| Stirring the horned manure, “500”. |
We begin the growing year with a biodynamic spray sequence: Barrel Compost (BC Prep), Horned Manure (500), Horned Crystal (501), and
then fermented Equisetum tea. This is a kind of awakening sequence, awakening the soil, the vines, the lavender, and the many other plants growing here, as well as our own spirits.
We start one late afternoon, stirring first the BC Prep, and while that is being sprayed, another of us stirring the 500. These are both earth sprays, working for fertility, and are sprayed on the ground.
Early the next morning half an hour before sunrise we start stirring the 501. 501, or ground-up quartz crystal that has been treated in a special way, is a mineral source of silica, balancing solar/cosmic forces with the calcium of the earth sprays, and is sprayed above the plants early morning. But beware! One year we sprayed a little late in the morning after oversleeping and burned the lavender.
The fourth spray in this sequence, fermented equisetum tea, is a plant source of silica and is sprayed late afternoon on the ground. It enables us to use far less sulfur on our grapes to control mildew (or other fungal infections), working to keep the death forces on the earth where they belong, not in our grape bunches.
| One of several ways to spray. You can also use a new paint brush or evergreen branch. |
The best way to learn biodynamics is by doing. Overtime you can make compost with the six compost preps and use the sprays for various imbalances in your garden or yard, but this spring spray sequence sets you up for the year.
You can order the preparations through Josephine Porter Institute, which also offers invaluable consultation. If you sign up for an associative contract by March 31, you also get a discount and free consultation.
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