Gauteng Smallholder December 2015-January 2016 | Page 36

ALTERNATIVE AGRICULTURE
From page 32

organism. Steiner also
suggested timing such
agricultural activities as
sowing, weeding and
harvesting to utilise the
influences on plant growth of
the moon and planets, as he
believed that the whole of the
universe, ie, the planet earth
and the whole surrounding
cosmic space with all its
heavenly bodies, forms one
indivisible whole and should
be managed as such.
Biodynamic farmers use a
range of specially formulated
herbal and/or organic
preparations to enhance soil,
plant and animal life, fertility

prepared on its own (mixture
of 1 tablespoon of quartz
powder to 250 liters of
and vitality.
Steiner prescribed nine
water). This brings a 'light
different preparations to aid
Biodynamic principles are
effect' to the plants. It is
fertilisation. He believed that sprayed over the aerial part of
similar to those defined
above, in that the proponents these preparations mediated
the plants and "draws the
constantly work at building up terrestrial and cosmic forces
plants upwards". The mixture
into the soil. The prepared
soil humus content and use
is sprayed under very low
substances are numbered 500 pressure over the crop during
no artificial fertilisers or
to 508, where the first two
pesticides, opting rather to
the wet season, in an attempt
work towards sustainability by are used for pre