Dandelion preparation 506

What is the dandelion preparation (506)?

The dandelion preparation (506) is the fifth of the six compost preparations. Made from the flower heads of the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), which mature over winter in the mesentery of a cow, it is added to compost in the smallest amounts. It is the "silica preparation" of the series: in the biodynamic understanding it mediates the silica finely distributed in the cosmos and makes the plant "sensitive" to its surroundings, so that it draws in the substances it needs from a wide area.

While horn silica 501 lets the principle of silica and light work above ground through the plant, dandelion works from the side of the manure: it is meant to give the soil the ability to take in silica from the atmosphere and the cosmos in the amount needed.

Dandelion as a plant

The dandelion is very adaptable: in shade it forms large, broad leaves and long flower stalks; in sun and in the mountains, fine, narrow leaves and short stalks. It forms a taproot containing milky sap; from the rosette lying flat on the ground, hollow stalks shoot up with tightly closed buds that only open when the dew has gone and the sun is warm. After flowering, the "clock" appears on the arching receptacle: fine, feather-light parachutes (pappus) made of cell tissue containing silica.

It is this silica in the ball of parachutes that makes the dandelion, biodynamically, a special "sense organ for light": just as silica takes on a sensory function in skin and eye, silica and potassium interact in the dandelion. The dandelion makes no special demands on the soil and readily takes over gaps in grassland.

Steiner's description in the Agriculture Course

In the fifth lecture of the Agriculture Course, Steiner called the dandelion an "extraordinary blessing" and "a kind of messenger from heaven": it is "the mediator between the silicic acid finely and homoeopathically distributed in the cosmos and the silicic acid that is actually needed over the whole area". What matters is the interaction between potassium and silicic acid (not calcium) that the dandelion carries within it.

The finished preparation gives the soil "the ability to draw in just as much silicic acid from the atmosphere and the cosmos as the plants need". This makes the plants "sensitive … to everything at work in their surroundings", and they draw in for themselves what they need, even from the soil of the neighbouring meadow or the nearby wood. Steiner's image: a "dull" plant does not perceive its surroundings; a plant permeated with silicic acid, on the other hand, becomes sensitive and "draws things in from a wide area".

Why cattle mesentery?

The casing is the mesentery, the fan-like fold of the peritoneum from which the loops of intestine hang, or the greater omentum of a cow. Steiner put it briefly: the yellow flower heads are "sewn into cattle mesentery". Anatomically, the peritoneum carries the nervous system in the metabolic region; biodynamically it is regarded as the casing that suits the mineral and cosmic silica process. An important practical point: both peritoneal organs tend to become fatty; fatty tissue that stiffens as it cools is unsuitable as a casing, while lean omentum (for example from dairy cows not fed on maize) is suitable.

Making it step by step

Collecting the flowers. Pick the flower heads as they open, early in spring on a sunny morning; the inner petals should still form an upright "crown". Fully opened heads keep ripening into seed while drying and are not used. The flowers must not stay long in the collecting container (they heat up quickly); let them wilt in the sun for a few hours and then dry them spread thinly in an airy, shady place. The dried flowers should look yellow, with as few white heads as possible.

Preparing the mesentery. After slaughter, cut lean omentum or mesentery into pieces, dry them in the sun for 3 to 4 days and store them cool; soaked in warm water or dandelion tea, they can be used straight away. Omentum fresh from slaughter is preferred.

Forming balls. In autumn, around Michaelmas to mid-October, moisten the dried flowers slightly with tea or pressed juice from the whole above-ground plant. Press two or three handfuls of flowers onto a cut piece of mesentery (about 20 × 20 to 35 × 35 cm), fold the corners over and tie it into a ball up to the size of a child's head, then let it dry for a day or two.

Burying over winter. With the tied side facing down (so that no water collects in the casing and ferments), bury the balls like the other preparations. Elder twigs and a slatted frame laid on top help against foxes, dogs and mice, which are after the fat.

Recovering it. At the end of April or beginning of May, dig up the balls, take out the contents as the preparation and dry them if needed. The remains of the casing belong to the preparation and can go into liquid manure, slurry or birch pits (or are disposed of where regulations require).

Quantities

Wistinghausen reckons about 350 g of fresh or 25 to 50 g of dried dandelion flowers per hectare. For a farm of 20 to 30 ha, about 5 to 7 kg of fresh or ½ to 1 kg of dried flowers and about three pieces of mesentery (about 30 × 30 cm) are enough. A finished portion measures 1 to 2 cm³.

Effect in the compost

According to Steiner, the dandelion preparation gives the soil the ability to draw in silicic acid from the atmosphere and the cosmos and makes plants "sensitive" to their surroundings. In the biodynamic tradition, 506 is regarded as the preparation that orders the silica and potassium balance and the plant's "receptiveness". Ehrenfried Pfeiffer assigned the compost preparations as a whole to strengthening growth. The functional assignment (silica, sensitivity) is a biodynamic view, not a chemical analysis of effects.

Use

The dandelion preparation is placed as a small lump in the compost heap or manure pile together with the other compost preparations. The five solid preparations (502 to 506) and the liquid valerian (507) form a series that works together; one portion is enough for about ten cubic metres of manure.

In context

Steiner's images (the dandelion as "messenger from heaven", mediator of cosmic silica, the plant as a "sensitive" being) come from his spiritual-scientific world view and are presented here as the original concept, not as a scientific description of effects. The functional assignment (silica) is biodynamic tradition. For Demeter farms, using the compost preparations is compulsory (see Demeter certification).