Welcome to the blog of Johnathan Grieve.
I am the proprietor of Avondale wine estate, and pioneer of the BioLOGIC® approach to sustainable viticulture. The transformation of Avondale from over-used and abused land into a thriving, robust vineyard ecosystem has been a personal learning journey of more than a decade long. This blog is where I share some of what I have learnt about promoting life on our farm and the wonderful impact this has had on our handcrafted premium quality wines.
Johnathan Grieve
Avondale – Using BD500 and the Dynamising Process
With spring’s arrival we were excited to see how the preparation has transformed from a raw manure to a dark coloured humus with a sweet earthy smell reminiscent of a forest floor. The texture is almost clay-like and sticks together when rolled in one’s hand. White fungal growth called mycelium is a sign of good microbial life. If this is not present, or the preparation still smells of manure, the horns can be returned to the pit, covered and left a little while longer.
What, and Why Biodynamic Preparation BD504
Over the past few months I have been introducing you to the various preparations used in biodynamic farming. This article looks at BD504 or Stinging Nettle preparation, the next of the compost preparations.
Cows & their role in nature’s chain at Avondale
Cows contribute to nature’s chain in several ways; bringing diversity, energy, enzymatic processes and most obviously, manure. We utilise a concentrated grazing system with portable electric fencing; this way we can manage our pastures, get the best quality food for the cattle and make sure we do not get selective- or over-grazing taking place. Our cows graze in our nutrient-rich pastures ensuring they eat when they want and whatever is available, as nature intended. I believe that this leads to happier cows that produce better meat.
What, and Why Biodynamic Preparation BD503?
Human beings have long since used Camomile to aid digestion and relax the soul. It was also used to preserve meat before the advent of refrigeration.
In biodynamic farming, Camomile reduces ammonia in the soil, breaks down organic matter to stabilise nitrogen and increase calcium to create a rich stable humus that increases the health of the soil.
Using Diagnostic Dowsing at Avondale
Can anyone dowse? The key to successful dowsing is belief. Around 97% of the population has the ability to dowse, if they are willing to be open and trust in the practice however the biggest limitation is doubt. Even experienced dowsers will fail if they allow doubt to invade their thoughts.
What, and Why Biodynamic Preparation BD502?
My two previous articles on Biodynamic preparations covered BD500 Horn Manure and BD501 Horn Silica; both of these preparations and BD 508 are applied directly to the vineyard. The next few preparations we are going to look at are known as the compost preparations and consist of BD 502 to 507. These preparations are specifically used in compost production. The first of the compost preparations we will have a look at is BD502, Yarrow preparation.
Harnessing the Power of Nature’s Vortex
As an Earth-friendly system of farming, Biodynamic practices sometimes include mimicking what we find in Nature. Most of the Biodynamic preparations and ferments, with the exception of the compost preparations are diluted with water and dynamised before use. ‘Dynamising’ is the Biodynamic term used to describe the specific stirring of the solution, which is a method that creates the vortices we see in Nature’s free-running waters. So let’s take a minute to look at this process.