Author Topic: Biodynamic Farming  (Read 3077 times)

Frog Valley Farm

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 577
  • Messages have been disabled here
    • View Profile
Biodynamic Farming
« on: December 24, 2019, 06:21:20 AM »
« Last Edit: January 19, 2020, 06:52:18 AM by Frog Valley Farm »

Frog Valley Farm

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 577
  • Messages have been disabled here
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2020, 06:01:14 AM »
Here’s another one that explains how the preps are made and a apothecary farm tour.  His results are what we noticed when we first started using the preps. An apothecary for the soil. Health and fertility.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxJrpXReduQ


« Last Edit: January 02, 2020, 06:11:55 AM by Frog Valley Farm »

Mike T

  • Zone 12a
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9012
  • Cairns,Nth Qld, Australia
    • Zone 12a
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #2 on: January 02, 2020, 06:36:14 AM »
I think that bringing in the external nutrients in a diversity of bulk natural products that can be composted so soil gets healthy and fertile is a great message. The emphasis on planetary forces, blessings, female cow horns filled with manure planted on the equinox in specific moon phases might hinder the uptake or obscure the success of biodynamics for some.

Frog Valley Farm

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 577
  • Messages have been disabled here
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2020, 06:01:15 AM »
I think that bringing in the external nutrients in a diversity of bulk natural products that can be composted so soil gets healthy and fertile is a great message. The emphasis on planetary forces, blessings, female cow horns filled with manure planted on the equinox in specific moon phases might hinder the uptake or obscure the success of biodynamics for some.
I totally agree.  Our Biodynamic Farming system is very basic and easy to understand.  I do like how Biodynamic farming inspired this artist to become a farmer who created his own modified Biodynamic Farming system.

I especially like this farmers comment towards the end. “It’s kinda ironic that organic/Biodynamic produce has to be tested for chemical residues but industrial grown produce isn’t tested for any”. Copper sulfate has been used as a murder weapon.  Seems a little backwards to me.  Eat it up, they can make a pill for what ails you.  What a formula 🤑

« Last Edit: January 03, 2020, 09:27:15 AM by Frog Valley Farm »

skhan

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2274
    • United States, Florida, Coral Springs, 10b
    • View Profile
    • Videos of Garden
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2020, 10:40:12 AM »
I think that bringing in the external nutrients in a diversity of bulk natural products that can be composted so soil gets healthy and fertile is a great message. The emphasis on planetary forces, blessings, female cow horns filled with manure planted on the equinox in specific moon phases might hinder the uptake or obscure the success of biodynamics for some.

I watched a good bit of both and while some of the techniques have me scratching my head I do 100 percent agree that soil itself should be treated life a living thing and we should take the time to build it.

EddieF

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 394
    • s.e. florida
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2020, 12:26:02 PM »
Well, for someone like myself who'll be planting a few mango trees in the coming months on unfarmed wooded soon to be cleared & mulched small lot, what's my best first step for minimal man made fertilizers?

Bush2Beach

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2141
    • Santa Cruz, California Sunset Zone 17
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2020, 01:17:45 PM »
The moon cycle and tides seem more math than magic and an important “grey” area to pay attention to when farming. While I have not practiced more of the nuanced, far out grey area’s of cultivation. I have heard about or read about successes I would never have believed possible . There is always more to learn about farming and how to take care of the plot of earth you are farming.

Frog Valley Farm

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 577
  • Messages have been disabled here
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #7 on: January 06, 2020, 05:27:13 AM »
Well, for someone like myself who'll be planting a few mango trees in the coming months on unfarmed wooded soon to be cleared & mulched small lot, what's my best first step for minimal man made fertilizers?
Organic farming is driven by carbon.  Keep and put all the carbon you kill (pepper trees) on the ground, line your trails with logs.  Leave the leaves and plant as much diversity by covering the orchard floor with a variety of different plants.  These practices are organic sustain life and require no other fertilizer.  Organic sprays like earthworm casting done as much as possible will add the life that degrades your carbon into plant fertilizer in the perfect amounts for all plants.  A variety of your own homemade biological teas like cow manure compost tea and boiled Moringa tea sprayed on everything will add to your biological nutrient pool of life that is you and your plants.  Just one spraying is enough but do it until you see it glowing with life then you can stop and focus on your cut and drop from your own homegrown carbon.  No synthetic feritilizer or other chemical pollutants needed ever.  Follow 5 soil health principles.  Works great in Florida for all of life, keep your carbon.













Carbon is food for life.
« Last Edit: January 06, 2020, 07:37:12 AM by Frog Valley Farm »

roblack

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3008
    • Miami, FL 11A
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #8 on: January 06, 2020, 10:09:14 AM »
beautiful, and well said.

gotta train my landscapers, again

pineislander

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2199
    • Bokeelia, FL
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2020, 05:21:22 PM »
Organic farming is driven by carbon.  Keep and put all the carbon you kill (pepper trees) on the ground, line your trails with logs.

Be aware that Brazil Pepper fresh cut logs can resprout if stacked on moist soil in shade or covered with mulch. I've had it happen and had to uproot them and turn over a few times till they lost their energy. Moringa logs are the same but I let them go.



EddieF

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 394
    • s.e. florida
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2020, 05:47:10 PM »
Had visions of park paths lined with logs all morning lol.
Yes pep trees are in a class of their own.  They'll outlive humans.
Only signs of pep trees i remove will remain is tiny little mulched pieces..or they'll grow back & attack me.
Wednesday the lot prep begins.  It's standard 1/4 acre residential.
After I establish property line privacy wall of areca palms 10' high in a few years, i'll clear more & have him shoot the chipper in a pile somewhere for future use, not into his truck.
The earth should be good as is without much help from fert hopefully for mango trees at first.

Edit- frog, beautiful.
« Last Edit: January 06, 2020, 05:48:47 PM by EddieF »

pineislander

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2199
    • Bokeelia, FL
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #11 on: January 07, 2020, 07:23:35 AM »
A pest was just released on Brazil pepper down south. They say it only affects pepper. It slows it down by damaging the tips.
https://www.npr.org/2019/10/30/774415087/florida-researchers-use-pests-to-help-control-pesky-brazilian-peppertree-plant

EddieF

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 394
    • s.e. florida
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #12 on: January 07, 2020, 07:53:59 AM »
Quote from that article-

On a cattle ranch near Fort Pierce, a team from the University of Florida recently released 1,500 tiny insects called thrips, or Pseudophilothrips ichini.
"That is the biological control for the Brazilian pepper," Kate Rotindo said.

Edit- i'll start a thrips thread because this is by no means pleasant as thread title.
Thanks Pine for link.
« Last Edit: January 08, 2020, 09:44:35 PM by EddieF »

EddieF

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 394
    • s.e. florida
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #13 on: January 08, 2020, 10:01:27 PM »
2 Pepper trees today i had removed, put in chipper & stumps ground..
Tree was reddish & pink inside.  If i can have him shovel 2 garbage pails of fresh cut pine chips tomorrow from chipper i will.  I'd have him shoot it all right back on land if i was on farm not residential.
Carbon, everything really that created all that wood i'm removing.
Next yeat if possible, i'll try to setup for it all to get spread back ontop when i chip more.

Frog Valley Farm

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 577
  • Messages have been disabled here
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #14 on: January 09, 2020, 09:12:14 AM »
The carbon is great but you really want the microbiology, to kick it into high gear compost teas should be sprayed.  Finding the best compost you can find is extremely important.  The Josephine Porter Institute undoubtedly has the best compost that is commercially available in my opinion.  It is what I used to get our farm Demeter certified since we did not have any cows.  I would get the BC compound Spray for $8.00 and follow up with the X500 spray 3 mos. later for $9.00. Of course you can go all out and make and use compost preps (502-507), horn silica (501) and (508).  You will spray everything but Annona Fruits.  I get the pre potenized 500x so I only have to stir for 20 mins rather than 1 hour.  I sprayed biodynamic compost tea and other biological homemade teas 5 days a week for a couple of years but that was probably overkill and boring as #$%.  Once every 3 mos.might be sufficient, you cannot over apply organic compost tea and we mix them together now rather than apply each one at a time (except Biodynamic Preps).  We do believe and follow the lunar calendar and if cutting trees down do it according to the lunar cycle so they will not regrow and leave the stump in ground undisturbed so as not to kill the microbial life in the rhizosphere.  Planting next to the rootball of the cut down tree will be beneficial to your fruit tree.  Don’t mow and follow five soil health principals.

https://jpibiodynamics.org/collections/biodynamic-preparations

You will notice humus formation within two weeks under healthy conditions.  We went from white sand to black sandy loam within 2 years with our living undisturbed biodiverse mulch (grass weeds legumes).  Simply amazing results.



« Last Edit: January 09, 2020, 09:51:22 AM by Frog Valley Farm »

Frog Valley Farm

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 577
  • Messages have been disabled here
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #15 on: January 17, 2020, 04:37:58 PM »
We just had our Demeter USA farm inspection today.  Four hours long, ugh, we passed.  The first Biodynamic certified multi species rare tropical fruit farm.  Finally we can order signs and start selling fruit, seeds plants.  What a long and tedious process.  We also had our annual Organic Certification on Farm inspection this past Wednesday it was 2 hours.  We passed that.  The Organic Inspector said this was the most organic farm he has ever visited, lol.



Biodynamic and Organic Certified Fruit
Frog Valley Tropical Fruit Farm

1.      Annonaceae diversifolia (Ilama)
2.      Annonaceae muricata (Soursop)
3.      Annonaceae squamosa x Annona cherimoya (attemoya)
4.      Annonaceae reticulata (Custard Apple)
5.      Annonaceae squamosa (Sugar Apple)
6.      Anacardium occidentale (Cashew)
7.      Artocarppus heterophyllus (Jack Fruit)
8.      Artocarpus hypargyreus (Kwai muk)
9.      Averrhoa carambola (Star Fruit)
10.      Bouea macrophylla (Maprang)
11.      Cocos nuciferas (coconut)
12.      Casimiroa edulis (White Sapote)
13.      Chrysophyllum cainito (Star Apple)
14.      Citrus australasica (Fingerlime)
15.      Citrus auratum (Sweet Orange)
16.      Citrus japonica (Kumquat)
17.      Citrus x limon (lemon)
18.      Dimocarpus longan (Longan)
19.      Diospyros nigra (Chocolate pudding fruit)
20.      Eugenia luschnathiana (Pitomba)
21.      Garcinia acuminata. (Charichuelo)
22.      Garcinia dulcis (Yellow Mangosteen)
23.      Garcinia gardneriana (bacupari)
24.      Garcinia hombromiana
25.      Garcinia sp. humilis/macrophylla? (Bolivian Mangosteen/Achachiru)
26.      Garcinia intermedia (lemon Drop Mangosteen)
27.      Garcinia livingstonei (Imbe)
28.      Garcinia sp. (Luc’s or limoncillo)
29.      Garcinia sp. madruno ? (charichuelo)
30.      Garcinia magnifolia (Charichirulo))
31.      Hylocereus undatus (Dragon Fruit)
32.      Inga cinimoneae (ice cream bean)
33.      Inga feuilleel  (Ice Cream Bean)
34.      Inga spectabilis (ice Cream Bean)
35.      Litchi Chinensis (Lychee)
36.      Manilkara zapote (Sapodilla)
37.      Magnifera Indica (Mango)
38.      Melicoccus bjugatus (Spanish Lime)
39.      Musa accuminata x balbisiana ( Blue Java or Ice Cream Banana)
40.      Plinia cauliflora x aureana (Red Jaboticaba)
41.      Pouteria campechiana (Egg Fruit)
42.      Pouteria sp (Ross Sapote)
43.      Psidium guajava (Guava)
44.      Rollinia deliciosa (Biriba)
45.      Sandoricum koetjape (Santol)
46.      Syzgium samarangense (Wax Jambu)
47.      Tamarindus indicus    (Tamarind)
48.      Theobrama cacao (Cocoa)
49.      Moringa oleifera

Mango Varieties Frog Valley Farm 264 Mango Trees
Angie         
Bagnapali.          
Butter Cream   
Carrie            
Cac               
Coconut Cream      
Cogshall            
Cotton Candy      
Dot               
Diamond            
Edgar               
Fairchild            
Florigon            
Fruit Punch         
Gary               
Guava            
Honey Kiss      
Ice Cream      
Juicy Peach         
Juliette            
Kathy            
Kesar               
Keo Savoy         
Lancetilla         
Lemon Zest         
Lil Gem            
Maya Chandon      
Malika            
All Summer         
M4                  
Nam Doc Mai      
Orange Essence   
Orange Sherbert   
O15               
Peach Cobbler      
Pickering            
Pina Collada         
Pineapple Pleasure   
Son Pari            
Sugar loaf.          
Super Julie   
Sweet Tart         
Tara Lay            
Triple Sec            
Ugly Betty      
Val Carrie         
Valencia Pride      
Venus               
White Pirie         
Zill      

            


« Last Edit: January 17, 2020, 06:49:47 PM by Frog Valley Farm »

simon_grow

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6729
  • USA, San Diego, CA, Zone 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #16 on: January 17, 2020, 06:06:48 PM »
Congratulations! That’s awesome. It seems like a lot of work but well worth it in the end.

Simon

EddieF

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 394
    • s.e. florida
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #17 on: January 17, 2020, 07:29:01 PM »
Yes Congrats! Good job!  My next trip to Sebastian might require a stop in Vero :)

JoeP450

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 933
  • Mahaha Chinook
    • Palm City FL
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #18 on: January 17, 2020, 09:36:15 PM »
Congrats Eric! Looking forward to visiting again in the future and seeing all the progress. 👍





(Pic of me in front of the epic dragon fruit stump)

-Joe

Frog Valley Farm

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 577
  • Messages have been disabled here
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #19 on: January 19, 2020, 06:57:25 AM »
My periodic farm tours to curious members from the TFF was excellent practice for the on farm inspections.  The biodynamic inspector would like me to teach more. Thanks everyone for all the knowledge and kind and unkind words from TFF members.  We couldn’t have done it without you.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2020, 06:59:25 AM by Frog Valley Farm »

roblack

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3008
    • Miami, FL 11A
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #20 on: January 19, 2020, 02:20:39 PM »
Congratulations!

Love what you are doing up there, hope to have a tour soon.

Bush2Beach

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2141
    • Santa Cruz, California Sunset Zone 17
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #21 on: January 20, 2020, 02:10:47 PM »
Respect. Well done.

Frog Valley Farm

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 577
  • Messages have been disabled here
    • View Profile
Re: Biodynamic Farming
« Reply #22 on: January 22, 2020, 12:10:35 PM »
Uh oh, I thought we were completely done after the on farm inspection.  I just got an email saying my information now all goes to the evaluation circle for final review and they give the final decision.  Way more complicated than the USDA Organic certification process.  Sorry I jumped the gun.  Should know within two weeks if we are to be biodynamic certified. 
« Last Edit: January 22, 2020, 12:36:18 PM by Frog Valley Farm »