Waxing or waning moon: when to sow, plant, and prune?

🌙 Two lunar rhythms that are often confused

“Wait for the waxing moon to sow,” “prune during the waning moon”... This advice often comes up among gardeners who follow the lunar calendar. But between waxing/waning moon and ascending/descending moon, it is easy to get confused. Here is how to tell them apart and know what to do in the garden depending on the period.

🌕 Waxing or waning moon: the rhythm of the phases

This is the best-known cycle, the one we see in the sky: from the new moon to the full moon, the Moon is waxing; from the full moon to the following new moon, it is waning.

• Waxing moon: plant vitality is thought to be stimulated — traditionally considered a favorable time for sowing and growth.
• Waning moon: root vegetables and soil work (fertilizing, adding soil amendments) are favored.

⬆️⬇️ Ascending or descending moon: the rhythm of its height in the sky

This second rhythm has nothing to do with the Moon’s phase: it depends on its height in the sky, regardless of its appearance (full, crescent...).

• Ascending moon: sap is thought to be more concentrated in the above-ground parts of the plant — traditionally considered the right time to sow, graft and harvest (especially fruit).
• Descending moon: vitality is thought to be concentrated in the roots — the preferred time to plant, transplant, prune, take cuttings and repot.

A popular saying sums up this rhythm well: “During the ascending moon, the sap rises: good for sowing, grafting and harvesting. During the descending moon, the sap flows back down: good for planting, transplanting, pruning, taking cuttings and repotting.”

🌱 In practice, how can you keep track?

There is no need to memorize everything: the simplest approach is to combine the two rhythms with the type of day (root, leaf, flower or fruit), which in turn depends on the constellation the Moon is passing through. This is exactly what we have brought together on a single page, with a calendar of the key phases for the whole year and the day’s saying displayed live on our home page.

👉 Discover our “Gardening with the Moon” page, featuring the complete 2026 lunar calendar and more than 90 sayings organized by month.

🌿 In summary

Whether you are convinced or simply curious, these guidelines can help you time your garden work throughout the seasons. Ready to put them into practice right away?

👉 Discover our seeds to sow according to the season