Care for the Earth by caring for your earth
Soon we will be entering winter, and it’s time to think about making and applying tree paste to deciduous, pruned and exhausted trees. I love tree paste because, not only does it do wonders for the health of trees, but it also practically demonstrates the wisdom of Rudolf Steiner’s concept of the trunk of a tree being likened to an elongated mound of earth, upon which plants (leaves) grow:
[T]here is an intimate relationship between what is within the contours of a plant, and the soil surrounding the plant. It is not at all true that life stops at the plant’s perimeter. Life as such continues on, namely from the roots of the plant into the soil, and for many plants there is no sharp dividing line between life inside them and the life in their surroundings. Soil that is permeated with humus like substances in the processes of decomposition, actually contains living ether … something etheric and alive, this means it is on the way to becoming a kind of plant sheathing. It just doesn’t go as far as to become the kind of sheathing that draws itself into the bark of a tree.
- Rudolf Steiner, Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture, Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, 1993
Tree paste nourishes the tree through its bark and cambium (the ever growing layer under the bark), so it is applied to the bark of trees rather than via the soil. Tree paste seals and heals pruning wounds, fills crevices where pests can over-winter and it is also highly effective in ridding trees of scale infestations.
There are a number of recipes for tree paste. Here is the original simple recipe for tree paste that can easily be made at home:
4 parts cow manure (not fresh dung)
2 parts silica sand or diatomaceous earth
3 parts potting clay or bentonite
Enough stirred cow horn manure (500), or very dilute liquid manure, or plain rainwater to make a sloppy paste
Biodynamic Agriculture Australia makes and sells an excellent tree paste with extras such as biodynamic nettle tea, manure concentrate and seaweed concentrate. This is available to BAA members and non-members.
Remove any loose bark, moss, lichen and so on from the tree trunk. Apply the paste to the bark with a large paintbrush. Go as high as possible.
Note: Commercial farms and orchards find it more practical to spray tree paste, but to do this you need to strain the paste, use diatomaceous earth rather than sand, and use a very coarse spray nozzle. But really, don’t try this at home if you don’t have a huge number of trees that you need to treat.
Winter is tree paste time. Apply it after pruning and before bud-burst. Choose a descending moon time to help stimulate growth and heal pruning wounds.
We will have a practical tree paste demonstration video when it is the right time to apply. Until then, stay tuned.
Backyard Biodynamics has recently been featured on another biodynamic website, the Biodynamic and Organic Gardening Resource Site. This site provides links, stories, books and advice. So check it out to read what’s being said about us, and also see what other people are doing in the biodynamic online arena.
Unlike general organics, which has become a huge subject area on the web, biodynamics is a dot in the ocean of ”green” online information. It is really important to share and connect with other likeminded gardeners around the world as we encourage more and more people to take up biodynamics. And as backyard gardening can sometimes be a rather solitary pursuit, it’s great to feel connected to a biodynamic community. When night falls or the rain keeps you out of the garden, you can always get online and connect to a global community of biodynamic gardeners. If you read something that interests you or you think you’ve got something to add, please leave a comment - it tells those of us who maintain these sites that we’re not just talking to ourselves.
In March 2006, north Queensland met Cyclone Larry. The storm wiped out great swathes of food crops such as bananas and avocados. Suddenly, there were no bananas in the shops, conventional or organic, for many months. When they did appear, they were of poor quality and wildly expensive. It made the general population realise that natural occurrences such as storms, fires and floods can have a severe effect on food supply. And they weren’t happy about it. No bananas? It was an outrage. In Australia, we enjoy an enormous range of fresh foods all year due to modern storage technology and transportation. We seem to think that we should be able to get anything anytime, despite droughts, floods and the odd cyclone. Many people are not aware that there are particular growing seasons and regions for fresh foods.
Natural disasters aside, most fruits and vegetables only grow well at certain times of the year. We should enjoy and appreciate the unique tastes, textures and colours of each season. Of course, most of us buy things like frozen peas and berries when they are not available fresh. The reason why strawberries that are sold in supermarkets all year round are often downright horrible eludes many people. Be aware of when fruits, vegetables and herbs are in season - that’s when they are at their best in freshness, taste and nutritional value. And by eating seasonally we can reduce our ecological footprint by not using up fossil fuels unnecessarily through transporting food from other countries and states and through long term refrigerated storage.
And perhaps the more people who are grateful for what Mother Nature offers us throughout the year, the less food waste we would see. You can’t always get what you want … but you can look forward to the next season’s food that you love, and appreciate it all the more when it appears.
The seasons allow us to experience the variety, movement and cyclic qualities of nature. Autumn means cooler, shorter days, heavy dew on the lawn and mornings may take on a serene misty mood. Autumn is heralded in the garden by the incredible red and yellow leaves of decidious trees. Life forces move downward as the earth breathes in. The seasons are a gift - appreciate them by eating seasonally, planting seasonal indicator plants and having a seasonal festival. Autumn was traditionally the harvest festival. You could invite friends round to nourish the earth with a group stir and spray out of cow horn manure (500), or you could do something as simple as a table display of autumn leaves and apples. Taking time to consciously connect with the seasons connects us with nature, and so we gain an understanding of life processes at work. Through that connection we become aware of our responsibility to this land and we become better gardeners too.
To help you work with the seasons we now have a Monthly Gardening Planner. The vegetable planting guide uses four of the climate zones for Australia. Within these zones there will be microclimate variations, so use this as a guide only. Unseasonal weather events, such as unprecedented heat waves and extensive flooding, are becoming more common. There is a need to observe new patterns - record weather data and use your own observations when making gardening decisions.
This week we have added a Daily Planting Guide to help you know the best day to plant your seeds and seedlings and do any transplanting. Each day the moon travels on its path through the zodiac constellations. Each constellation positively influences different parts (or organs) of plant life. To learn which constellations are associated with which plant part, see our blog, “The science of moon planting”. Think about which part of the plant you wish to use or influence most. If you are planting spinach or lettuce, you want to eat the leaves, so choose a leaf day for planting. If you are planting broccoli, cauliflower or ornamental flowering plants, choose a flower day. It’s pretty simple.
So if you’re thinking about what you might plant during the week, check our Daily Planting Guide and get off to a good start by choosing a day that will bring positive influences to your plants.
The information for our daily planting guide is sourced from Brian Keats’ Antipodean Astro Calendar, 2009. For those in the Northern Hemisphere, see Brian’s Northern Hemisphere Astro Calendar, 2009. These calendars provide detailed information about moon phases, planetary movements, biodynamic practice and more. Our daily planting guide is intended for quick reference only - we recommend that you purchase an Astro Calendar for more detailed information.
Backyard Biodynamics is a place where you can learn, share and be engaged by biodynamic gardening in your own backyard. 