Gardening by the Moon Weekend To-Do
An idea as old as agriculture, based both folklore and superstition but there are scientific ideas to back it up.
- Lunar Phase: New Moon, Sunday, April 11
- Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Aries - Harvest, cultivate, control pests
- Beneficial Nematodes are applied to the soil around apple and pear trees to prevent wormy fruit this summer. The worm is the larva stage of the Coddling Moth that overwinters in the soil. Coddling Moth traps are hung in the trees too early to monitor the activity of those that fly in from next door.
- Pick off the curly leaves on Plums, and Cherries, and spray the trees with Insecticidal Soap to control the Aphids.
Later in the Week
- Tuesday - Thursday: Moon in the sign of Tarurus/Gemini - Plant seasonal color, vegetables, and vines
- Climbing Roses are in bud and bloom at your favorite garden center. The color hues of the newer varieties are unique and worth planting. Plus many of them bloom on the new and older wood so you don’t have be concerned when pruning.
Other Things To-do
- This is an excellent time to reseed bare spots in the turf before the weather warms up. To thicken up a lawn, I’d reseed the entire area. For small areas, I’d use Scott’s EZ Seed, as it’s an all-in-one product, seed, fertilizer, and mulch.
- When hand weeding dandelions in turf be sure to dig deep as they have a long taproot.
- Lemons, oranges, grapefruit, and others are now fed monthly with Citrus Food Before feeding, be sure the plants have been watered the day before or at least four hours before fertilizing and immediately afterward.