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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Garden Data (thru May 8, 2008) Avg. evapotranspiration rate this past week : 1.5" valley; 1.5" foothills. Soil Temperature: 62 (F) valley, 62 (F) foothills. Click Here for more Information about soil temperature and evapotranspiration rates Chilling hours (hours at 45 degrees or less, for deciduous fruit tree production, Nov. 1, 2007 - Mar. 1, 2008: Final Report 950-1100: Valley; 1100-1600: foothills ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Free Gardening CD! Water-Wise Gardening in the Gold Country Region is a project undertaken in conjunction with the municipalities and water districts in three counties: Sacramento, El Dorado and Placer and local horticulturists. It has a wealth of local residential photography and information to help the homeowner improve their garden in a water efficient way. Click Here for More Information! =========================================================================== Saturday, May 10, 2008 - 1:00 to 5:00 pm ALL ABOUT ROSES Presented by Yolo County Master Gardeners and the Woodland Library Rose Club in the Woodland Public Library located at 250 First Street, Woodland, Ca. Join us in the Leake Room, Library Courtyard and extensive Saltsman Rose Gardens. Immerse yourself in an afternoon of rose education and fun! "All About Roses" is an afternoon filled with rose gardening tips, garden-related vendors, books and two dynamic speakers, both of whom are avid rose gardeners and renowned authors. Lance Walheim will speak about "A Fresh Look at Roses for the Sacramento Valley." Carolyn Parker will discuss her inspiring and breathtakingly beautiful book "R is for Rose." Club members will present demonstrations concerning rose propagation, floral arranging and practical gardening ideas. Refreshments will be offered. Bring Mom! Ticket donations are $5.00. Please contact Betty at (530) 662-6277 for tickets and further information. ============================================ Wednesday, May 14 Walk with Warren Noon, Mrak Hall south entrance, Mrak Hall Drive, UC Davis Join Arboretum Superintendent Warren Roberts for a lunchtime stroll in the UC Davis Arboretum on Wednesday, May 14. Enjoy the gorgeous spring weather, learn about the Arboretum's collections, and get a little exercise. Meet at noon at the Gazebo on Garrod Drive on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the tour. Parking is available for $6 in Visitor Lots 1 and 2 and the Mondavi Center parking structure. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit their website, arboretum.ucdavis.edu. ==================================================== Saturday, May 17, 2008 - 10:00 am What's Blooming in the Cemetery Garden Tour Tour Guide: Sharon Patrician Our beautiful Hamilton Square Garden will be featured on this Saturday morning tour at the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery. Tour guide, Sharon Patrician, expert gardener and manager of Hamilton Square Garden, will lead a walk through the variety of perennials that make this garden a gem in the middle of the Cemetery! The tour commences at 10 am from the Cemetery's main gate at Broadway and 10th Street. Visitors may park across the street from the 10th Street Gate and meet at the cemetery entrance. Held under the auspices of the City of Sacramento Division of History & Science, this tour is presented as a public service by the Old City Cemetery Committee, Inc. For tour information please call (916) 448-0811. Or, visit their website for more information.Tours are free, though donations for the restoration of the cemetery are greatly needed and appreciated.============================================================ Saturday, May 17 Guided Tour: Herbs and Herbivores 11:00 a.m., Gazebo, Garrod Drive, UC Davis Herbs are living organisms adapted to surviving their enemies. Learn about the relationships between herbs and the animals that eat them during a free guided tour of the UC Davis Arboretum's collection of medicinal and culinary herbs on Saturday, May 17 at 11:00 a.m. Docent Edith Vermeij will explain why plants develop aromatic compounds, and discuss the uses of herbs in cooking, medicines, cosmetics, and ritual. For gardeners, herbs are good drought-tolerant plants well worth planting in the home garden for appearance as well as for practical use. The tour will meet at the Arboretum Gazebo, on Garrod Drive on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the tour, and free parking is available along Garrod Drive and in Visitor Lot 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit their website, arboretum.ucdavis.edu. ===================================================== Saturday, May 17 Moonlight Music at the White Flower Garden 8:00 p.m., Gazebo, Garrod Drive, UC Davis Fans of music, gardens, and moonlight are invited to a free concert under the full moon in the white flower garden at the UC Davis Arboretum on Saturday, May 17, at 8:00 p.m. Composer Luciano Chessa will perform a set of his own compositions for electrified Vietnamese dan bau, and collaborative improvisational pieces with Keith Cary (aluminum string bass, two-string Stroh viol, tin can fiddle, and other homemade instruments) and Erin Espeland (cello and tin can fiddles). The Gazebo is located on Garrod Drive on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the event, and free parking is available along Garrod Drive and in Visitor Lot 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit their website, arboretum.ucdavis.edu. ===================================================== Sunday, May 18 Aquatic Life in the Arboretum 1:00&endash;3:00 p.m., Wyatt Deck, Old Davis Road, UC Davis campus Naturalists of all ages are invited to learn about aquatic life in the UC Davis Arboretum at a special program on Sunday, May 18. Animal Science graduate student Brittany Kammerer and students from the Sacramento-Davis chapter of the American Fisheries Society will lead hands-on activities, including fish printing and fish identification. They will seine the Arboretum waterway and collect the fish and aquatic invertebrates in aquaria to show participants what is living below. The free program is part of the Arboretum Adventures series of family nature programs. It will take place from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at the Wyatt Deck, on Old Davis Road next to the Arboretum Redwood Grove, on the UC Davis campus. Free parking is available in Visitor Lot 5, at Old Davis Road and A Street. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit their website, arboretum.ucdavis.edu. ===================================================== Saturday, May 24 Guided Tour: Use a Mediterranean Garden Model for your Garden 11:00 a.m., Arboretum Terrace Garden, Davis Commons, First Street, Davis California's Central Valley has a Mediterranean-type climate, with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Traditional gardens in Mediterranean-climate areas use time-honored techniques to reduce water use and create a cool retreat. Docent Dorothy Brandon will discuss Mediterranean-style gardening on a free public tour of the UC Davis Arboretum Terrace Garden on Saturday, May 24. Learn about using patios, seating walls, and paved paths, shade structures such as arbors, pergolas, and gazebos, container gardens, and water features such as fountains and pools to encourage outdoor living, lower ambient temperature, increase the sense of comfort, and reduce the area of irrigated garden. The tour will meet at 11:00 a.m. at the Arboretum Terrace Garden, next to Borders Books and Music at the Davis Commons retail center, on First Street in Davis. Free parking is available behind the center. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit their website, arboretum.ucdavis.edu. ===================================================== Saturday, May 31 Guided Tour: Get Ready for Your Roses 11:00 a.m., Gazebo, Garrod Drive, UC Davis Growing roses in the Central Valley doesn't have to require lots of time or chemical sprays. Arboretum docent Pam Kazmierczak will show roses chosen to thrive in our climate and discuss how to get roses to produce gorgeous blooms during a public tour of the rose collection at the UC Davis Arboretum on Saturday, May 31. The tour will start at 11:00 a.m. from the Arboretum Gazebo, on Garrod Drive on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the tour, and free parking is available along Garrod Drive and in Visitor Lot 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit their website, arboretum.ucdavis.edu. ===================================================
Improper watering is the number one cause of plant failure. Knowing how wet the soil is where the plant roots are hard at work can help you determine your plants' health. To determine the amount of water at the root level: A day or two after watering, dig down eight inches with a trowel or small shovel, near the dripline (outer canopy) of the plant. Doing this in two or three spots would be more helpful. At that depth, grab a handful of the soil. Squeeze that handful. If it is muddy and watery, reduce your watering for plants that require regular (but not frequent) irrigation. If it is so dry you cannot form a clod in your hand (it turns to dust instead), increase your watering (for those plants that require moderate amounts of water). If you can form a dirt clod in your hand, yet break it apart with a little effort, that is probably the correct soil moisture for your plant. Extended, infrequent, slowly applied irrigation is the most efficient watering method. Soaker hoses or drip irrigation systems work best. Here in the Central Valley, foothills, and Bay Area, run them for 6-8 hours at a time, once a week, in the summer.This is only a guideline to get you started. Adjust that timing to your particular soil type and plants. And, don't forget: add more drip emitters and drip lines as the plant grows, especially for trees and shrubs. Make sure to get water to the outer canopy of the plant (and beyond) where the roots travel. FOR LAWNS: During the hottest months (June through September), you may need to add an inch and a half to two inches of water to your lawn each week, divided into two applications. To determine how much water your sprinklers are putting out: place six to 10 flat-bottomed, same sized containers (such as small glasses. tuna fish or cat food cans) around your lawn. Put some in the greenest areas; put some in the areas that are struggling. Turn on your sprinklers for 15 minutes. Then, measure the amount of water in each container. There should not be more than a quarter-inch difference among all the containers. If there is, readjust or add to your sprinklers to hit those areas that aren't getting as much water. If, on average, you are getting a half-inch of water per container, then you need to water your lawn thirty minutes, twice a week, to put two inches of water on your lawn. You may need to adjust this timing if you see water streaming off the lawn. In that case, reduce the amount of time the sprinklers are on at any one time. Then, add a second cycle a few hours later. It is best to water with rising temperatures, which in the summer, is from about 4 a.m. to noon. Earlier is better. |
photo by Stephen Barnett
Date Last Modified: 5/8/08
© 2008 Fred Hoffman