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, Thursday, September 10: Labor Day Weekend
- Saturday-Monday: Moon in the sign of Cancer - Fertilize and water
- Labor Day marks the start of the fall gardening season. It’s time to change your garden’s color, plant winter vegetables alongside spring-blooming bulbs, rejuvenate your lawn, and plant trees and shrubs. Fall is a great time to plant, but unlike spring, the season is short, so don’t procrastinate.
- Reduce watering frequency for Apricots, Plums, Cherries and early-ripening Peaches and Nectarines. Although their foliage remains green, these trees are entering dormancy because they have stopped growing, and excessive watering can lead to future root rot.
Later in the Week
- Tuesday-Wednesday: Moon in the sign of Leo - Prune cane berries
- After harvesting a crop of Raspberries and Blackberries, cut the canes off at the ground. They will never fruit again. The new shoots that emerge from the base of the plant will produce next year’s berry crop.
- Thursday-Friday: Moon in the sign of Virgo - Cultivate, weed, and mulch
- We do experience hot temperatures in the fall, so refresh your mulch.
Other Things To-do
- Cyclamen plants that have been struggling with the heat all summer need some pampering. Trim off any brown or diseased leaves and feed them with an organic fertilizer. This fertilizer will encourage new growth and help the flowers develop as the days shorten and the nights cool.
- Now is an opportune time to shear evergreen hedges and screens for the final time this year. This gives new growth time to mature and helps prevent early frost damage. Additionally, a light fertilization will be beneficial. However, there are exceptions. Conifers, such as junipers, cedars, and cypresses, are best pruned in February or March.