The recent heat wave, combined with the long-term drought, has been tough on trees and gardens. 

Gardening experts Quentyn Young and Pam Bone join us with advice on protecting trees and planning for fall planting.

“People don’t realize that trees need a whole lot more water than, for instance, lawns or shrubs,” says Bone.

When people remove their lawns they water less and the trees suffers. Bone says it’s particularly important to know your tree’s root system to ensure the health of the tree, she uses an illustration of a wine glass on a plate to explain:

“With the wine glass, the stem is the trunk and the bowl is the canopy and that dinner plate is the root zone. It looks like a long flat pancake, it goes out for extensive distances but it doesn’t really go deep because there’s not soil oxygen down there.”

The UCCE Master Gardeners of Sacramento County is hosting its Harvest Day 2016 this weekend and our experts discuss that as well.