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Practical Advice
Practical Insights for Biodynamic Success
This guide explains some of the essential practices for biodynamic farming, empowering you to create a thriving and balanced ecosystem tailored to your environment.
Biodynamic Farm and Garden Design
In permaculture there is a very organised approach to design using “zone and sector planning”. Is this also relevant in Biodynamic gardening and farming?
The Biodynamic approach to farm and garden design is somewhat different – in searching for a farm or garden individuality, the factors of distance from dwelling, efficient use of time and resources, sun, wind exposure, fire exposure, use of gradient in regard to efficient water storage and use – all these factors – are naturally taken into account, arise naturally from an enlivened consideration of the property as a whole. The solutions to many of these problems simply present themselves complete to the conscious mind. Setting out with the intellect to make a design for a property, using such guidelines as “zone and sector planning” can lead to many errors.
One must wait, sense thoroughly into the property over a period of time, gradually understand it intimately. This takes time, and one must be patient. One must know the property for at least one year, one complete cycle of seasons. How does each paddock drain in a wet winter and spring, where do the winds come from, where is there good shelter, what is the soil profile in each area? These and many other factors can only become known over a long period of time. As one’s knowledge of the property grows, the form of the property’s “living identity” becomes clearer. This is a true, living awareness arising from the meshing into oneness of two factors: your perceptions of the natural environment of your farm or garden; and your agricultural knowledge and experience. The former is dependent on your powers of observation and is enriched by a capacity for “active viewing” (see Active Perception by Alex Podolinsky). The latter is dependent on the quality of your agricultural training and experience. BD training enables you to work with realness in nature.
The meshing into oneness of these two halves (the direct perception of the situation on your property and your BD training and experience) is referred to by Alex Podolinsky as “knowing-recognising” and is philosophically termed “monism”. Monism is a true knowing, not a fixed one.
If the agricultural model used is flawed, dualism results, and incorrect decisions are made. If fixed rules are applied inappropriately for the present situation, or if one plans far ahead without understanding or being receptive to the present situation, mistakes will be made. John Bradshaw
What is the Biodynamic preparation '500' and how is it used?
What is '500' and why is it used?
500 is the foundational soil biology activating spray used in Biodynamics. It is made by filling cow horns with cow manure from a Biodynamic farm and burying them in fertile soil from autumn until spring, when they are retrieved and emptied. The manure has, by then, changed into a dark, rich microbial preparation that is added to warm water and stirred in a special way for one hour to oxygenate and activate the liquid, before spraying out over moist, warm soil. It is usually sprayed in spring and autumn each year. 500 powerfully fosters root growth, microbial activity and humus formation, developing deep, fertile soils, that grow strong, healthy plants, producing crops of exceptional flavour and keeping quality. Followers of the ‘Australian Demeter Biodynamic method’ use ‘prepared 500’ which is 500 to which the 6 Biodynamic ‘compost preparations’, numbered 502-507, have been added. It has been proven significantly more effective that 500 by itself.
Compost Application
Compost – what ratio of manure to non-manure materials should be used?
The percentage of manure and other materials cannot be determined by a formula. Experience is the best guide. Much depends on the type of manure, how old it is and the nature of the other materials. Depending on the situation, the percentage of manure could range from say 20% to 60% by volume. 60% fresh manure, or poultry manure would cause gross over-heating, whereas 20% of old cow manure would result in too low a temperature. The more heaps you make the more instinctive it becomes. Cow manure is the best manure if you can get it. John Bradshaw
Compost – how should it be applied?
For gardeners: compost should be spread on the soil and turned under straight away with a garden fork. If left on the surface it will dry out and lose its colloidality. Alternatively, dig a furrow, put compost in the furrow, mix it with the soil and replace the topsoil. For fruit trees, vines etc, compost can be spread around and covered with a light mulch to stop it drying out.
For farmers: dairy farmers spread compost on actively growing pasture that is not too long. If possible it should be spread just before rain or irrigated after application. It will then be readily drawn in and not dry out on the surface. Market gardeners can apply it before sowing or transplanting a crop and work it into the soil with tynes. Orchardists and berry growers can apply compost to the surface and cover it with mulch to stop it during out.
Compost Making
Can compost be made in layers rather than mixing the materials before adding to the heap?
Yes, good Biodynamic compost can be made in a layered heap, provided the layers are kept as thin as possible, around 30mm maximum. The best method is to mix the materials thoroughly before adding to the heap, but as many people have back problems, the layering method eliminates one extra handling of the materials. The key is to keep alternate layers of manure and non-manure materials as thin as possible. As the heap grows, the accumulated weight presses the layers together and the materials effectively intermingle. I find layering in this way produces just as good a result as the pre-mixing method. Layers thicker than about 30mm will not produce a uniform colloidal humus and cannot be recommended. John Bradshaw
Flowforms
Are flowforms acceptable for “stirring” 500?
Rudolf Steiner clearly described the stirring method required to fully activate 500 and 501 before spraying out. This involved the creation in the water of a deep vigorous vortex, followed by the production of an energetic, bubbling chaos and then another deep vortex, and so on, continuing for one hour, prior to spraying over the soil. This should be done with the water as a whole, that is, each vortex and chaos involving all the water at once.
Alex Podolinsky talks of the vortex drawing in the harmony of the solar system, the drawing power of the vortex mirroring the drawing power of the Sun on the planets.
None of these aspects is achieved in a flowform. The water flows through a series of vessels, creating a similar effect to that of a natural stream. It is then either held in a tank at the bottom before being pumped back to the top or immediately pumped back. Either way, the water is not being activated while being pumped or held in the holding tank. There is no deep vortex involving the water as a whole, and no vigorous bubbling chaos involving the water as a whole. In one flowform set-up I studied, each litre of water was only actually activated for one minute during the hour. Oxygenation of the 500 liquid is one of the most important aspects in fully activating the 500. A properly designed and tuned stirring machine achieves maximum oxygenation, far more than is possible in a flow form. It is also important to spray out the stirred 500 within one hour after stirring finishes, as the oxygen steadily breathes out of the liquid after stirring. John Bradshaw
What is 501 and how should it be used?
501 is the ‘light’ spray in Biodynamics. It is made from finely ground clear quartz crystals. Its purpose is to bring more light activity into plants, especially when too much moisture is present in plants and environment. It enhances photosynthetic activity, brings more uprightness and crispness into plants as well as enhanced flavour and sweetness. It strengthens plants against insect and disease problems.
