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: Full Moon, Monday, January 17: Martin Luther King weekend
- Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Cancer - Plant Seasonal color
- Fairy Primrose and English Primrose are available for planting. They provide a nice alternative to Stock and Snapdragons for winter and early spring color.
Later in the Week
- Tuesday-Thursday: Moon in the sign of Leo/Virgo - Harvest, cultivate, weed, control pests.
- Berry Mite is controlled with a dormant spray of Lime Sulfur on Blackberries and Raspberries vines. Berry Mite causes the berries to only ripen halfway.
Other Things To-do
- Camellia Petal Blight causes the center of the Camellia flower to rot. There are no chemicals controls. Good cultural practices are a must; so, clean up all the debris especially the spent flowers under the plants. Also, light cultivation under the canopy disrupts the spore-producing structures.
- When composting holiday decorations, be sure to cut them up as small as possible. The smaller the particle the quicker they break down.
- And finally, this is an excellent time to plant perennial vegetable crops like Asparagus, Rhubarb, Artichokes and others. Your favorite garden center now has a good selection.