February 12th - The Inner Tide of Trees and Plant Phenology
The Inner Tide of Trees and Plant Phenology
Trees have an inner tide, ebbing and flowing with the lunar phases, seasonal changes, and circadian rhythms. Just like people, there's a proper timing for everything. All animals have hormonal shifts affected by the lunar cycle. In humans, during the first phase of the moon, acetocolyn takes the lead - a hormone that affects memory, pain reception, and sleep. In the second phase, serotonin becomes the dominant hormone, affecting energy and concentration. The next is the happy hormone dopamine. And finally norepenephrine rules, which pretty much does the opposite of dopamine and makes us feel defensive, vulnerable, and insecure. Trees have hormones too, although little research has been done on the effect of lunar cycles on trees, in part because trees work on a more patient timetable. General rules for trees are given as seasonal guidance for when to do what in order to use trees for what we can get out of them. (We don't tend to study trees when we leaf them alone). For example, the best time to trim a tree is in its dormant season (unless it's a flowering tree and you like flowers - then it's best for you to trim during the brief window between flowering but before it sets its new buds).
Again, the timetable for trees doing anything is longer than for animals and for most other plants. However, the moon does affect them. What was once considered folklore, scientists have now confirmed that many plants grow better if planted just before a full moon. The moon's waxing and waning strength of gravitational pull causes subtle swelling and shrinking - affecting water transfer between cells. In northern Europe, loggers and violin makers have traditionally used the moon as a guide for when to harvest wood. The tradition is to fell trees when the moon is in its last quarter. Scientists have recently been able to confirm that wood is at its greatest density four days after a full moon, but it's only a 4-5% moisture difference and doesn't measurably affect firewood, but really might change the acoustic resonance for musical instruments.
There's a whole field of natural science called plant phenology that maps seasonal changes by what's growing, blooming, migrating, waking up from the muck, or whatever. For farmers, equating timing of what nature is doing for when to plant has been proved out. Although highly anecdotal and regional, they work well because plants know the temperature and moisture levels better than anything. Evolved to time things perfectly to ensure pollination with other plants or by insects, many things have to be active at the same time for nature to propagate. Here's a list of some that I’ve found:
- Plant potatoes when the first dandelions bloom or when serviceberries bloom.
- Blooming crocus, plant radishes.
- Beets, carrots, and chard can be planted when the daffodils blossom.
- Plant perennial flowers when maple trees first begin to leaf out.
- Wait for the apple trees to bloom before planting bush beans. When the apple blossoms fall, plant pole beans and cucumbers.
- When lilacs leaf out, plant lettuce, peas, beets, cabbage, carrots, and spinach. When its flowers have faded, plant cucumbers and squash.
- Plant tomato transplants in the garden when lily-of-the-valley is in full bloom.
- Peppers and their disgusting relatives the eggplants can be transplanted when the bearded irises are blooming.
- When peonies blossom, it is safe to plant hea- loving melons.
- Plant corn when oak leaves are as big as squirrel ears.
- Prune roses when the forsythia blooms and also apply pre-emergent herbicides on the lawn to target crab grass.
- When spring peepers start peeping, plant peas.
- When the first snowdrops emerge from their foliage, but before they open, start your brassicas indoors.
- When pussy willows emerge, spray fruit trees.
- When chicory blooms, inspect the undersides of squash and pumpkin leaves for squash vine borer eggs.
If you want to exploit nature's bounty, plants have your timing in their cells.