The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite and its movement around our planet, which takes place in approximately 29 days, determines the alternation of the Moon phases.
During the New Moon (New Moon) the Moon is in Conjunction (Sun-Moon-Earth) and the face facing Earth is shaded; during the Full Moon (Full Moon), or when the Moon is in Opposition (Sun-Earth-Moon), the lunar side facing the Earth is hit by the sun's rayswhich are reflected towards us, giving us the impression that the Moon emits its own light.
Between these two extremes the Moon appears illuminated "in segments" and is defined in Quadrature, that is, it is located exactly halfway between Conjunction (New Moon) and Opposition (Full Moon).
It is known that the Moon exerts a gravitational attraction towards the Earth, which is responsible for the Tides, but Does the Moon also have any effect on agriculture? Is sowing during the Full Moon advantageous? In which Moon Phase is it due? Prune ?
Popular Beliefs or Scientific Truths? :
Since ancient times, magical powers have been attributed to our satellite, such as the ability to influence childbirth, the growth of nails and the menstrual cycle or the sowing, harvesting and bottling of wine.
One of the easiest points to verify is the number of births depending on the phase of the moon; well, statistical data carried out on many hospitals have not highlighted any significant difference between the number of births during the "Full Moon" compared to other moments of the lunar cycle.
But let's get to the heart of the matter, that is, the influence that the Moon has (would have) on the development and growth of plants.
According to popular sayings, everything must grow (e.g. sowing, transplanting etc.) it must be done in the crescent Moon (phase leading to the Full Moon), while everything that has to stop or "die" (e.g. picking fruit, cutting to obtain firewood, etc.) it should be performed in the waning Moon.
But is it really true?
How Are the Vital Processes of a Plant Regulated?
The phenomena underlying the growth and development of a plant are finely controlled and conditioned by countless factors.
THE phytohormones (if we want analogues of hormones in animals) are the main endogenous factors And their presence/quantity regulates an infinite number of processesfrom the ability to heal the lesions caused by a cut, to the direction of the new branches towards the light, up to the age at which there will be the first flowering. Phytohormones, in turn, can be regulated by external factorssuch as temperature, humidity, solar radiation, soil pH etc.
So, in summary, endogenous factors (phytohormones) and exogenousboth abiotic (temperature etc.) and biotic (Virus etc.), they regulate growth speed and every other cellular process in plants.
But does the Moon directly (light and/or attraction) or indirectly (by altering atmospheric conditions) influence the growth of plants?
What are the Real Differences on Earth between New Moon and Full Moon?
Point 1 : The Sun and Moon exert an attractive force on the Earthresponsible for the Tides. The Moon exerts a greater attraction (given by its greater proximity to the Earth compared to the Sun) and follows a daily cycle observable with high and low tidewhich strengthen in some phases of the Lunar cycle. Without going into tedious details, the Lunisolar attraction is maximum during the New Moon (New Moon) and the Full Moon (Full Moon) and minimum during the Crescent Moon.
So, to recap:
- we have high and low tide twice a day (which alternate every 6 hours), this is due exclusively to the attraction that the Moon exerts on the Earth
- twice every lunar cycle (approximately every 14 and a half days) the difference in height between high and low tide is maximumthis happens when the Moon is in Conjunction (or in Opposition) and depends on both the Lunar attraction and the Solar attraction.
The Lunisolare attraction in itself could (perhaps) have some influence on root developmentas noted in Arabidopsis thaliana (1), however the differences would be within 24 hours (maximum extension during the two high tide peaks) and more markedly during the Full Moon and the New Moon (2). Consequently, even if it were true, it makes no sense to talk about a New Moon or a Full Moon, given that from this point of view there is perfect symmetry and therefore both would have the same effect, which is also minor compared to the daily high and low tide.
According to some authors, during the Full Moon, the lunar attraction would push the Sap towards the crown, while during the New Moon towards the roots. However, as stated above, there cannot be any correlation, given that in these two lunar phases the tides also behave identically.
In short, Moonlight does not provide any additional energy for plant growth and, even if it provided it, it would be about 0.0002% of the daytime one, therefore completely irrelevant.
The greater brightness during the Full Moon could be exploited by night-flowering plants to attract pollinating insects.
Well, it has been proven that the peak of flowering coincides with the Full Moon and it has been hypothesized that the greater brightness may make the flowers more visible (and therefore pollinated) by pollinating insects.
One might also believe that the different lunar phases influence climatic conditions (e.g. that with a Full Moon it rains more frequently), however here too there is no scientific evidence of the Moon's influence on climatic events. The only scientifically proven lunar influence on terrestrial phenomena is the movement of sea waters (tides).
Conclusions:
Lunar calendars date back centuries, a time when popular beliefs were based on recounted experiences, not on rigorously collected and analyzed scientific data; in other words, the fact that the crop grew well (or not) depended on other factors (rain, parasites, temperature, etc.), but one (or more) good seasons could coincide with having sown with a crescent moon and therefore, a somewhat as a superstitious gesture, we began to sow always in the same conditions, spreading the rumor that the success was due to having sown in a crescent moon.
These beliefs have survived to the present day and for some they are "like the Gospel". Unfortunately it is very difficult to dissuade a person (especially if they are not very young) from a belief they have had all their life, but there are no rigorous scientific articles that highlight a Moon-Agriculture correlation.
Suffice it to say that large agricultural companies, which have hundreds of hectares to sow, do not follow any Lunar calendar; they sow in the most appropriate period of the year, but perhaps 10 days or more pass between the first and last field; yet you will hardly see a big difference between the fields sown in the waxing and waning Moon.
In short, the very little (relative to the Sun) Full Moon light and gravitational attraction (among other things identical between New Moon and Full Moon) they cannot in any way justify differences in the future development of your vegetables and plantscontrary to what is sometimes written on the seed packets.
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