Biodynamic preparations 500-508

THE BIODYNAMIC PREPARATIONS 500–508: A SUMMATION

Rudolf Steiner saw plants as organisms which were connected not only to every surrounding plant but also to celestial bodies in the far reaches of our universe. The biodynamic preparations 500–508 stimulate the growth and reproductive forces plants need to realize their full potential to connect to what surrounds them on both a physical level – the three realms of nature, namely animal, mineral and vegetal – and on a forces level. Growth forces which help vines’ self-expression below ground are charged by horn manure 500 whose lime/calcium forces work with the earth and water elements promoting terroir-driven wines. Balancing these growth forces above ground are the hardening, ripening forces of silica. These silica forces work with air and warmth to promote both crop taste and crop quality via horn silica 501 and crop health via common horsetail 508 which keeps fungal diseases at bay. Combined, these three field spray preparations collectively promote terroir-driven, ripe-tasting, healthful wines.

Steiner said that the elements of carbon (earth), oxygen (water), nitrogen (air), and hydrogen (fire) bind together to make food and wine with the help of sulphur and phosphorus, which bear light forces. Potassium, magnesium and the trace elements are also realized as forces and not just substances, and the processes of these forces are what Steiner said biodynamic farmers should be focused on.

The six compost preparations 502–507 allow forces to permeate the vineyard which promote the mobilization of trace elements via sulphur and potassium forces (yarrow 502); individual plant health via calcium forces (chamomile 503); overall soil health via iron and silica forces (stinging nettle 504); overall farm health via calcium force (oak bark 505); the sensitizing and balancing of plants to their precise surroundings, namely the plot of earth they grow in as well as exactly where that plot of earth relates to in the greater celestial sphere via silica forces (dandelion 506); the preservation, enhancement and release of forces brought by all the other preparations via phosphorus (valerian 507). Biodynamic preparations should enrich both the vineyard and the winegrower in varied, balanced, life-enhancing ways to promote terroir– driven wines which people should find taste ripe and clear but which are also complex, original and vital.

The Biodynamic preparations 500-508 are fundamental to the Biodynamic way of gardening, farming and wine-growing (see Biodynamics). The nine ‘preps’ are made from one or seven wild plants, fresh cow manure, and the mineral quartz (silica). The names of these nine preparations are Horn manure 500, Horn silica 501, Yarrow 502, Chamomile 503, Stinging nettle 504, Oak bark 505, Dandelion 506, Valerian 507, and Equisetum arvense 508 (Common horsetail). Their regular use in compost or as field sprays is a pre-requisite for any vineyard or other agricultural enterprise to be considered Biodynamic by Demeter, the organization which has regulated Biodynamic farming since it was first described in 1924 (see also Biodynamic certification).

Demeter official prep descriptions

Biodynamic preparations are vitalising additions for soil and plants. As a kind of remedy for the earth, they also promote the growth and quality of the plants and animal health. For their production, plant, mineral and animal substances are combined and exposed to natural forces, and then returned to nature in a modified form. They come in two forms: Compost Preparations and Spray Preparations.

Spray preparations

Horn manure (P 500)

stimulates soil activity
promotes root growth
activates the soil’s own life
supports soil loosening
supports water and nutrient absorption
promotes nitrogen fixation of the nodule bacteria

Horn manure/Horn silica (P 501)

Promotes and organises plant metabolism (photosynthesis)
Strengthens resistance to pests
promotes harmonious growth and ripening processes
Ensures uniform ripening quality
strengthens the aroma and improves storage capacity

Compost preparations

Yarrow preparation (P 502)

promotes adaptability to the site
has an invigorating effect
regulates potassium metabolism in the plant
regulates nitrogen, carbon, sulphur and potassium processes

Chamomile preparation (P 503)

Makes the fertiliser more nitrogen-resistant

Nettle preparation (P 504)

has a structure-improving effect on the soil

Oak bark preparation (P 505)

promotes calcium processes
inhibits fungal pathogens
insecticide through tannic acid
puts the shaping forces exactly where plant diseases might otherwise develop

Dandelion preparation (P 506)

promotes potassium and silicic acid processes
sensitises the plants to the environment
strengthens the ability to attract nutrients

Valerian preparation (P 507)

promotes phosphorus processes
regulates heat processes in the soil, fertiliser and plant
acts in flower and fruit formation

The six compost preparations 502–507 allow forces to permeate the vineyard which promote the mobilization of trace elements via sulphur and potassium forces (yarrow 502); individual plant health via calcium forces (chamomile 503); overall soil health via iron and silica forces (stinging nettle); overall farm health via calcium force (oak bark 505); the sensitizing and balancing of plants to their precise surroundings, namely the plot of earth they grow in as well as exactly where that plot of earth relates to in the greater celestial sphere via silica forces (dandelion 506); the preservation, enhancement and release of forces brought by all the other preparations via phosphorus (valerian 507). Biodynamic preparations should enrich both the vineyard and the winegrower in varied, balanced, life-enhancing ways to promote terroir– driven wines which people should find taste ripe and clear but which are also complex, original and vital

Why the Biodynamic preparations?: The preps help regulate the farm and the crops, be they perennial wine grape vines, annual vegetables, or farm animals. The idea is that all function healthily, and in a way that also allow them to tune in to both the Earth’s seasonal cycles (autumn, winter, spring, summer) and celestial cycles as a whole, so that the formative forces which Biodynamic farmers see as being able to shape matter (vines, shoots, leaves, buds, vine flowers, grapes, pips, tannins) can do so in the best way.

The three Biodynamic field spray preparations 500, 501 & 508 are sprayed directly on the vineyard or farm individually and at different times during the season. They are Horn manure 500, Horn silica 501, and Equisetum arvense 508 (Common horsetail). Each one is used in isolation and first stirred or ‘dynamized‘ in water. This stirring allows the ‘formative forces’ in each preparation to be transferred to the water and then onto the cropland. The use of water also makes practical sense as it would be impossible to spread Horn manure, Horn silica, or Equisetum arvense across large areas of cropland when only handful or so of each prep is required per hectare per treatment.

The six Biodynamic compost preparations 502-507 are carefully stored before being added to the compost pile. They are Yarrow 502, Chamomile 503, Stinging nettle 504, Oak bark 505, Dandelion 506, and Valerian 507. The Biodynamic idea of composting waste generated by the farm/vineyard and returning it to the land aims to maintain each farm as self-sustaining living organism. The ‘farm organism’ idea later became the origin of the term ‘organics’ which followed on from Biodynamics and dates from the mid-1940s. Vineyards able to create and then maintain their own fertility might justifiably be said to be practising not just terroir-driven but ‘terroir-enhancing’ wine-growing. See Biodynamics, compost and soil microbiology.

Those unable to apply the six Biodynamic compost preparations to the land via composting may instead do so via sprays such as Barrel Compost created by Maria Thun, Cow Pat Pit developed by Peter Proctor, or 500P developed by Alex Podolinsky. In addition, plant-based sprays (decoctions, teas, liquid manures) are also used in Biodynamics (and of course organics) on the ‘use a plant to cure a plant’ principle.

Summary: For a long, healthy life a vine’s requirements are similar to those of a house: deep foundations, a roof that withstands the elements, and strong supporting walls in between. The three biodynamic field sprays – horn manure 500, horn silica 501 and common horsetail 508 – assist in providing those metaphorical needs. The horn manure 500 soil spray allows strong foundations to form via a strong, complex root system. The horn silica 501 atmosphere spray encourages strong and vertically erect fruiting wood. Equisetum arvense 508 (Common horsetail) mediates between the two, being like a damp-proof course when sprayed either around the base of the house (as a liquid manure soil spray) or like an air-brick to keep the paintwork from going mouldy (as a fresh tea sprayed directly on the vines).

Measuring the effects: Diagnostic tools to gauge whether the often fairly left-field (‘unscientific’) practices used in Biodynamics actually work include–most obviously in wine’s case–comparative blind tastings between conventional, organic, and Biodynamic wines. Diagnostic techniques peculiar to Biodynamics include sensitive crystallization and chromatography, neither of which conventional scientists would endorse.

See: Setting up a comparative trial between Biodynamics and organics. | The work of Claude and Lydia Bourguignon.

Bibliography

Monty Waldin, Biodynamic Gardening (Dorling Kindersley, 2015).

Monty Waldin, Biodynamic Wine (Infinite Ideas, 2016).