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part
2: what
is biodynamics?
It is
helpful to think of biodynamics not primarily as an agricultural
system, but rather as an altered philosophy or worldview that then
impacts on the practice of agriculture in various ways. In other
words, to farm biodynamically, first you have to think biodynamically.
It has its
roots in a series of lectures delivered by Austrian
philosopher–scientist Rudolf Steiner in 1924. Steiner’s life
mission was to bridge the gap between the material and spiritual
worlds through the philosophical method. To this end, he created the
‘spiritual science’ of anthroposophy, which he used as the basis
of the Waldorf school system that persists to this day.
It was only
quite late on in Steiner’s life that he turned to agriculture: his
eight lectures, entitled Spiritual
Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture, were delivered just a
year before his death, but they remain as the foundation of biodynamic
farming. Modern biodynamic practice is built on top of
Steiner-inspired theories, but it is important to emphasize that there
are a number of growers who practice biodynamics but who would
distance themselves from Steiner’s beliefs and teachings.
Key to
biodynamics is considering the farm in its entirety as a living
system. To this end, biodynamic farms are supposed to be closed,
self-sustaining systems. Biodynamics also sees the farm in the context
of the wider pattern of lunar and cosmic rhythms. In this holistic
view, the soil is seen not simply as a substrate for plant growth, but
as an organism in its own right. The idea of using synthetic
fertilizers or pesticides is thus an anathema to biodynamic
practitioners. Instead, they use a series of special preparations (see
Table) to enhance the life of the soil, which are applied at
appropriate times in keeping with the rhythms of nature. And disease
is seen not as a problem to be tackled head-on, but rather as a
symptom of a deeper malaise within the farm ‘organism’: correct
the problem in the system and the disease will right itself.
| The
different biodynamic preparations |
|
Preparation
|
Contents
|
Mode
of application
|
|
500
|
Cow manure
fermented in a cow horn, which is then buried and over-winters
in the soil
|
Sprayed on
the soil typically at a rate of 60 g per hectare in 34 litres of
water.
|
|
501
|
Ground
quartz (silica) mixed with rain water and packed in a cow’s
horn, buried in spring and then dug up in autumn
|
Sprayed on
the crop plants
|
|
502
|
Flower
heads of yarrow fermented in a stag’s bladder
|
Applied to
compost along with preparations 503-507. Together these control
the breakdown of the manures and compost, helping to make trace
elements more available to the plant
|
|
503
|
Flower
heads of camomile fermented in the soil
|
Applied to
compost
|
|
504
|
Stinging
nettle tea
|
Applied to
compost. Nettle tea is also sometimes sprayed on weak or low
vigour vines
|
|
505
|
Oak bark
fermented in the skull of a domestic animal
|
Applied to
compost
|
|
506
|
Flower
heads of dandelion fermented in cow mesentery
|
Applied to
compost
|
|
507
|
Juice from
valerian flowers
|
Applied to
compost
|
|
508
|
Tea
prepared from horsetail plant (Equisetum)
|
Used as a
spray to counter fungal diseases
|
| Note:
All these preparations are diluted and then
activated or energized by a special stirring process known as
‘dynamization’.
|
Biodynamics
is in effect a supercharged system of organic farming. Where
biodynamics differs significantly in practice from organics is in the
use of these special preparations and the timing of their
application—in other ways the techniques employed are quite similar.
As I’ve
talked to various biodynamic winegrowers from around the world, one
thing has become clear. While they tend to agree on the big details,
each has their developed biodynamics to suit their own particular
situation. Winegrowers drawn to this philosophy tend to be inventive
types, always experimenting and refining their practices to see what
works best. As a result, there are many different flavours and
variations around this common theme, and it’s hard to define
biodynamics in any sort of rigid way.
In
later parts of this series we’ll explore in greater depth exactly
what applying biodynamics to a wine estate would involve, and take a
look at a biodynamic property in operation.
Other topics in
this series
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