February ends on a wet and windy note
Since the weather's not conducive to being outdoors for long, it's a great time to get some (or more) tomato seeds started. Kathy Morrison
February is going out with a soggy roar.
Another wave of wintery weather is coming our way, pushed by strong winds.
According to the National Weather Service, expect some huge gusts on Monday – and maybe more fallen trees.
“Gusty winds will accompany the next storms tomorrow (through) Tuesday, but the strongest winds will be Monday,” the Sacramento NWS office tweeted Saturday. “Valley gusts up to 30-50 mph and mountain gusts up to 60-70 mph could cause downed trees and branches, localized power outages and difficult driving conditions.”
It won’t do much for gardeners, either – or our urban forest. Trees tend to lose their stability in soggy soil. Evergreens already wobbly after January’s storms could lose their roothold and topple over. Stay away from leaning trees or shrubs.
Besides the wind, more rain is in Sacramento’s forecast – which is a good thing. Downtown received almost an inch on Friday, bringing our total for February to 1.27 inches, but that’s still 2 inches below average. Normal for February: 3.59 inches.
After a drizzly Saturday, Sunday is expected to be wet with up to a half inch in Sacramento, says the weather service. Monday will see another half inch (or more) followed by additional showers on Tuesday.
Our yo-yo temperature pattern continues, too. The high on President’s Day Monday (Feb. 20) was 71 degrees, a record for that date; on Friday, it was 48. Sacramento also hit 71 on Feb. 12, with several days below normal in between those two peaks.
Our days this week will continue to be chilly – with highs mostly under 50 degrees. When the clouds finally clear midweek, the frost returns. The low in the wee hours of Thursday morning is expected to be 30 degrees with widespread frost.
All this cold and damp will put the brakes on our spring roll out. Protect tender transplants. Put off planting seed or setting out seedlings until soil warms.
* After this round of storms, feed spring-blooming shrubs and fall-planted perennials with slow-release fertilizer. Feed camellias after they bloom.
* Feed mature trees and shrubs after spring growth starts.
* Remove aphids from blooming bulbs with a strong spray of water or insecticidal soap.
* Fertilize strawberries and asparagus.
* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.
* It’s not too late to browse seed catalogs or websites and order for spring planting.
* Pot-up bareroot roses, berries, asparagus, rhubarb or other bareroot plants. The soil is too cold for good root development. Instead, soak bareroot plants overnight, then plant them in potting soil in black plastic pots lined with newsprint. In April or May, transplant them – rootball and all – into the garden.
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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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