But does gardening by the moon actually change anything in your garden? I have been asked about gardening by the moon’s phases so many times, so today on Just Grow Something we’re digging into the science—why we think the lunar cycle can affect our garden, what’s been tested, and what hasn’t. And at the end you can decide whether you want to modify your planting calendar next season to include the phases of the moon. Let’s dig in!
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References:
https://mooncalendar.astro-seek.com/gardening-moon-calendar-farmers-guide
Plant physiology & moonlight
• Breitler, J.C. et al. (2020). Full moonlight-induced circadian clock entrainment in Coffea arabica. BMC Plant Biology. https://bmcplantbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12870-020-2238-4
• Singiri, J.R. et al. (2023). Moonlight Is Perceived as a Signal Promoting Genome Reorganization… and Plant Growth. Plants 12:1121. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36903981/
• Singiri, J.R. et al. (2024). Short Exposure to Full Moonlight Has a Long-Term Impact on Plant Performance. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39679718
Physics/photometry of moonlight
• Raven, J.A. & Cockell, C.S. (2006). Influence on Photosynthesis of Starlight, Moonlight, Planetlight, and Light Pollution. Astrobiology 6:668–675. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/ast.2006.6.668
• Kyba, C.C.M. (2017). How bright is moonlight? Astronomy & Geophysics 58(1):1.31–1.32. PDF: https://academic.oup.com/astrogeo/article-pdf/58/1/1.31/17941294/atx025.pdf
• Krieg, J. et al. (2021). Influence of moon and clouds on night illumination. Scientific Reports. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-98060-2
Reviews & extension perspectives
• Mayoral, O. et al. (2020). What Has Been Thought and Taught on the Lunar Influence on Plants in Agriculture? Agronomy 10:955. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/7/955
• University of Illinois Extension (2022). Lunar Influence on Gardening. https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/garden-scoop/2022-04-16-lunar-influence-gardening
• Walbeek, T.J. et al. (2021). Naturalistic Intensities of Light at Night: A Review of the Potency of Melanopic Irradiances. (context for night light levels) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7882611/
• Wei, Y. & Li, Z. (2023). Influence of night-time light pollution on photosynthesis and physiology in urban plants. Ecological Processes. https://ecologicalprocesses.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13717-023-00449-6