E9 Environmental Activator Unlocking Soil Potential

List of inputs to the biodynamic E9 Aussie Activator

After the inputs are collected and prepared, they are added to cow manure and ensymes and buried in a pit similar to a biodynamic cow pat pit. A number of CPPs (cow pat pits) are at various stages of maturity at Kumbartcho Farm

Additions to Shane’s Ingredient List

European List of the nine preparations used in Biodynamic Farming

Horn Silica 501 is the original biodynamic atmospheric spray and is made from ground up clear quartz crystal and buried in cow horns over summer. Horn Silica aids photosynthesis and increases the quality of the final product, its ripeness, sweetness, flavour, fragrance, shelf life and dry fibre content.

Biodynamic Compost Preparations – 502-508
All these preparations aid in the proper fermentation and breakdown of matter in the compost heap or liquid compost teas and keep everything in the living state. They act as bio-stimulants to activate specific bacterial processes in the soil. They help to organise and sensitise the farming or gardening entity. The Biodynamic farmer or gardener would place the set of 1g Compost preparations for every 3 tonnes or 12 cubic metres in the compost heap, or in a 200 litre liquid manure or tea such as fish emulsion, seaweed tea, comfrey tea or tea made from a problem weed on the property.

Yarrow Preparation (502): Yarrow flowers placed in stag bladder stimulates the potassium, silica, selenium activating bacteria and helps combine sulphur with other substances. Remedies weaknesses in flowering and fruiting and strengthens the plant against insect attack. Remedies weakness in the astrality. The Yarrow Preparation connects the soil to the planetary rhythms.

Chamomile Preparation (503): Chamomile flowers in small intestines of the cow – retains nitrogen and calcium, keeping them in the living realm and prevents loss to the atmosphere. Strengthens the plant’s regenerative life activity and reunites this with the physical. This preparation stimulates manganese and boron, as well as azotobacter activity, the best bacteria for nitrogen fixation in the soil.

Stinging Nettle Preparation (504): Stinging nettle conveys intelligence to the soil; helps proper decomposition, aids chlorophyll formation and stimulates iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulphur activity in the soil.

Oak Bark Preparation (505): Oak bark is placed in a cow skull and left in water over winter. It helps pull the earthly forces back into the soil, when the water activity is working too strongly, such as after too much rain or at Full Moon. It also helps protect against fungal diseases. It helps the vegetation maintain its true archetypal form. It aids calcium and phosphorus penetration into the earth in a living form.

Dandelion Preparation (506): Dandelion in the cow’s mesentery – stimulates the potassium/silica bacteria in the soil to enable it to work more effectively with the growth forces. Silica makes the plants more sensitive. It can help increase flowering and filling out of fruit eg cucumbers. It brings substance to our foods to nourish us. It also stimulates the magnesium, boron and selenium soil activity.

Valerian Preparation (507): Tincture made of valerian flowers – stimulates the phosphorus process and mobilises the phosphorus-activating bacteria in the soil, as well as selenium and magnesium. It prevents the flowering process from becoming excessive. It forms an atmosphere of warmth around the compost heap. If sprayed onto blossoms in spring can provide protection against late frost.

Equisetum Preparation (508): This tea can be used fresh to work with water balance and to balance the water in the plant to protect against fungal and mildew infections. Used as a fresh tea it is applied in the air as a foliar spray, can be mixed with 501 –Horn Silica. When this tea has been fermented for at least 4 days it can be used in the soil spray or separately as a way of increasing large healthy fungi and their hyphae in the soils. In Australia we also use Casuarina (She-oak) as a substitute as it has similar silica qualities**.