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 on Wednesday, June 13
- Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Aries/Taurus - Fertilize, weed, cultivate, control pests
- Valencia Oranges should be ripening this month; however, taste test one for sweetness. If sour, let them hang on the tree, as they will sweeten up in time.
Later in the Week
- Tuesday: Moon in the sign of Gemini - Harvest, cultivate, weed and control pests
- Refresh your snail and slug protection by adding some additional bait. This should be a monthly task as this is a problem year round; especially in those, areas that keep damp during the summer months.
- Thursday: Moon in the sign of Cancer - seasonal plant color
- Million Bells make a colorful seasonal ground cover. They complement petunias, verbena, and others in a sunny location
Other Things To-do
- With long warm days protect young fruit and shade trees by painting the trunks with white latex tree paint. The white paint reflects the heat, preventing sunburn. The damaged tissue is a perfect entry point for flathead borers.
- Check your drip irrigation emitters to see that the moisture is being distributed evenly around the entire plant. All too often the plant goes dry, and water stress develops if the drippers are clogged, or there isn’t a sufficient number of to wet the entire root ball.