A thermometer checking the
temperature inside a compost heap at Brick House winery in Oregon
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.
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’.
A short film of James Millton, a
biodynamic winegrower in New Zealand, perparing and spraying BD501
in his vineyards. [This was filmed at 6.30 in the morning after a
big wine dinner the night before.]
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.
Biodynamic preparations 501 and
500, with a cow horn in the background
One
of the most common emphases of biodynamic practitioners is the
importance of soil health, and, in particular, the development of a
healthy soil microbial population. Composting helps achieve this,
and all biodynamic growers will have big compost heaps. Indeed, if
anything is going to be added to the soil, such as lime, it is usual
to do this via the compost heap.
Compost
heaps will typically contain waste material from the winery (such as
the grape seeds, skins and stems), plus cow manure (some wineries,
such as Millton in New Zealand have their own herds; others will
source manure from suitably organic farmers), covered by straw and
then watered at regular intervals. The microbial activity in the
heap generates heat, and the temperature in the pile will reach
perhaps 130 or 140 F (c. 60 C). The difference between biodynamic
compost and organic compost is simply the range of special
preparations added to the heap, as detailed above. After about a
year, the compost is then ready to be added to the vineyard -
typically, growers will do a plot at a time - you don't want to be
adding to much compost because then the soil will be too rich and
will promote vigorous growth, which isn't conducive to quality.
Another
important aspect of biodynamics is working the soil by manual
plowing - of course, the usual viticultural practice of keeping rows
clear of weeds by means of herbicides such as glyphosate (Roundup)
is not permitted in biodynamics or organics. Many biodynamic growers
advocate plowing to break up superficial roots and encourage the
vines to sink their roots deeper. Others will allow weeds to grow
between the rows. Under the rows themselves it is common to find
growers working with special devices that weed manually but then
avoid the trunks of the vines. Some growers even use horses to
plough with rather than tractors.
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.