fertilizer for the year. This will give a boost to the fruit that’s now forming. Make sure to water deeply first.
* Harvest tomatoes, beans, squash, pepper and eggplants to prompt plants to keep producing. Give your plants a deep watering twice a week, more if planted in containers.
* Watch out for caterpillars and hornworms in the vegetable garden. They can strip a plant bare in one day. Pick them off plants by hand in early morning or late afternoon.
* Give summer vegetables a boost with phosphate-rich fertilizer to help fruiting. Commercial fertilizers need available moisture in the soil to activate and plants need water to absorb nutrients. Always water before feeding.
* Camellia leaves looking a little yellow? Feed them some chelated iron. That goes for azaleas and gardenias, too.
* Pick up after your fruit trees. Clean up debris and dropped fruit; this cuts down on insects and prevents the spread of brown rot. Then, feed fruit trees with slow-release fertilizer for better production for next year.
* Pinch off dead flowers from perennials and annuals to lengthen their summer bloom.
* Deadhead roses.
* Sow seeds of perennials in pots for fall planting including yarrow, coneflower and salvia.
* In the garden, direct seed beets, carrots, leaf lettuce and turnips.
* Transplant pumpkins.
* Plant potatoes in boxes with straw.
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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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