Prepping the Soil
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Part two's focus is on prepping the soil, fertilization and cultivation. Each practice is important to have proper growth for your plants and crops. Each also has its own moon phase and sign to consider when approaching the job.
Tilling (prepping the soil before planting)
When it comes time to till the soil you want to turn it during the Light of the moon. This will be during the 1st and 2nd quarter moon phases. The preferred signs are the barren signs (Leo, Gemini or Virgo). Since you are tiling the soil you want the ground to stay light and easily broken. The clods of dirt will be easily raked into the beds and rows. This occurs when you till the earth during the light of the moon because the moon's energy is growing and expanding making the soul more easily turned.
On the other hand if you wait until 3rd or 4th quarters of the moon to till you will find that the dirt is hard and compacted. The moon's energy is waning and thus contracting. It causes the dirt to clump. This will also affect the dirt after your planting causing the dirt to pack in hard around the roots.
Why Barren Signs for Tilling?
So why do we wait for the moon to be in a barren sign for tilling the earth? When you till the earth you aren't just digging the earth up for planting. You are also digging the roots up to expose, kill, and remove them. That is the main purpose of the barren signs. To kill the weeds and their roots to protect your future plants. The three barren signs for tillign are Leo, Gemini, and Virgo. They are listed here in order of most destructive and thus preferred order for tilling. (Aquarius and Aries are also barren signs, and can be used should the moon not pass into one of the other three during the Light of the Moon phase when you need to till). You have 14 days for the Light of the Moon (1st and 2nd Quarter phases) the moon will move into a one of the barren signs during that time. Always till while the moon is growing in its energy and power.
Leo-The Heart. Till the earth during this sign because it is a fire sign. It'll burn the roots. Being that it rules the heart it will bleed out the life force of the exposed weeds and roots.
Gemini- The Arms. A lot of farmers prefer Gemini to Leo. It is an air sign. Tilling during the sign of Gemini will cause the roots and weeds to dry out. It will blow the life out of what is exposed.
Virgo-The Bowels. While some people don't think of Virgo as being the best sign to use for killing roots because Virgo (the virgin) is an earth sign the forget that the virgin is barren. She will not reproduce and tilling the soil under her sign will make the uprooted weeds the last of their line.
Cultivation (hoeing, weeding, shallow tilling)
While the first tilling is performed during the Light of the Moon preceding tilling (the shallow tilling with a hoe or tiller) will take place during the Dark of the Moon. It needs to be done during the 3rd and 4th quarter phases of the moon and when the moon is a barren sign.
The hoeing and shallow tilling is not concerned with the making sure the dirt down near the root system soft and supple. This cultivation is concerned with the weeds you are uprooting near and around your plants. Thus it is concerned with the upper layer of the earth. This is why you want to use the Dark of the Moon.
Using the Dark of the Moon you are using the declining energy of the moon, and this helps destroy the weeds. As mentioned above with the barren sign when it comes to tilling applies here too. You want to cultivate in the barren signs of Leo, Gemini, Virgo, Aquarius, or Aries.
Fertilizing
Fertilizing your plants has to two factors to consider. The chemical fertilizers and organic fertilizers, and the signs under which to use them.
The signs under which to spread the fertilizer are the fruitful signs: Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces.
If you are using a chemical fertilizer you want to apply it to your plants under the 1st or 2nd quarter of the moon. Why? Chemical fertilizers are not in absolute concord with the soil and plants it is being applied to as it isn't fully of the natural world. This causes them to not be naturally absorbed by the plants Thus, applying it under the Light of the Moon aids in the break down of the chemicals and helps the plants to integrate the fertilizer.
Organic fertilizers need to be applied when the moon is in its 3rd or 4th quarter. Since they are organic they are part f the natural world. That makes them part of the natural order of plant life. Because of this spreading the organic fertilizer during the Dark of the Moon hastens the process of organic decomposition.
Watering and Irrigation
Generally, all gardens have to watered some time. Common sense (and the rules of the Signs) dictates that you should water your garden when the moon is in one of the water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces). Should one of the water signs not be near on the calendar the earth signs Taurus or Capricorn are generally helpful.
Watering or irrigation of the garden is not overly controlled by the phase of the moon. Keep in mind that deep watering is preferable to frequent shallow watering. Deep watering is the process of drenching the plant's root system to make sure it gets adequate water absorption. The water should soak about 8 inches or more below the soils surface.
When it comes to phases of the moon and watering you might want to consider irrigation under the 1st or 2nd quarter as opposed to the 3rd or 4th quarters. Since the moon's energies are influx during the Light of the Moon it will aid in absorption of water, especially for fruit/vegetable growth.
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