Planting by the Moon

Planting by the Moon has been practised for centuries and its theory has been proven with many trials and experiments.  The Moon’s magnetic pull has a direct effect on the Earth’s water – the liquid in the soil, the sap in the plants and the height of the water table.

If you’re interested in Planting by the Moon, I would highly recommend reading more about the subject. A wealth of information can be found in books and on the net. After having a go at Planting by the Moon myself, I find that I need to keep it simple and so I give myself some basic guidelines to work with. We designed our SEASONS & CYCLES Calendar and Lunar WALL PLANNER with these guidelines in mind so we’ve included both the Moon’s phase and the ascending and descending path.

The two main lunar phenomena are:

Moon Phases 29.5 day cycle
The waxing phase is between the new and full Moon. The light is increasing and the energy/sap is drawn upwards into the plant. At full Moon, the peak of the cycle, the energy changes and the sap is pulled down into the roots as the light decreases. During this waning stage, the soil is absorbing – the best time to water, sow and fertilise.

The Moon’s phase waxing or waning determines when to sow & fertilise

Moon’s Path 27.3 day cycle
In a lunar month, we can observe the Moon moving across the sky with a different path each day. The Moon rises higher in the sky each day (ascending) until she reaches her peak. At this point, she begins to descend and rise lower in the sky each night.

Moon’s PATH ascending or descending determines when to plant & harvest

Why does this happen?
In a year, the Sun follows a path in the sky which is known as the ecliptic – the ecliptic is made up of the zodiac constellations and we view this from here on Earth.

The Moon follows the path of the Sun (ecliptic) but is tilted roughly 5.14˚. This tilt means she swings from 5.14˚ above the ecliptic to 5.14˚ below.

From the Moon’s most northerly point, for roughly 14 days, she travels south and is said to be descending, rising in the sky lower each day.