Pfeiffer compost starter, the Pfeiffer preparation
The Pfeiffer starter is an inoculant that Ehrenfried Pfeiffer developed in the 1930s from microbial strains of soil, horn manure and compost preparations. It is scattered, watered on or sprayed, into soil and compost.
What is the Pfeiffer starter?
The Pfeiffer starter, often also called the Pfeiffer preparation or BD compost starter, is an inoculant for soil and compost. In the 1930s Ehrenfried Pfeiffer selected and multiplied 56 microbial strains from the soil, the horn manure preparation and the compost preparations. The preparation was made from them (Wistinghausen et al., application, ch. 5.5).
It is used to advance the development of soil organisms in soil and decomposable material, and with it the formation of a crumb structure.
Making and using it
The microbial cultures are multiplied in compost heaps, then dried and stored. The starter is applied dry or dissolved in water, scattered, watered on or sprayed (Wistinghausen et al., application, ch. 5.5).
The Pfeiffer starter is one of the later developments of the biodynamic movement, like barrel compost and the Mäusdorfer Rottelenker. It does not yet appear in the Agriculture Course of 1924.
Frequently asked questions about the Pfeiffer starter
Who developed the Pfeiffer starter?
Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, in the 1930s, from 56 microbial strains of soil, horn manure and compost preparations.
How is the Pfeiffer starter used?
Scattered dry, or dissolved in water and watered on or sprayed, into soil, compost and decomposable material.