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: Memorial Day Weekend
- Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Taurus - Fertilize and water
- It's time to reconstruct the watering basins around trees and shrubs. A traditional watering basin should extend from the plant's trunk to just beyond the drip line. On a slope, ensure the basin is higher on the downward side to catch and hold the water.
- When installing an irrigation system, be sure to include a gate valve before the manifold or individual valves. This allows you to shut off the water in case of a problem without having to turn off the water to the entire house.
Later in the Week
- Tuesday-Thursday: Moon in the sign of Gemini/Cancer - Plant melons, beans, and seasonal color
- With warm days ahead, it's time to replace the pansies, cyclamen, violas, Iceland poppy, and others. Petunias, salvia, marigolds, zinnias, and vinca are summer annuals that tolerate the heat. Additionally, don’t hesitate to pinch them back after each flush of flowers to keep them compact.
- Remember to use snail bait when planting summer annuals, since snails can be an issue even in the summer.
Other Things To-do
- Now is the time to thin apricots, plums, apples, and other fruit trees. Thin the branches, especially those with fruit at the tips, to prevent the maturing fruits from breaking the limbs. I’d reduce the fruit clusters to one or two and alternate them on opposite sides of the branches whenever possible.
- The proper spacing between the fruits should equal twice the diameter of the mature fruit.
- Prune flowering vines once they have finished blooming. To prevent them from overtaking an area, prune them back aggressively.