Biodynamic preparations in wet conditions and waterlogging

Waterlogged fields, fungal pressure in wet springs, crumbs washed away by heavy rain: a destabilised climate brings not only drought but its opposite as well. Whether soil and plants can cope with a lot of water depends on how consistently the farm works biodynamically. The most important answer to wet conditions therefore does not lie in the spray barrel during the rain, but in the months before — in building the soil, in compost work and in the quality of every single application of the preparations. Walter Stappung, author of Die Düngerpräparate Rudolf Steiners — Herstellung und Anwendung (Rudolf Steiner's fertiliser preparations — making and application), sums it up in one question: "Are you working biodynamically, or just doing Demeter?"

Everything is decided before the wet: a permeable soil

The most effective protection against wet conditions is a soil that takes up water and releases it again instead of holding it back. According to Walter Stappung, consistently applied preparations make the soil structure more stable and more permeable to water. Horn manure 500 stimulates soil life and encourages rooting; the compost preparations — brought to the land through the compost and through the barrel compost — support the formation of humus and clay minerals. A humus-rich, well-rooted soil with plenty of fungal mycelium behaves quite differently in the wet from a compacted one: it absorbs rainfall, holds its crumbs together and lets surplus water drain downwards.

This very connection is documented in biodynamic practice. Soil fungi stabilise the humus crumbs and protect them from being washed away — an observation Stappung describes using the example of potato fields treated with the preparations. Where soil life is missing, the structure breaks down in heavy rain, water stands and the roots suffocate for lack of oxygen. Where it holds, the soil cushions both climatic extremes. More on this in the glossary entry on humus.

This leads to an uncomfortable conclusion: in the short term, little can be done against acute wetness. What counts is the groundwork over years. The following sections describe the levers — from compost and the quality of application to the acute measure when fungal pressure threatens.

Compost is the lever — and what goes into it matters

Stappung names compost as the central point, and he pins it to a specific scene: a farm visit, a road, the farm on the right, a wooded ravine on the left, the whole bank decorated with heaps of old hay and woody prunings. His verdict is brief: that belongs in the compost. Bring the shredder and the compost yard. What lies around the edges as waste is material for humus formation — and humus is the basis of a permeable soil.

With woody prunings it is worth looking closely at the why. Woody material brings lignin and important minerals into the compost. Both matter for the formation of stable humus: lignin is a precursor of durable humic substances, and the minerals become part of the clay–humus complex that stores water and gives structure. A compost made only of green material rots quickly and fleetingly; a compost with a woody share builds long-term soil structure.

Hedges play a double role in this logic. They influence the microclimate — calming wind, providing shade, affecting how quickly things dry — and at the same time supply the prunings for the compost. Whoever looks after hedges gains a climate buffer and raw material for humus in one. The compost preparations speed up the conversion and bring order to the rotting process; details on the six compost preparations can be found under compost preparations.

Water and stirring: the underestimated lever

According to Stappung, this is where most farms give away effect. Three factors help decide whether a preparation carries or is only applied as a formality.

First, water quality. Rainwater is preferable for stirring horn manure — water that is as alive as possible, not chlorinated tap water. Horn silica 501 is considered less delicate in this respect than horn manure. Second, temperature: the water is warmed before the horn manure is stirred. On this point there is a much-quoted piece of experience — a colleague stirred horn manure with warmed rainwater for the first time and afterwards had no more erosion rills in the field. That is an observation, not proof of effect, but it shows how much weight careful work can carry.

Third, stirring intensity. The water must be stirred vigorously: a vortex that reaches down to the bottom, then breaking it into chaos, then the vortex in the other direction — and that for the full stirring time. Stappung warns against the opposite: carrying out the preparation with big "brute-force pots", where the water is only stroked a little instead of really stirred. With large barrels this becomes a question of design — do the stirring machine and the geometry actually manage a clean vortex, or does only the surface move? Anyone who works carelessly here applies a preparation that hardly deserves the name.

Across the whole farm, not only on the Demeter fields

Stappung's consistent line: if you work biodynamically, then on the whole farm. Using the preparations only where certified Demeter produce grows and leaving out the rest halves the effect. The soil knows no field boundaries; the soil life that buffers wet conditions builds up across the whole area or not at all. Half an application means half the effect — and it is exactly this half-heartedness that Stappung's question about the difference between working biodynamically and "doing Demeter" refers to.

This includes the question of how often the preparations are applied and in what quality they were made. Stappung draws a clear line between preparations based on practical experience and those that arise from reasoning with no connection to practice, but with a great deal of ideological superstructure instead. The effect differs accordingly. For dealing with wet conditions this means: it is not the existence of a preparation in the cupboard that counts, but the chain of good making, clean stirring and consistent application over the whole area.

Acute when wet weather threatens: horsetail 508

When the groundwork is in place, sensitive crops can be protected with the horsetail decoction (Equisetum arvense, preparation 508) — preventively, not only at the first visible fungal infection. This matches the evidence in the corpus: according to Wistinghausen, the horsetail preparation has an ordering effect on soil life and plant growth. "Rampant life, which can be experienced especially in wet years or seasons, is put back within its limits." Steiner recommends it as a prophylactic against fungal diseases — that is, preventively, in autumn and spring, sprayed two to four times on the soil and on plants at risk when fungal pressure is expected. Short thaw periods are considered good application windows; the preparation can even be sprayed onto snow. Wistinghausen describes the exact quantities and the preparation of the decoction in detail.

With horn silica, restraint is called for in wet, low-light phases. Horn silica strengthens the effect of light and ripening — in cold wet weather with little light, that is not automatically what the crop needs. Here it is a matter of judging with good sense, rather than reflexively spraying 501 against every problem. Horsetail and horn silica both work through the silica process; in the wet phase the ordering, drying side comes to the fore, not the additional impulse of light. More on the two preparations under horsetail preparation 508 and horn silica 501.

Compost management in wet conditions

What applies to the soil applies to the compost itself: standing water is its enemy. A waterlogged heap putrefies instead of rotting and loses its value. The site should therefore be raised or laid out so that surplus water can drain away — if necessary via drainage, as is also recommended for the places where the preparations are buried. That waterlogging directly sabotages biodynamic work can be seen with horn manure: if the horn lies too wet in the ground, the preparation shows no effect. Here wetness is not an abstract risk but a concrete killer of effect.

The mix of materials helps against waterlogging from within. Old hay and woody prunings loosen the heap, create air channels and stop the mass from slumping and compacting. Regular turning keeps aeration going and supports microbial conversion. The compost preparations bring order to the process and stabilise the material. This is how the humus forms that in the end makes the soil in the field permeable — the circle closes.

Frequently asked questions

What helps biodynamically against waterlogging?

In the long term, a permeable, humus-rich soil, built up through consistent preparation work across the whole farm and good compost. In the acute case there is little that can be sprayed against waterlogging — the effect comes from groundwork over years. For the compost itself: a raised site, drainage and a mix rich in structure.

When is horsetail 508 sprayed in wet conditions?

Preventively, not only at the first fungal infection. According to Wistinghausen, in autumn and spring when fungal pressure is expected, two to four times on the soil and on plants at risk, preferably in short thaw periods. The preparation has an ordering effect and puts "rampant life" back within its limits in wet phases.

Why warm rainwater for stirring?

Rainwater is more alive than chlorinated tap water, and warming it supports microbiological activity when stirring horn manure. Stappung counts water quality, water temperature and stirring intensity among the decisive levers for effectiveness.

Is it enough to use the preparations only on the Demeter fields?

According to Stappung, no. The soil life that buffers wet conditions builds up across the whole area. Half an application means half the effect — working biodynamically means working across the whole farm.

Conclusion

In wet conditions, the groundwork decides, not the spray barrel in the rain. A permeable, humus-rich soil absorbs water and holds its crumbs together; it is built up through consistent preparation work across the whole farm and good compost with a woody share. Quality matters — water, temperature and stirring intensity are not side issues. In the acute case, the horsetail decoction provides preventive protection against fungal pressure, while horn silica is used with care in cold, wet weather. In this way soil and crops come through wet phases — just as, conversely, they also cope better with drought.