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: 4th Quarter Begins On Tuesday, August 8
• Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Aries; Cultivate, weed, and harvest
  • Chives are harvested with a pair of kitchen scissors. Just grab the leaves in your hand and cut them two inches or so above the ground. This allows them to grow again.  

Later in the Week

• Privet, boxwood, and photinia are due for another haircut to keep them compact and dense. You can close the significant gaps by adding additional plants. 

Other Things To-do

• EZ Wet or Per-O-Late by Monterey are biodegradable soil penetrant that promotes deeper roots; alleviate water run-off, erosion, and dry spots. It enhances water distribution into the soil profile by improving the ability of water to penetrate the soil and move into the root zone. It's of particular value to container plants such as Camellias, Azaleas, Roses, and Japanese Maples.
• Be sure to keep the area under fruit trees clear of fallen and rotting fruit. All this debris is a perfect breeding ground for problems such as Yellow Jackets, Roof Rats, and other rodents. 
• And finally, to prevent the annual fall visit from raccoons, apply Beneficial Nematodes to turf and other perennial feeding grounds.