Post by Indilwen on Jun 23, 2011 16:08:39 GMT 12
Moisture
The lunar cycle creates a gravitational pull on the bodies of water causing them to pull away from land. During the full and new moons, there is more moisture in the soil, according to the Gardening by the Moon website. This extra moisture encourages seeds to sprout and keeps new little plants hydrated. Plants also absorb more moisture during the full moon, according to Frank Brown, Ph.D. of Northwestern University.
Harvesting, Grafting and Pruning
As the water table rises and falls with the lunar cycle, a pressure builds up and released in a cyclical manner. As the water table falls, pressure on roots decreases. This is a good time to prune because the decrease in pressure means less moisture loss from cut areas. Harvest root crops at this time. As the water table rises, the plants absorb more moisture, which makes it the ideal time to harvest juicy fruits and vegetables. Grafting works best when sap is rising which is occurring during the water table rise, according to the University of California.
Growth
The alternating night illumination as the moon waxes and wanes causes shifts in plant growth, according to Kay Keys in Planting by the Moon. The extra moonlight during a waxing phase causes the plant's leaves to grow more in response to the light. When the moon wanes, there is less moonlight and the leaves stop growing. This stimulates the roots to start growing again. The growth is cycled between the two plant parts. The extra growing time means the plant has more vigor and produces more.
Increased Harvest
The gravitational pull of the moon affects many natural processes.
Credit: moon image by Stefan Häuselmann from Fotolia.com
Lunar gardening is a practice that has been closely observed for centuries. The Farmers Almanac still subscribes to this method of vegetable gardening. The method relies on the lunar cycles. Above-ground crops with seeds outside the vegetable should be planted from the new moon to the first quarter moon. Plant vegetables with interior seeds next. Sow root crops the last moon phase.
Moisture
The lunar cycle creates a gravitational pull on the bodies of water causing them to pull away from land. During the full and new moons, there is more moisture in the soil, according to the Gardening by the Moon website. This extra moisture encourages seeds to sprout and keeps new little plants hydrated. Plants also absorb more moisture during the full moon, according to Frank Brown, Ph.D. of Northwestern University.
Harvesting, Grafting and Pruning
As the water table rises and falls with the lunar cycle, a pressure builds up and released in a cyclical manner. As the water table falls, pressure on roots decreases. This is a good time to prune because the decrease in pressure means less moisture loss from cut areas. Harvest root crops at this time. As the water table rises, the plants absorb more moisture, which makes it the ideal time to harvest juicy fruits and vegetables. Grafting works best when sap is rising which is occurring during the water table rise, according to the University of California.
Growth
The alternating night illumination as the moon waxes and wanes causes shifts in plant growth, according to Kay Keys in Planting by the Moon. The extra moonlight during a waxing phase causes the plant's leaves to grow more in response to the light. When the moon wanes, there is less moonlight and the leaves stop growing. This stimulates the roots to start growing again. The growth is cycled between the two plant parts. The extra growing time means the plant has more vigor and produces more.
Increased Harvest
The yield has been found to be higher with plants that were started according to a lunar chart in the Lunar Planting 2010 website. The high moisture, extra growth and timing combine to create optimum conditions for the plant. Higher yields are a reason that farmers still used this method.
www.ehow.com/list_7489350_effects-lunar-planting.html