ingrasamant natural biodinamic

8/13/2019 Ingrasamant Natural Biodinamic

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Grasp the Nettle by Peter Proctor

Biodynamic Agriculture in India by Peter Proctor

Rudolf Steiner, The Agriculture Lectures

Theodor Schwenk in Sensitive Chaos (1965).

Cow Pat Pit (CPP)

Abstracted from Biodynamic Agriculture in India by Peter Proctor

Introduction

Cow Pat Pit is known as CPP and is a specialized type of copost. !t refers to

cow an"re i#ed with cr"shed e$$ shell and basalt d"st% then p"t into a 1& inchdeep pit lined with bricks. The d"n$ is ferented% to$ether with the preps 5'&

5'% for a period of * to + onths. !t is applied in the e,enin$s d"rin$ the cooler

onths.

-ro f"n$al and bacterial plate tests of the CPP% it appears there is a wide ran$eof colonies or failies of f"n$i and bacteria which ha,e proliferated d"rin$ the

ferentation of the ori$inal cow d"n$ aterial and also fro what has been

$ained fro the biodynaic preparations /5'&5'.

!t akes sense that the 0"ality of the CPP will depend ,ery "ch on the 0"ality

of the ori$inal cow d"n$ and in partic"lar what type of fodder the cows ha,e been eatin$. b,io"sly if the ilk that cows prod"ce fro eatin$ $ood 0"ality

http://www.biodynamics.in/BD502.htm




$rass $rown biodynaically% can be ade into s"perb tastin$ yo$h"rt% 0"ark or

cheese% the d"n$ fro s"ch $rass will also be (not s"perb tastin$) b"t of a s"perb

aroa that will ake ,ery $ood CPP. This is soethin$ that the discernin$farer can $rad"ally learn to reco$nize. 2elatin$ d"n$ aroa to d"n$ 0"ality to

$rass 0"ality and then soil 0"ality.

!n a co"ntry s"ch as !ndia where the cow is hi$hly ,enerated and the fertility0"ality of the cow d"n$ is reco$nized% it is hardly s"rprisin$ that the !ndian

farer has taken hold of the concept of CPP with $reat enth"sias. !ndian

farers ha,e de,eloped this biodynaic acti,ity to a hi$h de$ree since 199+ andnow in &''6 there are lar$e ao"nts of CPP bein$ ade and "sed thro"$ho"t

!ndia and also s"pplied to farers con,ertin$ to /.

CPP is a ,ery effecti,e way of spreadin$ the infl"ence of the copost

preparations 5'&5' o,er a lar$e area of farland% orchard or $arden. 60 kgs of

cow dung gives about 30-35 kgs of CPP after fermentation. 3hen it isat"re% it is i#ed with water at the rate of 1k$ in +' litres of water per acre.This eans one CPP pit sho"ld be eno"$h to co,er +' acres. !t sho"ld be stirred

for at least 1' in"tes as this enco"ra$es $ood bacteria de,elopent. -or lar$er

areas the $reater ao"nt of li0"id can be stirred in a &'' litre dr" with thetripod stirrin$ arran$eent or with the 4irbela flowfor for 15 in"tes before

"sin$.

!t can be sprinkled or sprayed o,er the land. !f it is sprayed onto trees or folia$e%

it sho"ld be first strained thro"$h a fine esh.

Uses of CPP

The well ade CPP has within it all the ener$ies associated with the biodynaic

preparations 5'&5'. !t will also contain a wide ran$e of beneficial f"n$i and bacteria and $rowth prootin$ horones% which can be ,ery helpf"l in any

areas of a$ric"lt"re and hortic"lt"re. !t has a wide ran$e of "ses.

se as a $ro"nd spray at 1k$s per acre CPP to +' litres of water.Soak o,erni$ht prior to application% stir for 1' in"tes% if necessary

strain thro"$h a cotton cloth% and spray as re0"ired.

http://www.biodynamics.in/stir.htm





Stir with preparation /5'' at &5$s /5'' to 1''$1k$ CPP.

dd d"rin$ the last 15 in"tes of stirrin$.

se as a soil inoc"lant o,er land bein$ con,erted to /7or$anic

ana$eent.

se as a soil or foliar feed on all crops at all sta$es e#cept close tohar,est. !t can be sprayed e,ery or 1+ days. est sprayed in the

e,enin$s.

8#cellent for all field crops% i.e. wheat% l"cern% paddy and potatoes.lso an$os% papaya% all tropical fr"its and citr"s% apples% stone fr"it%

a,ocados% $rapes% coffee and tea.

se on the soil aro"nd all fr"it trees as a soil inoc"lant or soil

conditioner. se before any "lchin$ is applied aro"nd the trees.

3hen "sed as a foliar feed on all fr"it trees% it will stren$then the plantsa$ainst possible f"n$"s or insect attack.

pply e,ery 1+ days before and after flowerin$.

Stir with any li0"id an"res at appro#. 5'$ CPP per $allon.

/issol,e in water and "se as a li0"id an"re in its own ri$ht.

Take a handf"l of CPP% add water to ake a sl"rry and apply as pr"nin$ paste to stop bleedin$ and help healin$.

pply CPP sl"rry to the barks of trees to sti"late cabi" $rowth.This stren$thens the bark and brin$s the $ood soil icro or$aniss "p

onto the tree.

se to dip roots of all yo"n$ trees% shr"bs% or $rapes prior to plantin$.This will enco"ra$e new root de,elopent.

Soak seeds in CPP sl"rry o,erni$ht before sowin$. !f not o,erni$ht%soak for at least *' in"tes% dry off% and sow iediately.

Soak seed potatoes for 1 ho"r before plantin$.


http://www.biodynamics.in/LiqMan.htm






/ip potatoes and dry before plantin$.

This sees to help control late bli$ht.

C"ttin$s can be soaked in CPP sl"rry o,erni$ht to enhance root

de,elopent.

se as one coponent of the se0"ence of / sprays of /5''%/5'1% and CPP in which /5'&5' ha,e been incorporated.

This brin$s the effects of all the / preparations onto the land o,er a

short period. This sees to $i,e stren$th and 0"ality to the plants.

!t can be "sed to inoc"late copost heaps where there is a shorta$e of biodynaic preparations. se 1k$ of CPP in +' litres of water for each 5

etres of copost and po"r into holes alon$ the top of the heap.

The Compost Preparations 502-507

The Copost Preps 5'&5' are all ade

fro edicinal herbs. /5'&5'6 are

h""slike% rich in beneficial bacterial lifeand inerals. /5' is a li0"id. They

radiate cosic infl"ences and forcesthro"$ho"t the copost heap aidin$ the

transforation of copost aterial into

h""s.

"st gram of eac! "re" in a com"ost !ea" is eno"$h% in "ch the sae way

as a sall spoon of yo$"rt in a lar$e bowl of ilk is eno"$h to transfor the

entire bowl of ilk into yo$"rt.

The biodynaic copost preparations 5'&5' are applied to the copost heapwhen it is first ade% and to any copost that is bro"$ht onto the far property

to aid and re$"late the ferentation process. 8#perience in !ndia and in anyco"ntries of "sin$ these preparations in coposts and li0"id an"res% has shown

that they accelerate the processes of h""s foration% and as s"ch a,oid losses

of ,al"able plant n"trients.

The preparations 5'&5' are ade fro edicinal herbs and soe are ade

http://www.biodynamics.in/compost.htm

http://www.biodynamics.in/compost.htm



to$ether with a partic"lar anial part and b"ried in the soil "ch the sae way

as the preparation /5'' is ade. f"ll description of how to ake and "se

these preps is $i,en in the book Grasp the Nettle by Peter Proctor. They are alla,ailable in !ndia readyade for iediate "se.

#$50% is ade fro theflowers of :arrow

Achillea millifolium

!t helps processes of

Potassi" (;)

S"lph"r (S)

and trace eleents

<rows and flowers wellin ;odaikanal

#$503 is ade fro the

flowers of <eranChaoile

Matricuria chamomilla


Calci" (Ca)and =itro$en (=)

<rows and flowers well

in ;odaikanal



#$50& is ade fro the

lea,es of >ialayan

Stin$in$ =ettle

Urtica parviflora


!ron (-e)and ?a$nesi" (?$)

This stin$in$ nettle isindi$eno"s to the

northern areas of !ndia in

=ainital.

#$505 is ade fro the bark of the >ialayanak in !ndia

Quercus glauca


Calci" (Ca)

This is one of se,erale,er$reen oaks $rowin$

in the foothills of the

>ialayas. The bark ofthis oak was fo"nd to

ha,e 5@ Ca the 8"ropean oak (A"erc"s rob"r) only &.5@.

#$506 is ade fro the

flowers of /andelion

Taraxicum officinalis


Silica (Si)

<rows and flowers wellin ;odaikanal.



#$50' is ade fro the flowers of

4alerian

Valeriana officinalis

!t helps processes ofPhosphoro"s(P)

!t is prepared as a li0"id.

This will only flower well when it is$rown where there is a arked

difference between winter dayli$ht

ho"rs and s"er dayli$ht ho"rs. Thisdifference is needed to tri$$er the

flowerin$ process. !t $rows and

flowers in the >ialayan foothills. !twill $row b"t not flower in the hills of;odaikanal. There is the Valerian

hookeriana nat"rally $rowin$ in the

Palni hills of Tail =ad" which co"ld be "sed.

Preparation 508 - CasurinaTea

This is not one of the copost preparations% b"t is an e#tra s"$$estion tohelp cope with f"n$"s diseases.

!t is Euesetum arvense >orsetail >erbor Cas"rina (Sar").

!t is silica rich and is ade into a tea to

o,ercoe f"n$"s.

1k$ of Cas"rina to 1' litres of boilin$

water. se 5'ls of this tinct"re to 1'litres of water.

Spray into the soil or o,er the plants in the early $rowin$ sta$es.

Spray at -"ll ?oon (&+ days before) and at ?oon opposition Sat"rn% the sae

as for preparation /5'1.



io/ynaic Preparations /5''% /5'1% /5'&5' are ade in se,eral

places in !ndia and can be p"rchased froB

(urin)i *rganic +arms in ;odaikanal% C. eyakaran

,u"a Pvt. td. in =ainital% inita Shah

/5'' /5'1 Cow >orn Clay / Preps !ntro

Stirring -- the Vortex

D:o" "st ake s"re% howe,er% that the entire contents of the horn E/5''F

ha,e been thoro"$hly e#posed to the water. To do this% yo" ha,e to start stirrin$it 0"ickly aro"nd the ed$e of the b"cket% on the periphery% "ntil a crater fors

that reaches nearly to the botto% so that e,erythin$ is rotatin$ rapidly. Then yo"

re,erse direction 0"ickly% so that e,erythin$ seethes and starts to swirl in theopposite direction. !f yo" contin"e doin$ this for an ho"r% yo" will $et it

thoro"$hly i#ed.D

Rudolf Steiner, The Agriculture Lectures

mailto:[email protected]




http://www.biodynamics.in/preps.htm








the stirrin$ of the preparations.

!at !a""ens in a vorte4

There is a contin"o"s% twoway rhythical

o,eent of water (or air)% e#pandin$ andcontractin$. The water is o,in$ at different

speeds slower at the ed$e and faster as it

o,es inwards and downwards and then "pand o"t a$ain. !t is aazin$ that no particle

of water is o,in$ at the sae speed as any

other.

!n a lar$e eno"$h body of water the particles

f"rthest fro the ,orte# do not o,e at all and becoe still. !n a r"nnin$ strea

yo" can see all kinds of intricate swirlin$ and ,ortices as the water o,es in

any different ways at once.

The intricacies of ,ortices in nat"re ha,e been described by Theodor Schwenk inSensitive Chaos (1965). ccordin$ to Schwenk% ,ortices are created when two

streas of water o,e past each other at different speeds. hollow de,elops%

into which o#y$en flowsB Ho"ndary s"rfaces% with their rhythical processes arethe birthplaces of li,in$ thin$s.H

The association of the orte! "ith pulsing, the life-#ringing process, is the



#asis of many #iodynamic practices$

4ortices are fored d"rin$ handstirrin$ of the preparations% li0"id an"re and

cow pat pit. The 4irbela flowfor has been specially de,eloped to ind"ce spiral

,ortices in the flowin$ water as a ethod of stirrin$ lar$e 0"antities of preparations.

3hen we recreate this ,orte# in biodynaic farin$% we are connectin$ with the

"ni,ersal creati,e water rhyths or p"lse within the body of the earth. This can

be fo"nd in all li,in$ thin$s% for instance in the heartbeat. !t is e#citin$ todisco,er the e#pression of the ,orte# in spiral fors in nat"re also.

!e ,tirring Process 3hen yo" stir /5'' into water yo" create life

$i,in$ ,ortices and a p"lsin$ effect. fterstirrin$ for abo"t *' in"tes% yo" ay notice

that the water becoes ore slippery and

,isco"s and easier to stir. The water has becoe

enli,ened by a siilar process to that of the$rowin$ plant% the rhyth of the e#pansion to

leaf and contraction to seed. !n this process yo"

ha,e increased the o#y$en content of the water.t the

saetieyo" ha,e introd"ced the cosic forces

that enable the water to becoe a

dynaic carrier of the life ener$y of the

/5'' as it is spread o,er the land.

siilar effect occ"rs whether the



water is stirred in a b"cket to for a ,ertical ,orte#% or whether a horizontal

,orte# fored by passin$ the water thro"$h a 4irbela flowfor. This can be seen

thro"$h the heartbeatlike p"lsin$ that yo" can obser,e in both ethods.

and ,tirring /irbe2a +2owform

! ha,e pondered a lon$ tie o,er the connection with hand stirrin$% with the

,orte# foration and o,eent of water within the 4irbela flowfor cascade.

>a,in$ been a $reat obser,er of water o,eent all y life% watchin$ streasand ri,ers% the sea ro"nd rocks and sooth beaches% ! co"ld see in the flowfor a

,ery ob,io"s series of ,ortices fored as the water ran fro bowl to bowl.

lso ob,io"s was the p"lsin$ of the

water as it dropped into the reser,oir

tank at the botto of the cascade. !t isalost at one with the h"an heartbeat.

lso one co"ld obser,e the rhythical

,ariation of the water le,el within each bowl. Soeties the water wo"ld

nearly spill o,er the ed$e of the bowl%

soeties it wo"ld appear 0"itesl"$$ish. ! was reinded of the se,enth

wa,e phenoenon of the sea or the

s"r$in$ of a ri,er aro"nd a rock% which is soeties co,ered and then e#posedas the ri,er flows by.

"t what of its connection to what 2"dolf Steiner describes in Agriculture (p.*)

as the ethod of stirrin$ /5'' in a b"cket and with the ,orte#G

-irstly ! co"ld relate that with handstirrin$ in a b"cket% the ,ortices in effect are

b"ilt "p ,ertically% one on top of another. !n the flowfor they are spread o"thorizontally on a slopin$ plane.

!t was not "ntil ! watched an e#perient on water phenoena by 2ob /ewdney%

a water researcher% who deonstrated stirrin$ water in a $lass Iar and droppin$one drop of black ink into the iddle of the ,orte#% that ! "nderstood what was

happenin$. The ink did not drop to the botto or disperse thro"$h the li0"id% b"t p"lsed "p and down% diff"sin$ a little and lookin$ like an archetypal Iellyfish.

>ere was the connection between the two ethods of water o,eent. Thecosic p"lseJ ! co"ld th"s relate this p"lse rhyth of the flowfor to the worldHs

$reat water rhyth% the rhyth of life% the cosic p"lse% the heartbeat of all

li,in$ creat"res%and so it appears to e entirely appropriate to "se the flowforfor the stirrin$ of lar$e 0"antities of /5''% li0"id an"re and cow pat pit.



lar$e ,ariety of flowfors now e#ist% allowin$ a farer to stir fro &5' litres

for a saller far or arket $arden "pt ot &5'' litres of /5'' in an ho"r for a

lar$e far.

Stirrin$ for 1 acre% 11' acres% 1'&''5'' acres or I"st 1'l of /5'

Preparation 500 - Cow Horn Manure

;nown as cow horn an"re% preparation

5'' is basically ferented cow d"n$. !t is

the basis for soil fertility% and the renewalof de$raded soils. !t is "s"ally the first

preparation "sed d"rin$ the chan$e o,er tothe or$anic7biodynaic syste.

Preparation 5'' is ade by fillin$ a cowHs

horn with cow d"n$% and b"ryin$ it in the

soil d"rin$ the cooler onths =o,eber thro"$h -ebr"ary.

The cow horns "s"ally coe fro asla"$hter ho"se where the b"yer has to

copete with the artisans who "se cow

horns for ,ario"s crafts. The price hasrisen since the horns are known to ha,e a

,al"e in a$ric"lt"re.

http://www.biodynamics.in/stir2.htm

http://www.biodynamics.in/stir2.htm



nly cow horns are "sed% not b"ll horns.

The cow horn differs fro a b"ll horn in

that it has a series of cal,in$ rin$s at the base and has a solid tip.

The d"n$ sho"ld be fro a lactatin$

cow which will brin$ in the calci" processes to the preparation. The cow

sho"ld be fed with $ood 0"ality fodder

two days before fillin$ the horns toens"re the d"n$ is of $ood 0"ality.

The horns sho"ld be b"ried in a pit abo"t 161K inches

deep and co,ered with soil that has been enriched with$ood 0"ality copost. e caref"l not to allow weeds to

$row on the pit as the weed roots can $row into the

preparation and also a,oid trees roots.



The horns sho"ld be b"ried open end down so that

they will not becoe water lo$$ed if the pit is o,er

watered.

/"rin$ the cooler onths life breathes into the soiland the soil has the tendency to be f"ll of $rowth

ener$ies% which ener$ies are absorbed into the d"n$thro"$h the recepti,e nat"re of the horn.



The pit sho"ld be kept cool by "lchin$ with paddy

straw or siilar and shaded with a low thatchin$ of

cocon"t fronds.

The preparation when ready after + onths sho"ld ha,et"rned into dark h""s and sho"ld be sweet sellin$.

!t sho"ld be stored in a cool place and in $lazed pots or

in $lass Iars s"rro"nded by dap coir pith as an

ins"lation.



!t is sprayed "p to fo"r ties a year. The

best ties are in ctober and =o,eber

and then a$ain in -ebr"ary and ?arch.!t is iportant to apply in the late

afternoon.

!t is "sed in sall 0"anitities at the rateof %5 grams in 3 2itres of water "er

acre.

!t is stirred for one ho"r akin$ a

,orte# or crater in one direction and

then re,ersin$ the direction and akin$a ,orte# in the other direction.

The stirred preparation can then besprinkled with a whisk br"sh o,er theland.

n lar$er areas a lar$er ,ol"e ofli0"id can be stirred in a &'' litre dr"

with a tripod s"pportin$ a stirrin$ rod or

with a 4irbela flow for cascadei#in$ "p to 5'' litres and applied with

a spray nozzle.

Preparation 5'' is sprayed at the descendin$ phase of the oon.



it! regu2ar a""2ication7 "re"aration #$500 wi22 give a soi2 a22 t!e c!aracteristics

needed to sustain a iving ,oi2.

Stron$ h""s foration

!ncrease in all soil bacteria% s"ch as rhizobacta acti,ity (nod"lation) on all le$"es% e$dals% etc. and an increase of the phosphate sol"bilizin$ bacteria

!ncrease in the ycorrhizal f"n$i and their hyphae

!pro,ed cr"b str"ct"re and res"ltant ipro,eent in soil tilth 8arthwor acti,ity is increased



bsorption and retention of water is $reater. !nternational research has fo"nd that /

soils re0"ire &5@ to 5'@ less irri$ation than con,entional soils.

deep rootin$ syste is de,eloped in all plants !t will work e0"ally well in any soil type% clays% ,olcanic% peat silt or weathered silica

io/ynaic Preparations /5''% /5'1% /5'&5' are ade in se,eral places in!ndia and can be p"rchased froB



/5'1 Cow >orn Clay /5'&5' /5'K / Preps !ntro

Compost

Abstracted from Biodynamic Agriculture in India by Peter Proctor

Introduction













Plant n"trients are aintained in the soil by addition of coposts% ade fro anima2

manures which are "s"ally cobined with "2ant materia2s% s"ch as $reen le$"e crops

and dry strawy aterial% where the or$anic aterials are con,erted into a stable h""s thro"$h a ferentation process.

Copostin$ the or$anic aterials% will a,oid the n"trient losses fro o#idation or

leachin$ that wo"ld happen if these or$anic aterials were to be applied directly on the$ro"nd. 4ario"s rock d"sts can be applied thro"$h the copost heap to s"pply depleted

essential ineral eleents.

Com"ost 8aking

?akin$ 0"ality copost is ,ery iportantas a way to aintain h""s in the soil.

The ethod is relati,ely siple and the best way to "nderstand the akin$ ofcopost is to do it.

se a i#t"re of "rotein rich aterials

e.$. anial an"res% lawn clippin$s% fresh $reen $rass% lea,es and shoots of le$"e trees

s"ch as $lirisidia% erythrina% crotalaria

http://www.biodynamics.in/humus.htm





and carbon rich aterialse.$. shredded cocon"t fronds% coir pith% paddy straw% hay% wood chips% dry lea,es and

$rasses

in a proportion of 609 "rotein and &09 carbonaceous.



ttention "st be $i,en to the aeration of the

aterial. 3itho"t air% the heap will not heat "p and

it will becoe anaerobic and selly.

"ild an air t"nnel at the botto of the heap% with

layers of hay fro a bale% or corn stalks or siilar.This stops the heap fro settlin$ down too "ch.

s"ally a copost is best ade in a 2ayering

met!od7 with the carbonaceo"s layer abo"t 1'cdeep% alternatin$ with the protein aterial which is

abo"t 15c deep.

!n this way the protein of the $reen will s"pply the

nitro$en% that the bacteria re0"ire for their $rowth%to break down the carbon aterial.

;eep the layers loose% do not fir the aterial

down too "ch% as that will e#cl"de the air.



The anial d"n$ sho"ld be ade into a

sl"rry and watered onto the carbon layer.

This will brin$ the anial effect into thecopost and also feed the icro

or$aniss which will break down the dryaterial.



To ha,e a s"ccessf"l ferentation% attention "st

be $i,en to $ettin$ the ri$ht ao"nt of oist"re as

well as the ri$ht air content and then the ri$htteperat"re will arise% which is abo"t 6'LC for &*

weeks d"rin$ which tie f"n$al acti,ity is e,ident

chan$in$ $rad"ally to bacterial acti,ity.

Therefore% care "st be taken that the dry carbonaterial is oist eno"$h. <enerally it is best to

wet any dry aterial before it is p"t on to the

heap. test to assess proper oist"re content isthat water sho"ld drip o"t of the aterial when it

is s0"eezed in the hand.



!f the soil needs phosphate% rock

phosphate can be also applied to the heap%

appro# &5k$s per 5*. !t can be sprinkledon the carbon layer. The theory is that the

or$anic acids in the heap will $ently workon the phosphate rock and ake the

phosphate a,ailable.



The heap sho"ld be b"ilt as a windrow. The

diensions of the heap sho"ld be two metres

wide at t!e base and one and a !a2f metres !ig!

and as 2ong as is "ractica2. asically 5 etres

lon$ appears to be a con,enient len$th.

ne etre len$th will $i,e appro# one c"bicetre% or one tonne appro#% of finished copost%

dependin$ on the nat"re of the aterials. Soe

farers ake heaps of bi$$er proportions thanthis% b"t "s"ally they will r"n into a breakin$

down proble d"e to copaction of the lar$e

,ol"e and conse0"ent lack of aeration. The sall$arden can ha,e a windrow style heap of saller

diensions.

3hen the copost heap is copleted then

?ake 5 deep holes in the side of the copost heap

P"t 1 $ each of the / 5'&5'6 preps in the holes M 1 prep7hole ?ake a hole on the top of the heap



Stir 1'l of / 5' in 1 litre of water for 1' ins and po"r N of it into the hole

on top

Sprinkle the reainin$ N / 5' e,enly ro"nd the heap in a clockwise direction !nsert a stick into the heap to eas"re heat

3ater re$"larly

!t is best to ake copost wherethere is shade. S"ch trees as

bananas% sesbania or an$os are

beneficial to copost akin$ and

will pro,ide ,al"able shaded"rin$ the hot dry onths. ,oid

b"ildin$ heaps "nder trees with

rapant roots e$. prickly accaciaor S"b"b"l.



The heap sho"ld be t"rned re$"larly.Probably after abo"t 6 weeks. This will

aerate the heap and it also will $i,e a

chance to check oist"re content. Thecopost sho"ld be ready in abo"t +

onths dependin$ on the abient

teperat"re. !t will be a brown% cr"blyh""s.

APPICAI*: ;A1, A;1-or hea,y feedin$ ,e$etables 1'* per acre

-or paddy (rice)% fr"it trees% cocon"ts% $rapes% citr"s 5 to 1' * per acre

-or tea 7 coffee $ardens * to 5 * per acre.



ne ore copost heap in !ndiaJ

CPP -- Maing the Pit ! "nea#ing the $%ough$

8aking t!e PitChoose a site with $ood draina$e% well

shaded and aerated. ,e$etable $arden

is ideal. /i$ a pit 9'c # 6'c # *'c

deep (*ft # &ft # 1ft)

Oine the side of the pit with "sed bricks.

8ns"re that the bricks are wet prior to placin$ the d"n$. The bricks are a $ood

edi" for the walls of the pits in that

they absorb oist"re% and can be

watered to keep the d"n$ fro dryin$o"t.

The botto is left as bare earth.

The pits can be ade in series of "p to 1'' pits in a $ro"p with a central path in

between two do"ble rows% or soe syste that s"its the farsH needs.



The pits are "s"ally sit"ated within a shade ho"se which is "s"ally roofed with

thatch. This will keep the pits cool d"rin$ the hot onths and stop the d"n$ frodryin$ o"t% and will be shelter a$ainst the rain d"rin$ onsoons. ?ake s"re the

shade ho"se is hi$h eno"$h to work "nder.



8aking t!e CPP

Collect 6'k$s of cow d"n$ fro

cows preferably fed on biodynaically $rown fodder.

=o concentrates or $rains sho"ld be fed two to three days before

collectin$ the d"n$.

dd water by sprinklin$ it o,er

the cow d"n$ if dry. Cow d"n$sho"ld not be too dry or too wet.

The d"n$ sho"ld be fir as this

facilitates the breakdown processes.

!t is i#ed with &'' $ras of powdered e$$ shell. >eat e$$ shells in a hot o,enfor ten in"tes which will aid the $rindin$ of the shell into powder and &''$ras of powdered basalt d"st. !f there is no basalt% "se bl"e $ranite 0"arry d"st

or bore well soil instead. Sprinkle the basalt rock or bore well soil% and cr"shed

e$$ shells% o,er the cow d"n$.



Place the d"n$ i#t"re into the

pit. 3hen fillin$ the pits ake

s"re that they are not filled orethan a brick and a half deep

(1&c). ny deeper wo"ld taketoo lon$ to breakdown into

h""s.

The d"n$ sho"ld not be ti$htly

packed. Sooth off the top of thed"n$.

?ake si# holes & inches (*+c)

deep after $ently pattin$ the

d"n$ into the pit.

!nsert * sets of preps /5'&5'6indi,id"ally into the holes by

placin$ each into a handf"l ofcopost% i.e.

* sets of /5'& in a handf"l of

copost into hole 1%* sets of /5'* in a handf"l of

copost into hole &% etc.% etc.

Then co,er o,er the holes.



Stir /5' in *5'l of

clean water for 1'

in"tes.

dd 17& of stirred/5' into the

reainin$ hole% thensprinkle the balance

e,enly o,er the entire pit

and the I"te ba$ that willco,er the pit.



Place a wet I"te sack o,er the

cow pat pit to aintain oist"re.

(3aterproof co,ers sho"ld beraised at one side to allow water

to r"n off and air to circ"late.)

nce a onth $ently t"rn7aeratewith a $arden fork% lea,in$ the

s"rface sooth and co,ered on

copletion to a,oid e#cessi,edryin$. !f an"re wors

Eisenia foeti!a ($old banded

la,ender colo"r) or "um#ricusre#ullus (sall red) are not

already present they can be

introd"ced to aid the later sta$esof break down.

fter the first onth% t"rn each

week. This will speed "p the breakdown process.

2eo,e at"re CPP in * to 5 onths.

3hen ready the CPP will be well broken down with a $ood h""s content. !twill ha,e a $ood earthy sell. !t can be "sed strai$ht away% or stored in an

earthen pot in a cool place. ?aintain oist"re and "se within 6 onths.

The epty pits can be refilled a$ain.



!t is "sed ainly d"rin$ the

$rowin$ season and is "sed at

the rate of gram in 3 2itres

of water "er acre.

/5'1 is applied in the ,ery

early ornin$ as a fine ist thatdrifts o,er the plant or tree. !t is

stirred for 1 ho"r in the sae

way as /5''.

This spray enhances the

photosynthesis of the leaf% andas s"ch coplients the acti,ity

of the preparation /5''%

which works ostly in the rootzone of the plant. !t alsostren$thens the plants a$ainst

soe f"n$"s attack% rots in

passion fr"it% and r"st on coffeeand rice.



s"ally it is "sed at the be$innin$ of the plantHs de,elopent% and then a$ain shortly

before at"rity or har,est. !t has been

fo"nd to ipro,e the 0"ality of the plant inre$ard to taste% n"tritional ,al"e% and shelf

life. !t has also been fo"nd to brin$ "p the

ri# le,el in all fr"its.

Preparation 5'1 is best sprayed when the

?oon and Sat"rn are in opposition whichocc"rs once each onth.

Soe farers are practisin$ se0"ential

sprayin$ where /5'' pl"s CPP is appliedin the e,enin$ and the followin$ ornin$

/5'1. Try to tie this sprayin$ so as to apply /5'1 on the ornin$ of the

day before ?oon is opposite Sat"rn.

ew Preparation - Cow Horn C'a*

Clay is the ediator between calci" and

silica. This prepared clay is b"ried in the soil inthe sae way and at the sae tie as the horn

cow d"n$ (/5'') and the horn silica(/5'1). So the horn clay is ade twice a year.

The horn clay b"ried with the /5'' is applied

in the e,enin$s at the sae tie as the 5''%

stirred in the sae water. The horn clay b"riedwith the /5'1 is applied at the sae tie as



the preparation 5'1 in the ornin$s% stirred in the sae water.

This is a new preparation and it is bein$ "sed at the rate of 0 grams in 3 2itres

of water "er acre. This preparation appears to ake /5'' and /5'1 ore

effecti,e.

io/ynaic Preparations /5''% /5'1% /5'&5' are ade in se,eral

places in !ndia and can be p"rchased froB



/5'' /5'&5' /5'K / Preps !ntro

Stirring +arge ! Sma'' ,uantities

ater

2ainwater is preferable and% in areas of little poll"tion% can be collected off the roofs

of ho"ses% woodsheds and hay barns. !t can be stored in concrete% $al,anised iron or

"ntreated wooden tanks.

!f sprin$ water is "sed% it sho"ld be checked for poll"tants and cheical resid"es. !f

fo"nd to be clean% it sho"ld stand in the li$ht and air for two days% as it ay ha,e been "nder$ro"nd for any years. 2i,er water sho"ld likewise be checked for

p"rity.

3ater for stirrin$ sho"ld be between &5L and *'LC% and is best heated with a nat"ral

heat% s"ch as a flae or s"nli$ht. S"itable heaters are b"tane or woodb"rners andsolar panels. /o not "se electricity.

ow to ,tir

%or up to & acre of land













p to 1* litres can be cofortably stirred by hand with a sall stick. Stir while

restin$ yo"r elbows on yo"r knees. To ake a $ood ,orte# re0"ires a wristy

o,eent. Start slowly at the ed$e of the b"cket and o,e into the centre%increasin$ the stirrin$ speed. 3hen a crater appears in the water% break it by stirrin$

in the opposite direction.

:o" can chan$e hands when chan$in$ direction% and it is easier to always stiro"tward% i.e. with the ri$ht hand clockwise and with the left hand anticlockwise.

There sho"ld be abo"t three direction chan$es a in"te.

Start slowly at the ed$e of the b"cket.......and o,e into the centre% increasin$

the stirrin$ speed.

ow to ,tir

%or &-&' acres of land

p to 1*' litres can be stirred "sin$ a &''litre plastic dr" or an oak barrel% with a

1.*1.6 lon$ &.5c diaeter wooden rod% s"spended by eans of a nylon cord tiedfirly to an o,erhan$in$ branch% bea or a tripod of sto"t poles. The rod is tied so

that it swin$s c abo,e the botto of the barrel. The rod th"s takes all the wei$htand akes the stirrin$ and creatin$ of the ,orte# relati,ely easy.



Tripod

Tripod 2od

<i,e it a t"rnJ

-asterJ



<ood IobJ >ere coes the ,orte#J

3ant ore chaos on the re,erse t"rnG

dd soe Hbr"shH to the rod.

ow to ,tir

%or &'-(''-)'' acres of land

p to 55' litres an ho"r eno"$h for o,er +' acres can be stirred in the 4irbela

-lowfors "sed by biodynaic farers in !ndia. The o,eent the water akes as

it passes thro"$h the flowfor cascade is one of alternatin$ ,ortices. This is ,erysiilar to the s"ccession of ,ortices prod"ced in a b"cket wheel stirrin$% e#cept that

yo" can see the whole s"ccession laid o"t in front of yo" at once. The ,ortices%

howe,er% occ"r one after another% I"st as they do in a b"cket% beca"se the waterflows fro a clockwiserotatin$ chaber into an anticlockwise one% and so on.

flowfor cascade always has a separate HentryH for at its head% which sets "p theri$ht conditions for water enterin$ the syste. 3ith a cascade of se,en bowl fors

(pl"s entry for) it is possible to stir "p to 55' litres in one ho"r. 3ith 1+ (pl"s

one) bowl fors it is possible to stir "p to &'' litres in one ho"r. t the oent a

hi$h,ol"e% lowpress"re p"p is "sed to circ"late the water contin"o"sly for anho"r. ther p"ps with a softer action are bein$ in,esti$ated.

4irbela flowfor with kidneyshaped

cascade bowls

nd kidneyshaped reser,oir tank.



4irbela -lowfors...

...for lar$e fars

nd for >o"se <ardens tooJJ



ow to ,tir

%or &' ml of Preparation B*)'+ - alerian

1' l of Preparation /5' 4alerian in 1& litres of p"re water is stirred for 1'in"tes before addin$ to a copost heap% a cow pat pit or li0"id an"re. ne of theost efficient ways of stirrin$ s"ch a sall 0"antity is the rhythic horizontal back

and forth o,eent% at chest le,el% of a 1& litre water bottle. This creates the

re0"ired ,orte# o,eent.

Strai$ht le,el

See that chaosJ

3ell doneJ



HMS - the .oun#ation o. +/V/ S1/+

U8U, - t!e organic constituent of soi27

usua22y formed by t!e decom"osition of "2ants and 2eaves

<atin7 2itera22y =soi2=> !ford *ictionary

r$anic farin$ has as its ain basis% the health of the soil. efore

the ad,ent of odern a$ric"lt"ral

techni0"es at abo"t the be$innin$ of

the &'th cent"ry% all soils ri$ht acrossthe world were healthy and li,in$.

This fertility bein$ the res"lt of

tho"sands of years of caref"lh"sbandry where all the plant

resid"es and all the cow and other

doestic anial an"res wereret"rned to the soil. wonderf"l soil icrobial life had been b"ilt "p o,er

these years. This has been doc"ented in any articles on soil written o,er

the cent"ries.

?odern a$ric"lt"ral science holds the belief that to feed a h"n$ry world andeet the deand for an increase in food s"pply artificial fors of nitro$en%

phosphoro"s% potash and all icron"trients "st be added as soe for of

cheical salt to $row food. cid based cheical fertilisers kill off the ,ario"ssoil bacteria% beneficial f"n$"s and earthwors% which s"pport the all

iportant h""s% which is the $reat basis of soil str"ct"re. So the soil lost its

nat"ral fertility.

Plants now weakened by bein$ fed with artificial fertilisers ha,e de,eloped allkinds of f"n$"s diseases and s"sceptibility to any insect attacks% and as a

conse0"ence a whole re$ie of cheical plant pesticides and f"n$icides are

now also bein$ "sed. These cheicals are ca"sin$ poisono"s poll"tion of the

soil% the water and of h"ans. The end res"lt is that hectares and hectares offarin$ soils the world o,er ha,e lost their str"ct"re% and are now de$raded

soils.

Im"ortance of umus for ,oi2 ,tructure +erti2ity in ,oi2s

Soils that ha,e a hi$h h""s content% ha,e ab"ndant li,in$ biolo$ical

acti,ity to con,ert plant resid"es% leaf litter% anial d"n$ and ,aio"s

bioass into stable h""s.



#io-dynamic +arming umus

A#stracte! from Grasp the Nettle #+ ,eter ,roctor

n essential part of the art of farin$ is the

obser,ation of soil 0"ality. 3hen the biodynaic acti,ity is workin$ well in the

soil of the far% soils of all types ha,e acoon look to the. They ha,e a cr"bly%

n"t str"ct"re% and the h""s content $i,es a

slippery feel when r"bbed between fin$erand th"b. coarse feel indicates a lack of

h""s. y r"nnin$ yo"r fin$er down the

len$th of the profile yo" can deterine the

depth to which the h""s is in the soil.

n a biodynaic far% as the years pro$ress%

yo" will find that the soil has this slipperyfeel to lower and lower depths. The roots

also penetrate deeper and deeper. 8arthwor

castin$s are fo"nd deeper too down towhere the s"bsoil and topsoil eet. The earthwors work to i# the s"bsoil

and topsoil where they adIoin% increasin$ the depth of the li,in$ topsoil layer

each year. !t is iportant to obser,e the de$ree of i#in$ of earthwor

castin$s between the s"bsoil and the topsoil. $ood soil on a dairy far aftera few years of Preparation 5'' can ha,e o,er 1'' earthwors in a c"bic foot.

$ood fertile li,in$ soil will ha,e a stron$ icrobiolo$ical life whereazobacter and rhizobacter s"pport healthy nod"lation on all le$"e plants%

especially where Preparation 5'' is bein$ "sed.

=od"lation on a / ana$ed plot





=od"lation on a cheically treated plot

$ood biodynaic soil allows roots to penetrate widely% so that they are not

craped and all the root hairs ha,e plenty of roo. bser,e also that the soilclin$s persistently to the root hairs. This does not happen in a nonbiodynaic

soil. !n a soil that has been treated with watersol"ble fertilisers the roots are

contracted and t"rned in.

!n trials cond"cted at the $ric"lt"ral Colle$e of !ndore coparin$ the effectof biodynaic preparations with that of con,entional fertiliser application%

there were draatic contrasts in root de,elopent in the different plots. The

biodynaic plot showed root de,elopent deep into the soil% whereas incheically treated plots the roots were ainly near the s"rface.

There is a far in <"Iarat% which has been "sin$ all the biodynaic

preparations for the last fo"r years. The farer has been "sin$ Preparation5'' and CPP (cowpat pit) since &''1% fo"r ties in a year. The plo"$han

who has been plo"$hin$ on this land with a b"llockdrawn sin$lef"rrow

plo"$h for the last twenty years said to the farer% HSahib% what ha,e yo"done to the soil to ake it so softG !t is like plo"$hin$ cotton and y feet no

lon$er $et soreJH S"ch anecdotal stories are backed "p research.

2esearchers at ?assey ni,ersity in =ew Qealand ade se,eral standardsoil0"ality eas"reents on soil fro se,eral pairs of nei$hbo"rin$

biodynaic and con,entional fars. (2e$anold et al% 199*). They fo"nd that

the biodynaic soils were $enerally si$nificantly s"perior to con,entionallyana$ed soils in re$ard to soil str"ct"re% friability% aeration and draina$e%

lower b"lk density% hi$her or$anic atter content% soil respiration% and

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ineralisable nitro$en% ore earthwors and a deeper topsoil layer.

Soil fro a / ana$ed plot

Soil fro a cheically treated plot

!e vita2ity and ?ua2ity of soi2 can be im"roved by regu2ar

a""2ication of@

Preparation 5''copost ade with Preparations 5'&5'

li0"id an"res ade with Preparations 5'&5'cowpat pit an"re ade with Preparations 5'&5'

and in addition by@

t"rnin$ in plant aterial s"ch as $reen crops and straw

not "sin$ cheical fertilisers and pesticidesa,oidin$ soil copaction by achinery or anials% partic"larly in wet

weather



keepin$ soil co,ered by past"re% crops or "lchnot destroyin$ the soil str"ct"re by poor farin$ practices s"ch as

e#cessi,e "se of the rotary hoe or c"lti,ation in "ns"itable weather

(too wet or too dry)fallowin$ the land by plantin$ deeprootin$ peranent past"re species

or "sin$ $reen crops.

The io-%*nami Preparations

R R

Introduction

iodynaic a$ric"lt"re "ses a series of preparations n"bered fro 5'' to 5'Kwhich are based on ,ario"s ineral% plant% and anial s"bstances. These enhance

all the bacterial% f"n$al and ineral processes that are fo"nd in the or$anic

farin$ syste.

There is always the 0"estion the world o,er% DSho"ld we not "se indi$eno"s

plants for akin$ the preparations and not e#otic plants fro northern

heisphereGD ! (Peter Proctor) wo"ld a$ree that we sho"ld b"t% then that 0"estionis answered by another% D3hich onesGD

! do not do"bt that there are indi$eno"s plants in e,ery re$ion of the world thatwo"ld ha,e the ri$ht characteristics% b"t to $et the desired infl"ences% with re$ard

to the enhanceent of the ineral processes or the infl"ences of the related

planets% will take "ch obser,ational st"dy. So "ntil the tie coes whens"bstit"te plants are fo"nd to be effecti,e% we "st contin"e to "se those herbal

plants that ha,e been akin$ 0"ality preparations for any years.

There are ob,io"s e#ceptions% in !ndia% "sin$ an indi$eno"s oak tree in the>ialayan foothills% Quercus glauca% the bark of which has a hi$h percenta$e of

calci"% and there always sees to be indi$eno"s perennial nettles (Urtica



species) $rowin$ in ost co"ntries% that ha,e the sae 0"alities as that of the

8"ropean nettle Urtica !ioica' Urtica parviflora is the nettle $rowin$ in the

>ialayan foothills.

!n the hot co"ntries it is diffic"lt to $row the teperate cliate herbs and in !ndiawe are $rowin$ the in the cooler cliate of the hills. !n the hill stations of the

so"th at &''' etres aro"nd ;odaikanal and in the foothills of the >ialayas inareas s"ch as =ainital and /arIeelin$ at 15'' and &''' etres respecti,ely.

#$500 Cow >orn ?an"re

#$50 Cow >orn Silica

#$50% :arrow

#$503 Chaoile

#$50& Stin$in$ =ettle

#$505 >ialayan ak ark

#$506 /andelion#$50' 4alerian

#$50 Cas"rina Tea

The relationship between soil icrobiolo$y and the biodynaic preparations

/5''

/5'1 Cow >orn Clay

/5'&5' /5'K

io/ynaic Preparations /5''% /5'1% /5'&5' are ade in se,eral places in !ndia and can be p"rchased froB



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