Some trouble spots to look for before Saturday's storm
Oops, something knocked this small bucket to the ground, where it's been collecting water from recent rainstorms. Check around garden equipment as well as plants and drainpipes for water accumulation. Kathy Morrison
It was sunny and bright (and cold!) this morning after Wednesday's clamminess and a bit of rain, but clouds are due to return late this afternoon. And Saturday is expected to be wet, wet, wet all day as another storm rolls in.
There's just enough time walk around the garden for a between-storms checkup. But avoid walking on saturated soil: Stick to sidewalks or stepping stones, if possible. Here's what to look for:
* The last few storms likely showed where the low spots are in your landscape. Mark them with a stick, to remember where they are when the landscape dries out. Or if dogs or people might remove the stick, take a photograph of the location. Especially note to avoid planting anything in that spot that requires good drainage. Here's a link to an earlier post on garden problems that develop -- including crown rot -- when soil gets too much water.
* Depending on the size and location of puddles, you could hoe a temporary drainage ditch away from them or add some garden soil to soak up the water. Don't pack it, however.
* Consider soggy spots for a rain garden, where water can naturally percolate into the ground to irrigate the landscape.
* Make sure storm drains, gutters and downspouts are clear of leaves, sticks and other debris.
* Even better, take a walk around the block and, with a stick or a plant stake, push leaves away from the gutter drains just enough so water won't back up there. Help the neighborhood avoid flooding.
* While you're at it, make sure your downspouts aren't dumping too much water close to the house or garage. Extend the downspouts away from the house and foundation. Ideally, extensions should take rainwater at least 10 feet away from the house. (Read our earlier post on solutions to drainage problems.)
* Tip excess water out of containers. Make sure potted plants aren’t waterlogged, especially succulents, which can turn mushy and even collapse under the influence of excess water and near-freezing winter temperatures.
* Another container check: Are there so many leaves on the soil surface that raindrops can't get through to the soil and the plant's roots? (They're probably draining down the sides or -- eek! -- not draining at all.) Some leaves are OK, but not when they create an organic tarp.
* Eliminate standing water that may have accumulated in wheelbarrows, saucers, piles of unused pots, etc.
* Not everything got watered by the rain. Check plants under patios, eaves and overhangs; they may need a drink.
* Turn off any sprinklers which might still be on. Avoid automatic irrigation for now.
* Search for and pick up large twigs or branches that have fallen or been blown out of trees, especially ones that have landed on top of tender plants. Also, look up into the trees to see if there are other loose branches within reach that you can pull down.
-- Kathy Morrison and Debbie Arrington
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Garden Checklist for week of May 12
Get your gardening chores and irrigation done early in the day before temperatures rise.
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions. This heat will cause leafy greens and onions to flower; pick them before they bolt.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.
* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.
* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.
* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.
* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.
* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.
* Got fruit trees? If you haven't already done so, thin orchard fruit such as apples, peaches, pears, pluots and plums before they grow too heavy, breaking branches or even splitting the tree. Leave the largest fruit on the branch, culling the smaller ones, and allow for 5 to 6 inches (or a hand's worth) between each fruit.
* Thin grape bunches, again leaving about 6 inches between them. For the remaining bunches, prune off the "tail" end, about the bottom third of the bunch, so that the plant's energy is concentrated in the fruit closest to the branch.
* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.
* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.
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