Biodynamy is a philosophy, an attitude, an art of living in which the balance of the forces of nature are at the centre of the vinegrower's every action.
There are no ready-made recipes to be applied consistently following injunctions of a "revealed Codex" and it's certainly not a dogma. Biodynamy includes a number of practices and preparations that have proven their value over time. Here are the main ones :
• The preparation 500 (known as "horn dung" ) it is intended for the soil, the vine roots reinforcing the link between the plant and the soil. It favours microbial activity, the creation of soil humus and it is therefore a powerful builder of the soil structure. It is applied at the beginning of the spring when the earth warms up.
• The preparation 500P (known as "prepared horn dung") is a variation of that of 500 to which are added preparations (Valerian base, nettle infusion etc...). It is applied in the autumn when moisture returns to still warm soils.
• Dung compost according to Maria Thun (CBMT) is excellent to break down organic materials. It is also used in the spring.
• The preparation 501 (known as "horn silica" ). This preparation is as important as the 500 since it does not address the soil but the aerial part of the vines during the vegetative growth, acting as a regulator and has an structural effect on the vegetative cells. It is used at flowering and before harvest when it improves the maturity of the grapes.