- Biodynamic agriculture has a different philosophy about soil when it comes to soil nutrition. In this agriculture system, prior to cultivation, the soil is considered as dead (has zero nutrients)
Biodynamic Preparations
- Biodynamic preparations are important to restore the qualities of soil, especially its fertility
- All Biodynamic preparations are based on natural products
- During Biodynamic preparations, animal body parts such as cow horn are used to utilize the cosmic energy
- In addition, lunar position of the constellation are also taken in to account during Biodynamic preparations
- Biodynamic preparations include plant or animal extracts that are fermented over time
- These extracts are added in small quantities to the plants or soil as a slurry
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Slurry
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Some Biodynamic Preparations
- BD 500 - Cow Horn Manure
- BD 501 - Silica Quartz Crystal
- BD 502 - Yarrow flowers
- BD 503 - Chamomile flower
- BD 504 - Stinging Nettle
- BD 505 - Oak bark
- BD 506 - Dendelion flowers
- BD 507 - Valerian flower
BD 500 - Horn Manure
- Prepared by packing cow dung inside a cow horn
- The horn is then buried underground, 40 cm - 60 cm deep with open end slightly downward and then the horns are covered with top soil
- This should be done during month October and kept under soil until mid February
- A dilute solution is then prepared using small quantities of BD 500 - Preparation should be done by stirring the solution for one hour, clockwise and anti clockwise
- Finally, manure is sprayed on plants
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| Cow dung packed inside a cow horn |
BD 501 - Horn Silica
- Prepared by packing powdered quartz inside a cow horn and buried for six months from late March to early September
- Then a dilute preparation is applied as a foliar application
- BD 500 prepared using one cow horn is used to apply to 25 ha
This preparation stimulate and plant growth. In addition, Increase the pest and disease resistance of plants
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| BD 501 |
BD 502 - Yarrow Flower (Achillea millefolium)
- To prepare this preparation flowers should be picked in early morning, when the flowers are at full bloom
- Then the flowers are dried suing the sun light
- Then the dried flowers are packed inside a bladder of a male deer
- The bladder is buried between two clay pots to a depth of at least 20 cm and covered with top soil
This preparation is important to enhance the soil potassium and sulfur processes
BD 503 - Chamomile Flower (Matricaria recutita)
- To prepare this preparation flower heads are taken and dried in shade
- Then the dried flower head are placed inside a small intestine of a cow and 10 cm long small sausages are prepared
- These sausages are then buried inside the soil
This preparation is important to enhance calcium processes that stabilize the nutrients, reduce he fermentation and improve plant growth
BD 504 - Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) - කහඹිලියා
- Bark of Stinging Nettle is taken from the outer dead layer of a mature tree
- Then the bark is broken in to small pieces and placed inside a domestic animal
- Bark pieces should be inserted in the skull where the spinal cord begins
- After insertion skull should be sealed using wood
- Then skull should be placed in a protective case and put beside a river bank in a way that running river water can flow over the case
This preparation is important to reduce the diseases and fungal attacks
BD 506 - Dandelion Flower (Taraxacum officinale)
- To prepare this preparation flower should be picked early in the morning when flower is young
- Then the flowers are dried for 2 - 3 days
- Then the dried flowers are packed inside the sewn up bags made from digestive cavity of a cow
- Then these bags are hung up in shade for one month inside a protective net
- After that, bags are stored in coir lined box until the beginning of low sun period
- Then the bags are buried under soil for four months before using them
BD 507 - Valerian Flower (Valeriana officinalis)
- To prepare this preparation flowers should be picked in the evening when they are in full bloom
- Then these flowers are crush, wrapped in cloth and squeezed to take the juice
- Then the juice should be stored in dark colored bottles
- This preparation does not require any animal part to prepare it
Vermiculture/ Vermicompost - පණු පොහොර
- Vermicompost can simply be defined as compost digested by worms
- Vermicompost is used in Organic agriculture including Biodynamic agriculture to improve the quality of the soil
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| Vermicompost |
Vermicompost Tea
- Vermicompost tea is prepared by brewing the vermicompost with water
- Vermicompost tea is used as a foliar spray or as a soil spray to enhance the nutrient availability to the plant
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| Illustration of vermicompost tea prepraration |
Image Credit - Stassen Bio Tea Garden Idalgashinna
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