Here are a few more brief Halachot regarding tending to one’s garden or yard:
(1) Spraying and injections for the purpose of maintaining the health of the tree or plant are allowed if significant damage would have been caused otherwise.
(2) Covering fruit with bags in order to avoid heat-strokes or to protect from bugs and other pests, or covering young trees with plastic or cloth in order to avoid cold-strokes – is allowed in case of significant damage.
(3) Controlling the direction of the growth of the tree is only allowed in case of significant future damage.
(4) One may apply balm to the tree where there are open cuts in order to avoid rotting.
(5) Covering, airing or thinning out of ground is prohibited on shemita.
(6) No preparatory actions for the planting of gardens should be done on shemita.
(7) One may take actions to stop grass from spreading out on to public sidewalks, and spraying is the preferable Halachic method.
(8) One should not pick flowers with the intention of encouraging the growth of new ones.
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These Shemita posts were written by Rav Yoni Rosensweig and Benjy Singer for the My Shteiblech Project. My Shteiblech is a PORTAL of the most accurate information and details of shiurim, cultural and social programmes going on throughout Israel, with a focus on Jerusalem.
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