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: Fall Equinox-Thursday, September 22: 4th Quarter begins on Friday, September 23- Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Aries - Harvest, cultivate, weed and control pests …You can control the Aphids on Evergreen Pears and Camellias with Insecticidal Soap. Two applications a week apart should do be sufficient.
Later in the Week
- Monday-Tuesday: Moon in the sign of Taurus - Plant for root growth and divide perennials … Now is the time to trim or pull off all the brown leaves on your Bearded Iris and divide them. It's also an excellent time plant new varieties as they have just arrived at your favorite garden center.
- Wednesday-Thursday: Moon in the sign of Gemini - Harvest, cultivate, weed and control pests ...Before starting your fall rose feeding schedule, cultivate around each bush and remove the fallen debris. You start at the trunk of each plant and work outward to beyond the drip line.
Other Things To-do
- ..Persimmon trees are fertilized annually in the fall, not the spring. I'd apply a half a pound of fertilizer per inch of trunk diameter, measured two feet off the ground. It’s distributed evenly under the tree(s) canopy and watered into the ground. Spring fertilization can cause the fruit to drop.
- ...Now is an excellent time to begin composting garden and kitchen wastes. With garden trimmings, smaller pieces decompose faster than larger ones so always cut up or chop twigs and branches as small as possible.
- ...And finally, deadhead the spent blooms and flower stalks of perennial plants. This will improve the look of perennial beds as many varieties do not self-shed themselves.