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 Saturday, March 13; Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 14: St Patrick Day on Wednesday, March 17
- Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Aries - Harvest, cultivate weed, and control pests.
- In large deciduous shade trees, Mistletoe is problematic. If left untreated, it can kill the species in time. An easy way to control this problem is with Florel. It's applied when the temperatures are around 65 degrees. Florel does not kill the Mistletoe. It only separates the foliage from the roots dropping the parts to the ground. It's reapplied as necessary every three to four years.
- Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Aries - Harvest, cultivate weed, and control pests.
Later in the Week
- Tuesday-Thursday: Moon in the sign of Taurus - Plant seasonal color, leafy vegetables, and cabbage.
- Cabbage and Lettuce, Spinach, and Chard seedling are available at your favorite garden center. If the ground is too wet to amend, then use a container. These are short-term crops so that the containers will be free up later for other plantings.
Other Things To-do
- I'd fertilize flowering and shade trees now with their annual feeding an organic, all-purpose fertilizer. It's especially important to feed Crape Myrtles as the annual feeding encourages new growth. The new growth is the key for the summer blooms as they only flower on first-year growth.
- And finally, feed roses Epsom Salt, Magnesium Sulfate in the spring, fall for improved foliage color and encourage basal shoots. One cup per bush is all that is required.