In warmer regions, during the month of April, unearth BD500, chamomile, dandelion and oak bark preparations.  Make yarrow, bladder and BD501 preparations.

During May and June, collect chamomile, dandelion flowers and stinging nettle to prepare for making autumn preparations.

Collect valerian flowers on flower days usually during July in order to make BD507 preparations. 
Spray BD507 on compost at the time it is to be applied to fields to enhance the release of phosphorus, thereby encouraging plant growth.

Dry yarrow flowers in late summer for making BD502 the following spring.

During September, collect cow horns and other ingredients for making BD preparations.
During October, prepare to make Horn Manure preparation as well as chamomile, dandelion, oak bark and stinging nettle preparations.  Bury yarrow and bladder preparations.  Unearth stinging nettle preparation and BD501.

Whenever there is a descending Full Moon combined with a lunar perigee (Moon closest to Earth), spray atmospheric preparations on fruiting vegetables and trees to compensate watery forces. 
To deter fungal growth in wet weather, consider spraying fresh Equisetum tea (BD508).
At the beginning of the plant’s growth and just before harvest, apply BD500 during a descending Moon around sunset when the soil is still warm.

Apply BD501 during an ascending moon around sunrise at the beginning of the plant’s growth and just before harvest.  Also apply BD501 at sunrise when the Moon is conjunct Saturn to minimize fungal attacks and improve quality.

Spray BD508 just prior to a Full Moon in perigee as a fungal control.  These lunar conditions are stressful times which bring watery influences to Earth leading to fungal attacks, especially in warm weather.

Descending lunar periods encourage an increased vitality within the soil making it appropriate for activities like the spraying of BD500 preparation and for making compost.

The best times for burning skins used in peppering is when Venus is in Scorpio and behind the Sun in an superior conjunction.  This alignment may only occur every two years.

Make and apply the Three King’s Preparation during the first week of January.  From mid-January to mid-February, the mineral world becomes very receptive to crystallizing forces coming in from the Cosmos via the outer planets—Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.  Rays of energy are received by Earth, releasing forces important for plant growth which, during the rest of the year is bound up in the rocks and minerals.― R. Steiner.

The gravitational pull of the moon may affect more than just the rise and fall of the oceans; scientists believe plants respond too. Through observation, they’ve noticed some plants’ leaves wave up and down at night, and this “leaftide” seems to correspond with gravitational changes.

One researcher calls it the "leaftide"

Tree in moonlight - A hawthorn tree in the moonlight (Robert Canis/Frank Lane Picture Library/Corbis)

By Marissa Fessenden
Reference: smithsonian.com 
August 19, 2015

Plants typically move too slowly or too subtly for the unaided human eye to appreciate. Instead, we rely on time-lapse photography to reveal their waving branches, unfurling tendrils and grasping vines. But most of those movements are solely initiated by the plants themselves. Now at least one scientist thinks there is an outside influence tugging on the Earth’s vegetation.

The gravitational pull of the Moon doesn’t just cause the ocean to rise and fall, plants wave their leaves in response to the Moon, reports Jacob Aron for New Scientist. Peter Barlow of the University of Bristol, U.K., decided to investigate why some plants’ leaves wave up and down even when they grow at night (many day-growing plants have a similar dance in response to light levels, see these tomato seedlings nodding and bowing as they stretch taller). 

Barlow looked at data about bean plants from1920s to today and matched leave movements with estimates of the local gravitational pull of the Moon at the time. The motions corresponded well with the gravitational changes, he reports in Annals of Botany. Furthermore, plants on the International Space Station showed a 90-minute cycle that lined up with the 90-minute orbit and changing position relative to the Moon. 

Aron writes that the movement of water within the plant might be responsible:

Ocean tides are produced by a combination of the sun and moon’s gravity and Earth’s rotation, creating bulges of water on opposite sides of the planet. For plants, Barlow says water movement in the pulvinus, the “joint” where leaf meets stem, could be responsible.

Other researchers point out that the influences of temperature changes and plants' own internal circadian clock may actually overpower any minute tugs on plants’ water. However, the possibility that Earth experiences a "leaftide" is just romantic enough for us to wish for it to be true.

Repost of Article - Source:  http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/smart-news/plants-move-moon-just-oceans-do-tides-180956311/

Like many other aspects in the biodynamic approach to agriculture, there is no one single pre-determined path towards deeper understanding of the essence of seed regeneration. In fact, the journey into this topic seems quite complex at first and individuals must choose what they need to take from the discussion. More importantly, it is wise to rely on one’s own understanding based on personal experience and observations. Our goal here is to briefly introduce several perspectives and raise awareness around basic principles and tools for developing self-knowledge on this subject. 

Decreased Vitality

During the early part of the 1900s, as the industrial era was becoming visibly dominant in Europe, Rudolf Steiner was in close communications with farmers in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. These men observed how there was a distinct trend towards deteriorating viability and vitality of food crops. It was from this need to revitalize the land and the crops that Steiner delivered his eight lectures on agriculture. The lectures were meant as a basis to further research and understanding, not as a final piece of work. 

Martin and George Wilhelm Schmidt

One of the early pioneers who picked up where Steiner left off was the German farmer and researcher, Martin Schmidt. He was affiliated with the Natural Science Section of the Goetheanum near Basel, Switzerland. Schmidt applied the usual organic practices as well as the biodynamic spray preparations, and he also meticulously took seeds out of each head of rye, one at a time, and recorded where on the head of rye each seed had come from. The next generation of rye was then examined to determine whether any differences had occurred from plant to plant. The best plants were then subjected to the same careful sorting and the experimentation process continued. Martin’s son, George Wilhelm Schmidt, joined in this work and gradually the patterns began to emerge.  

Seeding Time Determines Cosmic Influences

One key aspect of the Schmidt research was the realization that planetary alignment at the moment of placing the seed in the ground played a crucial role in overall plant vitality. The first soil contact at seeding time determines the etheric influence. These men went on to conclude that when the Moon plus one or two planets were in the same part of the Zodiac at the time of planting, their combined energetic influence greatly added to a predictable outcome. Warmth forces brought nutritional quality; light forces brought disease resistance; earth forces brought yield increase and water forces helped germination rates. 

By working in harmony with these natural rhythms, gained through many decades of observation, the Schmidt family have been able to develop among other things seed strains that are resistant to drought.

Enzo Nastati’s Teachings

The second and perhaps even more complex discussion of biodynamic seed regeneration is the research under taken by Enzo Nastati in Italy. In his 1999 book, The Regeneration of Seeds and New Plants, Nastati acknowledges how Mother Nature is losing her vitality partly due to what humans have done to the environment and plant breeding, but also due to the Earth’s own evolutionary path. While Nastati brings a Christian interpretation to his understanding around the nature of etheric forces, his reasoning is focused on the role of the constellations and their spiritual connection with plants. 

Seed Baths

Rather than wait for an auspicious moment when the planets are aligned in constellations that ensure optimal cosmic forces, Nastati uses seed baths made with the appropriate biodynamic preparations to bring in these desired transformative forces. These biodynamic preparations play a mediating role between the spiritual realms and the physical one. 

Twelve Plant Stages

Nastati goes on to elaborate on his explaination that there are 12 stages of plant development, not just the four stages of root, leaf, flower and fruit. Each of these stages correspond to a constellation in the Zodiac: Aries, Taurus and Gemini influence the vegetative forces; Cancer, Leo and Virgo influence the nutritional value; Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius gather the forces of dissolution and death; and Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces act on the process of incarnation. Thus, the Zodiac represents a cycle during which the form becomes manifest, withdraws, is concealed and is preserved. 

Seed Quality

In terms of assessing seed quality, Nastati considers not only the planetary and astrological situation at the time of planting, but also the mood of the farmer at the time of sowing, and whether the plant producing the seed was grown within range of harmful electromagnetic energy fields. 

In summary, while the most direct way to activate the connection with the inner and outer planets is through the use of the planting calendar, the use of biodynamic preparations in the form of seed baths is often more convenient and allows for greater flexibility. 

Note: Reinhard Rosch in Eastern Ontario is in the process of translating the German text, Methods of Seed Regeneration According to George Wilhelm Schmidt. This English translation will be available on our calendar web site. Copies of The Regeneration of Seeds and New Plants by Enzo Nastati is available through Mark Moodie Publications.

“The Earth is a living organism, but life originates from the Cosmos. In the light of this it becomes necessary to implement all the measures that foster communication between Earth and the Cosmos.”  — Enzo Nastati  

Article by Rosemary Tayler and Cesar Gomez, Celestial Planting Calendar 2015

Enabling the Flow of Life Forces in Nature

Like many other aspects in the biodynamic approach to agriculture, there is no one single pre-determined path towards deeper understanding of the essence of seed regeneration. In fact, the journey into this topic seems quite complex at first and individuals must choose what they need to take from the discussion. More importantly, it is wise to rely on one’s own understanding based on personal experience and observations. Our goal here is to briefly introduce several perspectives and raise awareness around basic principles and tools for developing self-knowledge on this subject. 

Decreased Vitality

During the early part of the 1900s, as the industrial era was becoming visibly dominant in Europe, Rudolf Steiner was in close communications with farmers in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. These men observed how there was a distinct trend towards deteriorating viability and vitality of food crops. It was from this need to revitalize the land and the crops that Steiner delivered his eight lectures on agriculture. The lectures were meant as a basis to further research and understanding, not as a final piece of work. 

Martin and George Wilhelm Schmidt

One of the early pioneers who picked up where Steiner left off was the German farmer and researcher, Martin Schmidt. He was affiliated with the Natural Science Section of the Goetheanum near Basel, Switzerland. Schmidt applied the usual organic practices as well as the biodynamic spray preparations, and he also meticulously took seeds out of each head of rye, one at a time, and recorded where on the head of rye each seed had come from. The next generation of rye was then examined to determine whether any differences had occurred from plant to plant. The best plants were then subjected to the same careful sorting and the experimentation process continued. Martin’s son, George Wilhelm Schmidt, joined in this work and gradually the patterns began to emerge.  

Seeding Time Determines Cosmic Influences

One key aspect of the Schmidt research was the realization that planetary alignment at the moment of placing the seed in the ground played a crucial role in overall plant vitality. The first soil contact at seeding time determines the etheric influence. These men went on to conclude that when the Moon plus one or two planets were in the same part of the Zodiac at the time of planting, their combined energetic influence greatly added to a predictable outcome. Warmth forces brought nutritional quality; light forces brought disease resistance; earth forces brought yield increase and water forces helped germination rates. 

By working in harmony with these natural rhythms, gained through many decades of observation, the Schmidt family have been able to develop among other things seed strains that are resistant to drought.

Enzo Nastati’s Teachings

The second and perhaps even more complex discussion of biodynamic seed regeneration is the research under taken by Enzo Nastati in Italy. In his 1999 book, The Regeneration of Seeds and New Plants, Nastati acknowledges how Mother Nature is losing her vitality partly due to what humans have done to the environment and plant breeding, but also due to the Earth’s own evolutionary path. While Nastati brings a Christian interpretation to his understanding around the nature of etheric forces, his reasoning is focused on the role of the constellations and their spiritual connection with plants. 

Seed Baths

Rather than wait for an auspicious moment when the planets are aligned in constellations that ensure optimal cosmic forces, Nastati uses seed baths made with the appropriate biodynamic preparations to bring in these desired transformative forces. These biodynamic preparations play a mediating role between the spiritual realms and the physical one. 

Twelve Plant Stages

Nastati goes on to elaborate on his explaination that there are 12 stages of plant development, not just the four stages of root, leaf, flower and fruit. Each of these stages correspond to a constellation in the Zodiac: Aries, Taurus and Gemini influence the vegetative forces; Cancer, Leo and Virgo influence the nutritional value; Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius gather the forces of dissolution and death; and Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces act on the process of incarnation. Thus, the Zodiac represents a cycle during which the form becomes manifest, withdraws, is concealed and is preserved. 

Seed Quality

In terms of assessing seed quality, Nastati considers not only the planetary and astrological situation at the time of planting, but also the mood of the farmer at the time of sowing, and whether the plant producing the seed was grown within range of harmful electromagnetic energy fields. 

In summary, while the most direct way to activate the connection with the inner and outer planets is through the use of the planting calendar, the use of biodynamic preparations in the form of seed baths is often more convenient and allows for greater flexibility. 

Note: Both German and English as well as a shorter French translation of the Schmidt article can be downloaded from this website.  CLICK HERE

Article written by Rosemary Tayler and Cesar Gomez, Celestial Planting Calendar 2015