The focus of farming is to strengthen the vitality of the plant itself
The natural power planting method treats the plant as a living organism, so the focus of farming is to strengthen the vitality of the plant itself, rather than whether it looks lush and healthy on the outside. Plant disease is not a problem of the plant itself, but a problem of the environment, especially the soil. Chemical pesticides and fertilizers that can only solve local problems superficially but cause harm to the soil must be completely discarded. The natural power planting method is only similar to organic cultivation in this aspect, but it is limited to this, the natural power planting method goes further, trying to make the plant physical energy and the natural forces of the universe compatible, and special preparations must be applied according to specific times in agricultural farming.
Practitioners of the natural power cultivation method will prepare a mixture of natural materials such as animals, plants and minerals, and use it according to the timing of the annual calendar to strengthen the power of plants. The principle of using these agents with different functions is that they must be based on the harmony between the earth, the plant body and the universe. These formulas are made mainly from natural substances such as yarrow, chrysanthemum, nettle, oak bark, dandelion, wicker, cow dung and silica. Some recipes undergo fermentation and are usually carried out in animal organs.
For example, the most commonly used "500" preparation is to put cow dung into the horn and then bury it in the soil for fermentation. After digging up the following spring, only about 100 grams can strengthen the vineyard of 1 hectare by adding 30 to 35 liters of water and stirring for several hours, and then it must be selected on the "soil day", which helps to strengthen the structure and strength of the soil. Another example is that quartz powder is loaded into cow horns, buried in the soil to convert into "501", and applied to stems and leaves on "fruit days" or "flower days", which is conducive to the growth of plant bodies The application dose of 501 is smaller, only 2 to 4 grams per hectare.
Because 500 acts on the soil, it is usually applied before germination in the spring from March to May and after harvest in the autumn from September to November. 501, on the contrary, acts on the plant itself that emerges from the surface, so it is applied during the growing period from May to September. The strengthening process is best carried out in copper containers, followed by wooden barrels. The liquid in the bucket is stirred to form a deep vortex and then reversed, resulting in a violent splash that circulates for an hour or more. Although it is best to use manual fortification, larger wineries use special machines to strengthen them.
500 and 501 are the most basic formulas of natural power planting, and other commonly used six recipes from 502 to 507 are mainly plant-based, fermented and transformed in animal organs, so they are also named after plants. For example, 502 is yarrow, whose main function is to increase sulfur and potassium in fertilizer. It is made from yarrow flowers picked when the sun enters Leo, and is better picked on the fruit day when the moon enters the fire sign when it is timed. The dried flowers are stuffed into the bladder of the deer, hung to dry, buried in the soil on Root Day in October, and then dug up after Easter the following year, preferably when Mars enters Aries. When fertilizer is made, add it. Steiner once said that these fertilization methods cannot be explained by natural science, only those whose minds can enter the spiritual world can understand them, and only through spiritual inquiry can the secrets of these fertilizers be discovered.
In addition to the above nine preparations derived from Steiner's philosophy, there are also other descendant formulations, such as Maria Thun's cow manure composting recipe, which uses oak barrels with openings on both sides as a fermentation and transformation container, and also adds Steiner's 502, 504, 506 and 507 formulas.
Crystallization pattern induction
Cristallisation sensible is anthroposophy, or natural dynamic cultivation method for the analysis of the quality of agricultural products, invented by Ehrenfried Pfeiffer in 1925 based on Steiner's suggestion, in addition to the natural dynamic cultivation method but also applied to the analysis of cosmetics and medicine. The method is very peculiar, but quite simple, the sample to be analyzed, such as soil, wine, milk or blood, etc., is added to the liquid mixed with copper chloride, injected into a glass dish, and allowed to stand for 14 hours at a temperature of 28 °C and 58% humidity, as the water evaporates, the copper chloride in the dish will form crystals.
The laboratory then submits an analysis report based on the shape of the crystals. The content of the analysis is often related to the degree of strength and aging, and the interpretation of each laboratory is not necessarily the same, usually the more vigorous the sample, the more obvious or concentrated and orderly crystallization will be. The analysis can sometimes be very clear, such as wines made from mold-infested grapes, which often appear in the central part of the crystal. Wines with more sulfur dioxide often appear plume-like disorderly crystals. Wines grown by natural power often have very dense crystallization.
Development of naturally dynamic plantations
Naturally dynamic cultivation developed later in France than in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and no agricultural scientist in France accepted the idea, only sporadic practitioners, including Nicolas Joly of the Coulee de Serrant region of the Loire. Although he is regarded as a pioneer and promoter of natural dynamics cultivation in France and has published several books on the subject, he began experimenting with natural dynamics in the early 80s of the 20th century, and it was not until 1984 that he fully adopted it. Burgundy began to show examples of practice in the late 70s of the 20th century.
Jean Claude Rateau, located in the city of Beaune, took over the family winery in 1979 and established the first vineyard in Burgundy to apply it by experimenting with the natural power plantation method in the village garden of Born, Clos des Mariages.
In the 80s of the 20th century, Lalou Bize-leroy was inspired by Nicolas Joly to experiment in the Domaine de a Romanee Coni, and then Domaine Leroy, founded in 1988, was all cultivated using the natural power planting method. Partial trials of the Lefaive winery also began in 19900 and were fully adopted by 1997. These two estates, run by female owners, became examples of natural power cultivation in Burgundy. Francois Bouchet, then the main consultant of the natural power cultivation method in Burgundy, began cultivating the vineyards on the Loire in 1962, and his assistance has enabled many interested wineries to reduce their time and attract more winegrowers.
In addition, Pierre Masson of Magunnay is also an important consultant on the natural power planting method, he uses a group learning method where he shares his experience, and his company, Bio-dynamie Service, also provides products and preparations that make it easier for wineries to switch to natural power cultivation and never be left behind. In the 90s of the 20th century, more and more wineries were added, including Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Michel Lafarge, Domaine Trapet, Comte Armand and Joseph Drouhin. By the 21st century, naturally dynamic cultivation was already a fairly common farming method in Burgundy, especially among the famous estates in the Golden Hill district
Demeter certification
Although many wineries claim to practice naturally dynamic cultivation, most of them are based on personal experience and not necessarily in full accordance with established rules and methods. Demeter International, founded in 197, provides natural power farming certification for farms that use the natural power planting method, and certified wineries can be marked with the Demeter I certification mark on the label. In Burgundy, there are already many wineries certified by Demeter, but they are not necessarily on the label, and there are quite a few wineries who believe that the goal of using the natural power cultivation method is not to obtain certification, so they are not keen to apply.
What about wine made in this way? Although I have tasted several wines that are cultivated using the natural power method, the commonality of flavor in this farming method does not seem easy to define. I used to think that more acidity and clearer aromas, and a more transparent way of expressing the terroir, but with more and more wineries practicing the natural dynamic method, the common denominator now seems to be that there are few unbalanced wines, and most of them are of extremely high quality. In any case, wineries that pay special attention to nature and land are not easy to produce poor quality wines.
I am often asked what I think of this practice, and although I cannot believe in astrology, I believe that there is not necessarily a clear line between reason and superstition, and that its definition often depends on the cosmology. For example, this method of cultivation may be heretical to Western rational science, but it is not difficult to understand from the cosmology of Taoism or the I Ching. When the issue of the sustainable survival of the earth has become a problem that everyone must face, the natural power planting method actually provides us with a very wonderful direction and answer by producing a lot of wine.