The Plant between Sun and Earth

Sunday the 8th of August @ 11.50am we had Moon opposition Saturn and that afternoon we sprayed out Soil Activator. This was the first biodynamic preparation used in the vineyard. We aim to spray Soil Activator once a month @ Moon opposition Saturn. Depending on the conditions of the season we will also be spraying 501 horn silica and other biodynamic preparations when appropriate. 

Soil activator is a combined biodynamic prep containing horn manure 500, horn silica 501, compost preps 502-507, equisetum 508, horn clay. horn basalt and crushed egg shells. This preparation stimulates soil biology, leading to enhanced breakdown of organic matter and the creation of humus. 

For more info regarding biodynamics:

https://biodynamics.net.au/the-essence-of-biodynamic-agriculture/ 

https://www.biodynamics.com/biodynamic-principles-and-practices 

Our main focus in the vineyard is the regeneration of soil and the optimisation of soil health. As the health of the soil is largely governed by the soil’s biology we intend on providing the microbes and earthworms with all the tools they need to adequately breakdown organic matter, create precious humus and cycle minerals. Creating humus (which is a stable carbon complex) has many benefits: increased water holding capacity, retention of nutrients in the soil profile, creation of a ‘home’ for microbes and the storage of stable carbon. 

Any living system, whether it be a human, a plant or a farm organism, has both a physical body and an energetic body. In order to bring the organism into balance and health both of these aspects must be addressed. For physical imbalances in the soil and plant we will use soil and plant sap analysis to uncover mineral deficiencies, mineral excesses and pH imbalances, and rectify with manures and fertilisers. For addressing energetic imbalances in our system and also to minimise pest and disease pressure, we will be using biodynamic preparations and cosmological timings to balance both the cosmic and earthly forces.

The growth and health of a plant is not only determined by the soil and the atmosphere it grows within, but also by the wide array of electromagnetic radiations and gravitational forces that it bathes within. A great way to think of the plant is as an electromagnetic antennae. The most obvious source of electromagnetic radiation that the plant responds too is that of the Sun. However, there are more distant cosmic bodies that influence plant processes – i.e the planets.  Then we have the gravitational force of our nearest neighbour, the Moon – it is important to realise the Moon’s influence on the water processes which are so crucial to all life forms, particularly plants. 

Basically, there are two polar processes that influence plant growth: the earthly processes and the cosmic processes. Earthly processes are expressed through the lime content in the soil. This is essentially Calcium plus the other cations (Potassium, Magnesium, Sodium and Aluminium). Other earthly processes are biological digestion and nitrogen fixation in the soil. Cosmic processes are expressed through Silica, this involves the transferring of minerals via plant sap, from the soil into the leaf where they can be assimilated during photosynthesis. When the earthly process and the cosmic process are out of balance we have an increased chance of disease and pest pressure. By using the biodynamic preparations at the correct cosmological timings we can effectively balance the earthly and cosmic processes and optimise soil and plant health. 

Regarding Biodynamic and Organic Certification, we have chosen not to go down the path of regulated certification. We believe that the onus of certification, regulation and transparency should be with operators applying chemicals that degrade soil and impact human health. Instead of being officially certified, we would rather become customer certified. We intend on being open and transparent with all our vineyard practices. Our priority is the creation of healthy soils and healthy plants, if we need to use any products that are not ‘certified organic’ we won’t hesitate to let you know. We will be keeping anyone interested up to date with regular posts and videos.