Ah, Woody, you've met my husband. He wants to do it like he's always done it. If you and Barbara ever come through Sandpoint this winter, let us know and I'll bring Herb so you can talk to him. Better another man than me. How can I ever get him to do tree paste? I'll have to work on him all winter, maybe get him to try it on only a few trees. I will have to mix it all up. It would be better if it could be sprayed. The other article on tree paste said spray the whole tree. Should we prune and then put the tree paste on? He wants to do it all in one swipe and get back to building his current boat. Where is the love to do it right? He loves wood...to build with, to make the boat.
When I put tree paste on a tree that had lichen, I ended up scraping the bark of the branches with my fingernail because the brush just didn't do it. Is that going to be what I need to do to all the fruit trees, go over each branch with a fine toothed comb so to speak and then apply tree paste early in the spring? I'm already thinking that I will be doing it, not Herb. Ah, changes! We have horsetail on a bank at the foot of our private road and farther down the road. I will harvest fresh horsetail and make the fresh ferment and dig up the horns and the BC. I have bentonite and the basalt that we dug out of the old quarry. I'll try to grind that up fine. It will be wonderful, a labor of love. What I need to have is a tree paste party and we can put BC and 500 around the drip line at the same time! Do we just spray the ground around the dripline or do we put it in with a tree feeder we have that you stick in the ground? Maybe I can invite some of the people who participate in the bulk Stella Natura order. Well, we will see. Is there a special time on the calendar when this should be done as in pruning? What about the raspberries? Should we do them too? How? Aurora Farm wrote: > Merla: > > The short answer is that Dormant Oil and Lime Sulfur doesn't FEED the tree. > BD Tree Paste does. Here's an excerpt from my article on trees at Aurora > Farm, which can be read in full at > http://www.kootenay.com/~aurora/trees.html > > In Lecture Seven of the Agriculture Course, Rudolf Steiner sails forth with > one of those astounding insights that makes the reader gasp: the only part > of the tree that is plant-like are the small branches that bear leaves, > flowers and fruit. The great mass of trunk and large limbs is really > "mounded-up soil, soil that is simply in a more living condition than the > soil in which our herbaceous plants and grains are growing." 2) > > The plant-like parts "are rooted in the twigs and branches of the tree just > as other plants are rooted in the Earth." > > Thus, in Biodynamic practice, we fertilize and cultivate the tree trunk, > that mounded-up, much enlivened soil. > > Ehrenfried Pfeiffer says: > > For the treatment of tree trunks, especially to keep > the bark smooth, to protect it from splitting and to > heal any injuries, the trees should have once a year, > during winter, a coating of sticky fluid paste, up to > the lightest branches. This paste consists of equal > parts of clay, cow manure, and sand. Herr M. K > Schwarz tells us that this coat prevents the sap from' > rising too soon and thus wards off danger from frosts. 3) > > Pfeiffer goes on to say that he has modified this recipe by adding BD#500 > (horn manure) preparation and BD#508 (equisetum); also, as remedies, he > recommends > an extract of oak bark (disinfection and "preventing pests from breeding"), > extract of nasturtium (American blight), extract of calendula (injuries). > He also suggests a routine washing and brushing of tree with BD#508 in > autumn or winter. > > Two other variations: > > Hugh Courtney: > > 6-9 parts betonite > 2-3 parts BD Compound preparation (Barrel Compost) > 2-4 units BD#500 > 1 part rock dust > small amount of linseed or castor oil > BD#508, fermented, enough to make the paste liquid for brushing or spraying > > Ferdinand Vondruska: > > "1/3 Clay, 1/3 Cow manure, 1/6 milk and 1/6 silica (or waterglass). > > 'The above mix thinly applied (spring and fall) to fruit trees, bushes, > roses etc. does work wonders and rejuvenates them within two years > (Forest trees appear not to respond in the same way, I found) Perhaps > hazel, beech and similar trees may do so." > > Woody > Aurora Farm. the only > unsubsidized, family-run seed farm > in North America offering garden seeds > grown using Rudolf Steiner's methods > of spiritual agriculture. http://www.kootenay.com/~aurora > > -----Original Message----- > From: Merla Barberie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: BD Now <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Wednesday, December 18, 2002 12:29 PM > Subject: Dormant Oil and Lime Sulfur vs. CT and Pfeiffer's clay/manure > mixture > > >I am trying to make our place more Bio-Dynamic and better in every way > >that I can. I could just ask the above question, but it's more fun to > >tell it as a story... > > > >My husband doesn't believe in Bio-Dynamics, but he has given in a lot > >over the years and I try to involve him in every way I can. He makes > >the holes when I inoculate the compost pile with the preps and he dug > >the holes for the horns. Over the years he has conceded to do things by > >the calendar. He does everything in the orchard, but I want to upgrade > >our orchard practice. > > > >We are nature lovers. We prefer nature rather than the look of a farm. > >Our cabin is surrounded by the most beautiful stand of snowberries and > >Oregon grape that have been outstanding through this long fall we have > >had up to now. When the heavy snow comes, they are mashed down under > >the snow. > > > >The orchard is on a wild meadow. We did not plow the whole acre. We > >merely dug big holes and put compost in them. We've had this orchard > >for 15 years. The orchard contains wild grasses, lots of St. Johnswort, > >pearly everlasting, red clover, serviceberry, some wild shrubs that I > >can't name and other wild plants. Herb cuts down any softwood tree > >seedlings that appear, but the two vine maple shrubs only gets bigger > >when you cut them down. We mow around the fruit trees and put straw > >around them. We've never fertilized. I put tree paste on some trees > >that had lichen on them. We have 40 heritage apples--pears, plums, > >cherries, buartnuts, walnuts, filberts, oaks (I wanted more walnuts, but > >Herb wanted oaks and they are infinitesimal.) We have 24 boxes of > >apples in the root cellar now and they are delicious. The heritage > >apple trees bear every other year. Really, our orchard needs help > >though. > > > >I will have lots of BC and 500 this year. I am planning to put some > >around the drip line of the trees. I also read with interest the BD Now > >email about Pfeiffer clay/manure/sand...clay/manure spray...tree > >paste...and asked on the compost_tea list/serve about CT sprays for tent > >caterpillars and cedar apple rust rather than using dormant oil and lime > >sulfur. Elaine suggested Beauveria (Mycotrol) and SP-1 bacterial > >inoculum from Agri-Energy or the beneficial spore-former inoculum from > >Holmes Environmental. > > > >Now, of course, I have brought all this up to my husband and his > >response is "What's wrong with dormant oil and dormant oil & lime > >sulfur?" All I can say is that I want to be more Bio-Dynamic. Can > >someone tell me what exactly is wrong with dormant oil and/or dormant > >oil and lime sulfur so I can make a good case for his changing his > >practice? He is mainly a hunter and a wooden boat builder, not a > >farmer, but he has the pride of traditional manhood that I dare not > >insult. I need his labor and want him to continue taking the > >responsibility for the orchard. He has a lot of other good qualities > >even though he isn't a BD farmer. If he gets mad and gives up the > >orchard, I can't do as well as he's done without the Bio-Dynamics. I > >can't bear to prune and he is an excellent harvester. I plan the garden > >and initiate most things, raise and plant the seedlings for the garden > >and do all the Bio-Dynamics. I have a wonderful garden helper who is > >much better than I am--a virgo, who prepares the garden beds and does > >the three cold frames for our 150 tomato plants. Yes, I am a > >traditional Southern female who is transplanted to the West and I am > >lucky to have such good help. > > > >Thanks a bunch, > > > >Merla > > > >
