Killer heat scorches Labor Day weekend; plan accordingly
A honey bee gets its work in early, collecting pollen from the Diablo cosmos flower on what will be another hot day. Kathy Morrison
Don’t let slightly cooler temperatures on Friday and Saturday fool you; this heat wave hasn’t hit its peak.
According to the National Weather Service, conditions for the next four days will be downright “dangerous.” An “extreme heat warning” is in effect for the Sacramento Valley and Sierra foothills from 11 a.m. Sunday through 8 p.m. Wednesday. A high of 115 degrees – which would be an all-time high for Sacramento – is possible.
“Very high risk of heat stress or illnesses for the entire population,” the weather service said Saturday. “Stay hydrated. Avoid being outdoors in the sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. … Stay in a cool place especially during the heat of the day.”
Those conditions are unsafe for animals of all kinds; keep pets indoors, too.
As for your garden, the best plan is to water early and deeply. Give plants the moisture they need to cope with this high heat. Container plantings are especially at risk; move pots to shady areas if possible.
With this heat also comes high fire danger. Do not use power tools or anything that could cause a spark to fly.
How hot can it get? The weather service predicts 112 degrees for Monday and Tuesday in Downtown Sacramento, although that could creep higher. Little relief will come after dark with overnight lows forecast in the mid 70s.
Temperature records likely will be set. Before this week, Sacramento’s hottest September day on record: 109 degrees.
Triple-digit highs will continue through Thursday before finally “cooling” to a mere 98 degrees Friday, says the weather service.
During this heat spell, take it easy outdoors and plan for cooler days ahead – like next week. The long-range forecast calls for low 90s by next Saturday and Sunday.
This week in the garden:
* Harvest tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons and eggplant. In this heat, pick sooner than later; they can turn overripe in a hurry.
* Compost annuals and vegetable crops that have finished producing.
* Deep-water shrubs and trees. Be on the lookout for plants stressed by this heat.
* In the morning, give plants a shower – especially if you see signs of spider mites. Take a hose and blast their webs off vines and bushes.
* Watch out for tomato hornworms. They love this heat, too.
* Indoors, start seedlings for fall vegetable planting, including bunching onion, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, radicchio and lettuce.
* Sow seeds of perennials in pots for fall planting including yarrow, coneflower and salvia.
* One good thing about hot days: Most lawns stop growing when temperatures top 95 degrees. Keep mower blades set on high.
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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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