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, Wednesday, January 25
• Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Gemini - Cultivate and weed
  • The unwanted vegetation germinating is easy to control with a hoe. It's quick, fast, and efficient when the weeds are small. 

Later in the Week

• Thursday and Friday: Moon in the sign of Leo - Control Pests and weed
  • Camellia Petal Blight is a fungus disease that causes the center of the flowers to rot when they open. Good cultural practices are recommended, as there are no chemical controls. So, keep the area under the plants clean of spent flowers and other debris. Also, light cultivation under the plants disrupts the fungal spore-producing structures.

 

Other Things To-do

• Avoid pruning apricots during damp, wet conditions. Apricots require seven to ten days of dry weather so the pruning wounds can callus over; otherwise, they're an entry point for later problems. 
• Do not be concerned about pruning roses to an outside bud if none are present. Instead, prune the rose(s) back to a uniform height. You can return in three to four weeks and finish up when the buds are present.