Re: biodynamics and brix levels

***I am wondering if you know which preparations she used? 500, 501 I assume, any others?*** Quinta Essentia

This was the basic pattern of events. The whole greenhouse was cleared of its winter crops and rotovated. Well rotted cow manure was dug in all over. The manure had been preped with the 6 preperations [yarrow, oak bark, cammomile, dandilion, nettle and valerian]. It was standard proceedure at that farm to prep the manure heaps twice [I think] over the year they rot down so I assume that was the same. The 500 preperation was then used whilst the beds were being prepared and during the sewing / planting and growing stages. When the crops were "ripening" 501 was used instead. Fairly standard I guess. The only difference being most of the greenhouse was treated like the rest of the farm - sprayed every 4-6 weeks. The experimental patch was sprayed every week. I forgot to mention that the patch was originally the most infertile area in the green house and why the experiment was done in the first place.


***I wonder did you pH test the different media, the pre biodynamic soil the low biodynamic soil and the high biodynamic soil!
Most organic fertilzers are acidic by thier nature and most rock mineral type fertilizers are alkaline and these rock minerals are what microbes or beneficial bacteria supposedly feed off of according to brix gardening theory, ,but I have'nt a clue the pH of biodynamic fertilizer ! It would be interesting to know this and what exactly is the biodynamic blend consist of!
Is this the fermented fertilizer that uses black strap molasses as an activator?*** Celcius

The Ph of the soil was not measured. The farm has been biodynamic for 10 years so no pre biodynamic soil anyway. The preperations are not so much fertilisers in the usual sense. This is my interpretation but I am quite new to biodynamics. They are used in such small quantities, like a handful in a large barrel of rain water and the barrel could be sprayed over quite a large area, like 10 acres. The idea works more on radition of the powerful energy tied up in the preperations. They sort of intensify the quality of the soil and somehow make the nutrients more available to the plants.

***Steiner always suggested applying the preps in very low amounts, almost in homeopathic doses. thats why i am interested in what this person is talking about, since it sort of conflicts with Steiners theory. but then agian maybe todays soils are so depleted they NEED more of the preps and Steiner just couldn't have predicted that.*** Quinta Essentia

Good point. That greenhouse especially gets quite a work out. The farm I was on was one of the few, I think only, [in UK] commercial biodynamic farms and I think she uses the greenhouse every season, no rest. The idea was to use the preps intensively over a short period [5 months] to improve the soil fertility. Well it worked but now I think it would be interesting to see what would happen with long term intensive application. We at the farm think that somewhere down the track you would end up tipping the scales and creating some kind of imbalance. But that remains to be seen.

I'm off to check out Steiners bee predictions - thanks
Nicole
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