Rain and frost fill Sacramento’s forecast
A McCartney rose bud, doused with raindrops and showing signs of botrytis, is silhouetted against Saturday's rain clouds. The time to prune roses is now -- but preferably not in the rain. Kathy Morrison
Keep your umbrellas and frost cloths handy. Winter has finally arrived.
Rain (albeit light) and frost fill this week’s forecast, according to the National Weather Service. Unlike December’s relatively warm storms, these systems are coming from Alaska – and mighty chilly.
After Saturday’s showers, more rain is expected Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. But these storms will be hit or miss in the valley; as of Saturday (Jan. 6), the weather service predicts a total of only 0.47 inches for downtown Sacramento for the whole week.
Meanwhile, overnight lows are expected to dip into the 30s almost every night. Frost warnings will be in effect for Sunday and Monday mornings. Be prepared and protect plants before the sun goes down.
Saturday’s rain will help protect frost-sensitive plants, too. Moist soil tends to keep the surrounding air (and plant roots) up to five degrees warmer – just enough to avoid damage.
Daytime temperatures will be on the cool side, too. Tuesday will be our warmest afternoon, topping out at 53 degrees, says the weather service.
Concentrate on getting outdoor chores out of the way on Sunday and Monday, then settle in with some indoor gardening activities such as sharpening tools or sorting old seeds.
* Prune, prune, prune. Now is the time to cut back most deciduous trees and shrubs. The exceptions are spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs.
* Now is the time to prune fruit trees except apricots, cherries or citrus. Clean up leaves and debris around the trees to prevent the spread of disease.
* Prune roses, even if they’re still trying to bloom. Strip off any remaining leaves, so the bush will be able to put out new growth in early spring.
* Clean up leaves and debris around your newly pruned roses and shrubs. Put down fresh mulch or bark to keep roots cozy.
* Don’t apply any horticultural oils this week. It’s too wet. Oils need at least 24 hours of dry weather after application to be effective.
* Browse through seed catalogs and websites and start making plans for spring and summer.
* If bare-root plants arrive via mail, unpack them immediately and soak their roots in water. They can stay that way for several days until ready to plant.
* Don’t transplant bare-root plants into soggy ground; they can rot. Instead, pot them up in containers with potting soil. They’ll develop strong roots and can be put in the ground in March or April.
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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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