While we pray for rain in our San Diego gardens this month, continue to add cool-season annuals and vegetables, plant native wildflowers, and pull those pesky weeds.
Choose a Living Christmas Tree
Cut trees are beautiful, but living Christmas trees are an option you might want to consider. They can be used at Christmas for several years or planted in your yard after the holidays. And since they have their own hydration system, they won’t dry out like a cut tree will.
You can get a tree that has been sheared and grown especially for use as a Christmas tree or buy a landscape-grade tree. Landscape-grade trees will be cheaper, but usually won’t be as easy to decorate. You can also rent a living Christmas tree.
Here are some good options for San Diego gardens: Afghan Pine, Aleppo Pine, Coast Redwood, Deodar Cedar, Giant Sequoia, Korean Fir and White Fir.
Buy Bare-Root
Bare-root roses, deciduous fruit trees, grapes, cane berries, asparagus and artichokes are starting to show up in nurseries this month.
Before you purchase a bare-root stone fruit, pear or apple tree, make sure you are buying are the right variety for your San Diego garden. Different varieties require a specific number of chill hours to flower and set fruit. (Chill hours are when temperatures drop below 45 degrees.) We have Anna and Golden Delicious apple trees that bear tons of fruit. We also had two others that barely produced in our yard.
Fruit Tree Care for San Diego Gardens
The best time to prune and spray deciduous fruit trees is now and in January while they’re dormant. Check pruning guides for the specific type of tree you are pruning so you don’t cut off next year’s fruiting wood. Spray them with horticultural oil to smother overwintering insects. Stop peach leaf curl on peaches and nectarine trees by adding copper sulfate and agricultural lime to your spray. For more information about peach leaf curl, go to the UC Pest Note 7426.
San Diego Garden Tips Source
A lot of information for San Diego Garden Tips comes from the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County. They are a great resource for all of your gardening needs including planting, pests, vegetables, and water use. They even have a free hotline where you can get your home gardening and pest control problems answered.