Preparations by the moon: when horn manure, when horn silica

Horn manure: descending moon, root day, evening

Horn manure (500) works through soil and root. Those who follow the calendar place it in the descending moon, ideally on a root day. In the picture of biodynamic practice, the forces then draw into soil and root.

Pierre Masson stirs horn manure only in the evening, not before 5 pm, in winter time not before 4 pm. It is sprayed straight afterwards in coarse drops onto the soil. Christian von Wistinghausen and his co-authors name the afternoon and evening under a slightly overcast sky.

The season decides first. Horn manure goes out in spring from late March to early May and in autumn from mid-August to late October, as long as the soil is warm and moist. In warmer regions spring starts earlier and autumn ends later.

Horn silica: ascending moon, day type by crop, morning

Horn silica (501) works through light and ripening. It is preferably applied in the ascending moon and on the day type that suits the crop: leaf days for leafy vegetables, fruit days for fruit, vines and fruiting vegetables, root days for beet shortly before harvest.

Masson sprays just after sunrise, ideally before eight o’clock, at no more than 22 degrees. From the start of ripening the spraying time moves to the afternoon. In orchards and vineyards he describes three sprays about eight days apart, each when the moon passes through the constellations of the fruit trigon.

For the resilience of the leaves, Wistinghausen recommends rhythmic spraying: on three days in a row at the same time of day, repeated after two to three weeks.

Horsetail before full moon

Field horsetail (508) is sprayed to prevent fungal diseases. In the lunar calendar the two days before full moon count as the best time (Masson 2015, following Harald Kabisch). Spray in the morning in clear weather.

If the moon is at perigee close to full moon, the time is considered favourable for fungi. Then the preventive spray is particularly worthwhile.

Barrel compost and compost preparations

Barrel compost (cow pat pit) is applied like horn manure, in the evening in coarse drops onto the soil. Three sprays from the same stirring work best. Thun and Throll recommend evening, morning, evening, or three days in a row. Those who work with constellations place the three sprays in one trigon.

Masson builds compost in spring from March to May in the descending moon and inserts the compost preparations. Ripe compost is best spread in autumn, from the descending moon in August until the end of November.

When not to spray

No spraying for some hours before and after a lunar node and during eclipses (Masson). The lists above give these hours with times, along with perigee, occultations and the Easter days. The calendar does not block full or new moon.

Horn silica is not sprayed on plants suffering from drought, because it increases evaporation (Masson). Horn manure is not sprayed when night frost threatens.

How often a year

The Demeter standards require horn manure and horn silica at least once a year on all land (chapter II.2.4). Masson names two horn manure sprays, in spring and autumn, as the minimum for a noticeable effect. In the garden three to four horn silica sprays are usual, on the same crop no more than three to four times a year.