Planting days · Root day

Root days 2026 in the moon calendar

It is a root day when the moon stands in front of Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn, the three constellations of the element Earth. Below is every root day of the coming months, with start and end to the minute.

All root days with times

A root day begins when the moon enters Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn and ends when it leaves the constellation. Calculated with the twelve constellations of the zodiac, as in the calendar.

Next root day

Mon, Oct 19, 02:43 – Wed, Oct 21, 09:30

Moon in front of Capricorn

Root days in October 2026

Wed, Sep 30, 07:59 – Fri, Oct 2, 21:46 · Taurus
Thu, Oct 8, 22:47 – Mon, Oct 12, 07:49 · Virgo
Mon, Oct 19, 02:43 – Wed, Oct 21, 09:30 · Capricorn
Tue, Oct 27, 14:53 – Fri, Oct 30, 02:56 · Taurus

October 2026 in the calendar →

Root days in November 2026

Thu, Nov 5, 04:04 – Sun, Nov 8, 14:16 · Virgo
Sun, Nov 15, 09:28 – Tue, Nov 17, 17:09 · Capricorn
Tue, Nov 24, 01:12 – Thu, Nov 26, 11:40 · Taurus

November 2026 in the calendar →

Root days in December 2026

Wed, Dec 2, 09:28 – Sat, Dec 5, 20:23 · Virgo
Sat, Dec 12, 16:09 – Tue, Dec 15, 00:21 · Capricorn
Mon, Dec 21, 12:23 – Wed, Dec 23, 22:47 · Taurus
Tue, Dec 29, 16:07 – Sat, Jan 2, 02:03 · Virgo

December 2026 in the calendar →

Root days in January 2027

Fri, Jan 8, 22:15 – Mon, Jan 11, 06:20 · Capricorn
Sun, Jan 17, 22:07 – Wed, Jan 20, 10:10 · Taurus
Tue, Jan 26, 01:14 – Fri, Jan 29, 08:49 · Virgo

January 2027 in the calendar →

Root days in February 2027

Fri, Feb 5, 04:33 – Sun, Feb 7, 12:18 · Capricorn
Sun, Feb 14, 05:11 – Tue, Feb 16, 19:30 · Taurus
Mon, Feb 22, 11:59 – Thu, Feb 25, 17:26 · Virgo

February 2027 in the calendar →

Root days in March 2027

Thu, Mar 4, 11:36 – Sat, Mar 6, 19:14 · Capricorn
Sat, Mar 13, 10:38 – Tue, Mar 16, 02:03 · Taurus
Sun, Mar 21, 22:14 – Thu, Mar 25, 03:05 · Virgo
Wed, Mar 31, 20:24 – Sat, Apr 3, 04:13 · Capricorn

March 2027 in the calendar →

Times for Europe/London

Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

The biodynamic planting calendar assigns every day to a part of the plant. The deciding factor is the constellation in front of which the moon stands. Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn belong to the element Earth and bring the root day. The system goes back to Maria Thun.

The moon passes through the twelve constellations once in a good 27 days. In each round the root day comes up three times, about nine days apart. Before it comes the fruit day, after it the flower day.

What to do on a root day

On a root day you sow and plant what is grown for its root, beet or tuber: carrots, beetroot, potatoes, onions. Planting is done in the descending moon.

Work on the soil also belongs to the root day: loosening, working in compost, hoeing and weeding. Pierre Masson observed that fewer weeds germinate after soil work with the moon in Capricorn. Horn manure (500) goes onto the soil in the descending moon, best on a root day in the evening.

Masson harvests root vegetables in the descending moon in the afternoon, on a root day.

How long a root day lasts

The constellations differ in width across the sky, so the periods differ in length. Virgo spans 44 degrees of the ecliptic; the moon needs a good three days to cross it. That is why the year has more root days than flower days. The constellation rarely changes at midnight. The list above gives start and end to the minute.

Hours to avoid

Lunar nodes, perigee, planetary nodes, the occultation of a planet by the moon and eclipses count as unfavourable in the biodynamic calendar, whatever the day type. Which hours these are on a given day is shown in the calendar’s month view.

Frequently asked questions about root days

When is the next root day?

At the top of this page, with start and end in local time. It is a root day as soon as the moon stands in front of Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn.

Which constellations bring the root day?

Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, the three constellations of the element Earth.

What do you sow on root days?

Everything grown for its root, beet or tuber: carrots, beetroot, potatoes, onions. Soil work, compost and horn manure fit as well.

Does the root day depend on the moon phase?

No. The day type follows the constellation in front of which the moon stands; the phase describes its light. A root day can fall in a waxing or a waning moon.