Horn manure (500) — a portrait of the soil preparation
A portrait of horn manure (500) — cow manure in a cow horn, its picture of action as the soil preparation, making it and its place in the biodynamic canon.
Horn manure bears the number 500 and, together with horn silica (501), is the most important of the biodynamic field spray preparations. It is the soil preparation: it enlivens soil life, encourages root formation and helps plants take up nutrients and water. This portrait sets out its substance, sheath and picture of action; the right time to apply it is covered in the article Horn manure 500 (timing).
Substance and sheath
Horn manure is made from cow manure that is filled into a cow horn and buried in the earth over winter. The cow horn is not just any packaging but part of the method: Steiner attributes a concentrating effect to the horn's form, which shapes the manure as it matures in the soil. Over winter, the cow manure thus becomes a dark, crumbly, earthy-smelling mass — the finished preparation 500.
Picture of action: the soil impulse
In the biodynamic understanding, horn manure conveys the earthly forces directed towards the root zone. In practice this shows as stimulation of soil life, encouragement of root formation and better uptake of nutrients and water. Horn manure is the counterpart of the light-related horn silica (501) — the two are used together and balance each other.
Making it through the year
The horns filled with cow manure are buried in autumn and mature in the soil over winter; according to Wistinghausen they are dug up from May onwards and roughly cleaned. Until use, the finished preparation is stored cool and moist. The full cycle is shown in the article Making biodynamic preparations in autumn.
Application
Before application, horn manure is dynamised in water for an hour and sprayed within two to three hours if possible — during the descending moon, in the afternoon to evening, onto warm, moist soil. The stirring technique is described in Stirring the preparations, the timing for each crop in the article Horn manure 500 (timing).
Frequently asked questions about horn manure 500
What is horn manure made of?
Cow manure that matures over winter in a cow horn in the earth. The result is a dark, crumbly mass.
What does the horn manure preparation do?
It is the soil preparation: it stimulates soil life and encourages root formation and the uptake of nutrients and water.