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 Friday May 6 Saturday-Friday: Moon in the sign of Aquarius/Pisces & Aries/Taurus  - Harvest, cultivate, weed, control pests,  prune, water,  compost and fertilize …When harvesting chives, be sure to cut the stems off at the base of the plants. This encourages the new shoots while giving it a hair cut only weakens the plant(s). …Insecticidal Soap is an excellent organic control for Aphids on edibles and non-edibles plants.  

Later in the Week

…Before feeding any plants, water the day before or at least four hours before applying any fertilizer and then water immediately afterwards. …Earwigs feed at night and hide in cool, damp, dark locations during the day so bait the areas with Sluggo Plus. Sluggo Plus is safe to use around edibles.

Other Things To-do

...When planting corn, its better to plant in many short rows than in several long rows. With long rows you get poor pollination and incomplete ears of corn. The wind is corn's chief pollinator so for every ear to have a complete set of kernels every silk has to be pollinated. …And finally,To keep a poinsettia plant compact, pinch back the new growth every six weeks now through August. I’d remove a third of the new shoots unless it’s terribly leggy and fertilize with an organic liquid fertilizer.