Be patient with damaged citrus

Looking at my frost desiccated citrus trees, I called my friends at Alden Lane Nursery in Livermore to ask their advice about what to do.
The direct answer: be patient. No pruning of apparently dead branches until the danger of frost has passed—early March. Pruning sparks growth so wait until we are relatively sure (no guarantees this year) that cold, cold nights have passed.
As for watering, give them a drink every two weeks—particularly if the amazing dry spell continues. Imagine, going through January with no rain. I have lived here all of my life and I can never remember a January without measurable rainfall. Last night’s “storm” amounted to a bit more than a sprinkle at my house.
Incidentally, the same advice goes for other frost-damaged ever-green plants. No pruning until March and the threat of frost is nearly gone.
One additional note on citrus—the Alden Lane nursery woman said that during the summer months citrus only needs one deep watering per month. So, set your calendars for a deep watering on the first of the month and relax after that.

The president’s State of the Union address contained much familiar rhetoric—he’s good at that—what he has failed at is governing and wise policies. The country, according to the bean counters, has formally been in an economic recovery since 2009 yet the true employment rate is miserable.
Instead of focusing on the official unemployment rate, which routinely discards unemployed workers who quit looking for word, look at the labor participation rate. The recession officially ended in June 2009 with the ratio at 65.8 percent. The most recent report shows it at 62.8, the lowest rate in 35 years. More than 2.6 million people have been looking for a job for more than a year.
The rate was more than 66 percent in 2007-2008.
It truly has been a jobless recovery and to give the president a pass because of his policies and actions is naïve. What’s needed is to get government out of the way and let the marketplace flourish.
Of course, with the president stating he will use his executive power or a great extension thereof (why the Republicans or other conservatives have not aggressively and consistently challenged his constitutionally doubtful actions is a question that should be addressed to the leadership.)
President Obama’s stewardship of the economy has been a disaster—there is no other appropriate word for it.