Stay hydrated and give your plants a morning shower
Spider mites cause damage by sucking cell contents from leaves, leaving stippling like this. As infestations increase, thin webbing will be visible on leaves and stalks. Kathy Morrison
How is heat affecting your garden? After a record-high 109 in Sacramento on Sunday, some plants may seem kind of crispy. (Or covered in spider mites.)
Sacramento may see a little Delta breeze relief on Tuesday and Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service, temperatures will top out in the low 90s midweek. That cool-off will come in part because overnight lows will return to normal; instead of sticking in the 70s, night-time temperatures will dip back down into the refreshing 50s. That will get mornings off to a cooler start, too.
But more triple-digit days are coming soon. The weather service predicts Sacramento will see 106 on Friday and 102 on Saturday.
“Keep your water bottle close by,” tweeted the NWS Sacramento office Monday morning.
Staying hydrated is important for people, pets and plants. Wildlife could use some water, too; a shallow saucer of water can become a bee oasis. Refill the bird bath.
Limit outdoor activity to before 10 a.m., if possible. Remember: Drink before you’re thirsty.
As for your garden, irrigate in the early morning (preferably) or late evening to cut down on evaporation.
Large-leaf plants such as hydrangeas or squash tend to wilt in the afternoon; that’s normal. If they’re still droopy in the morning, they likely need water.
Check soil moisture before irrigating; plant stress signs indicating too much water (yellow leaves, droopiness, dropped foliage, etc.) look similar to not enough. Container plants, which may need daily watering in this heat, can become over-watered if drainage holes are blocked; their roots drown in all the extra water.
This heat wave has brought dry, dusty conditions – perfect for an explosion of spider mites. And that’s just what we’ve seen, particularly on tomatoes and roses.
The best and fastest remedy for spider mites: Water. Give your plants a shower. With the hose, spray plants, washing off the mites’ webs. Try to wet the bottom side of foliage, too. No miticide is necessary, and the plant will appreciate the extra irrigation.
Spraying dust off leaves can help prevent a mite attack before you see those telltale webs. It also helps the leaves “breathe” and cope with hot weather. It’s better to shower plants in the morning so foliage has a chance to dry completely (and avoid fungal outbreaks), but that’s not a problem this week; common fungal diseases (such as powdery mildew) are inactive in this heat.
For more advice on spider mites: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html.
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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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