Rudolf Steiner + Biodynamics

Understanding Steiner

When I first starting using biodynamics, I found some of the language confusing. As a long-term gardener I was used to talk about the NPK of fertilisers and talking about the pH of the soil. In this context, lime was a product you used to “sweeten” your soil! If the pH was too low (ie acidic) then lime increased the pH and made it less acidic.

However, Steiner talks about lime more for its functionality. By altering the pH, lime assists with the release of minerals to make nutrients available for uptake. These processes occur in the soil and are essential for plants to survive. Steiner also introduces us to the importance of silica in the air, around the plant and above the soil. This assists plants with photosynthesis, leading to better flowering and fruit development as well as tastier fruit and vegetables. This is why Horn Silica is so important as a biodynamic preparation!

What I have found amazing is that in 1924 Steiner was telling us that there were several forms of nitrogen, some of which were inert and some of which were biologically active. We now know that plants such as legumes take the inert nitrogen from the air and fix it in the soil making it biologically active and available!

Biodynamics is Born

Steiner outlined a system of agriculture that, as he said, would reconnect farmers with their land, but also with the planetary influences including the Moon, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter. When followed, these practices would increase soil fertility, strengthen crops and increase harvests, all without the need for chemical fertilisers.

And he also outlined methods for controlling animals or weeds that had become a pest, without the need to resort to pesticides or herbicides (refer Biodynamic Peppers). Being a long-term organic gardener, I admit that this was what attracted me!

However, his descriptions of  the biodynamic preparations and their methods of creation, such as filling cow horns with cow manure and burying them over winter or stuffing the head of a freshly killed animal with oak bark, did not fill me with joy!

Luckily these preparations can be purchased from organisations such as Biodynamic Agriculture Australia! (https://biodynamics.net.au)

 

 

The Soil Preparations

During his Agriculture lectures, Steiner introduced two soil preparations. The first was Horn Manure (BD500) and the second was Horn Silica (BD501).

Horn manure preparation is created by filling cow horns with cow manure and burying them for 6 months over winter. The resulting preparation, which has transformed into a rich humus-like material, is stirred in rainwater for an hour before being dispersed over your garden, preferably in the late afternoon. These droplets carry the energy needed to feed your soil, and should be dispersed at least twice a year.

Horn Silica preparation is created by filling cow horns with ground Quartz and burying them for 6 months over summer. The resulting preparation is stirred in rainwater for an hour before being sprayed over your garden as a fine mist, preferably in the early morning after sunrise. These droplets carry the energy needed to bring the sun’s energy to your plants, and enhance your garden’s connections with the cosmos. And it should be sprayed at least twice a year.

As I am starting again from scratch, on land that has been seriously neglected and degraded, I have been spraying the soil preparations sequentially each month at the Moon opposite Saturn confluence. Already I am seeing a huge difference, with the soil coming alive and teeming with bacteria and worms!   

 

The Compost Preparations 

In addition to the Soil Preparations, Steiner also introduced 6 other preparations that have become known as the compost preparations.

If you thought the methods for creating the Horn Manure and Horn Silica were unusual, wait until you hear how the compost preparations are made! Steiner himself acknowledged that some of the methods were inexplicable but said that it just demonstrated how divorced humans had become from the natural rhythms and cycles. The compost preparations, numbered BD502 to BD508 are discussed below.

BD502 Yarrow: Yarrow flowers are collected and placed in the bladder of a stag and hung in the sun over summer before being buried over winter. This preparation strengthens plants against attack from insects and alleviates any weaknesses occurring during flowering and fruit development. Yarrow deals with the potassium activities as well as bringing sulphur into the plant’s relationships.

BD503 Chamomile: Chamomile flowers are collected and placed in the intestines of a cow. These little sausages are hung in the sun over summer before being buried in the soil over winter. This preparation keeps plants healthy by balancing the natural cycles of growth, aging and decomposition. Chamomile works with calcium and potassium processes. 

BD504 Stinging Nettle: Due to the natural potency of the nettle, it doesn’t need assistance from the animal elements. The nettle plants are buried between thin layers of peat for a year. This preparation helps balance the mineral content of soil, especially with regard to magnesium, iron and sulphur. By making these minerals accessible they can be taken up and used by the plants.

BD505 Oak Bark: Oak bark is ground and placed in the head of a domestic animal such as a cow or pig. It is then placed in slow moving water over the winter. This preparation encourages balance in the growth of plants, protecting plants from pest and disease attack on new, weak or unbalanced growth. Oak bark works with natural calcium processes as distinct from the inorganic calcium often added to soils.

BD506 Dandelion: Dandelion flowers are collected and placed in the bovine Mesentery (part of the peritoneum) and buried over winter. This preparation assists in the development of nutritious and tasty food by helping the plant attract and take up the nutrients that it requires. It specifically attracts and works with Silica which is essential for strong cell walls in the leaves and stems allowing for good sap flow. It brings heat and light to the soil and balances the influences of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars.

BD507 Valerian: Valerian flowers are infused in water on a sunny windowsill for a week before being strained and diluted. This preparation helps seal in the beneficial nurturing aspects of all the compost preparations in the compost heap. Valerian can also be used to mitigate frost damage on plants, as it can raise soil temperatures by several degrees.

BD508 Equisetum: This preparation is sometimes featured with the soil preps as it has more in common with horn Silica than it does with the compost preparations. Equisetum can be used either as a fresh atmospheric spray or fermented as a soil spray. It is beneficial in controlling fungal and microbial actions in the soil and on plants. Sprayed in the early morning it controls powdery mildew and black spot.