July starts red hot; be prepared for record heat, high fire danger
Ripening tomatoes appreciate shade during heat waves. If plants aren't this leafy, some shade cloth can prevent sunscald. Kathy Morrison
According to the National Weather Service, the earlier declared Excessive Heat Watch has been extended. Instead of Tuesday morning, it now officially starts Monday night, July 1. The weather service also added another full day to this advisory, expecting the high heat to last at least until 8 p.m. Saturday, July 6.
On top of that, the weather service on Saturday morning designated Tuesday through Friday as “Extreme Heat Risk” for residents in Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Yuba City, Chico and Modesto as well as foothill communities up to 1,000 feet in elevation.
“Extreme Heat Risk” means that temperatures will be “very dangerous to anyone without proper hydration or adequate cooling,” says the weather service. “(This is) rare and long duration extreme heat. Entire population exposed to the heat is at risk. For people without effective cooling, this level of heat can be deadly.”
How hot will it get? “Dangerously hot conditions with high temperatures of 105 to 115,” says the weather service. “Limited overnight relief with low temperatures in the upper 60s to around 80.”
With triple-digits predicted every day next week starting Monday, the weather service now thinks Sacramento’s heat may peak at 108 degrees on Wednesday with 104 on Thursday, July Fourth.
With this heat comes extreme fire danger; everything gets extra crispy. Expected winds starting Monday nightand blowing through Wednesday evening have prompted a “Red Flag Warning.” Be extra careful using power tools outdoors; one spark can cause a wildfire.
Due to hot nights, mornings will be unusually warm, too. Sacramento could be in the 80s by 9 a.m. each day.
We can (hopefully) retreat indoors. Our gardens aren’t so lucky. This week, they’ll be in survival mode and will need our help to stay relatively comfortable:
* Water in the early morning, preferably before 8 a.m. Deep water hydrangeas and other large-leafed shrubs.
* Don’t let tomatoes wilt or dry out completely. Give tomatoes a deep watering two to three times a week.
* Check soil moisture before irrigating, but plants likely will need extra water during this heat spell, especially large-leafed squash and melons.
* It’s normal for plants to wilt in the afternoon during such heat. But if they’re still wilted in the morning, give them a drink.
* Provide temporary shade for seedlings and plants sensitive to sunburn, such as squash, peppers and eggplants.
* Make sure mulch surrounds vegetable plants; it keeps roots cool and retains moisture.
* One good thing about hot days: Most lawns stop growing when temperatures top 95 degrees. Keep mower blades set on high.
* Harvest vegetables promptly to encourage plants to produce more. Squash especially tends to grow rapidly in hot weather. Keep an eye on zucchini.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.
* Remove spent flowers from roses, daylilies and other bloomers as they finish flowering.
* Wait on feeding plants until the heat wave is over.
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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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