The biodynamic approach to growing grapes includes burying cows’ horns in the winter and digging them up again in the spring. What’s that all about?
Manure is put into the cows’ horns
Preparation 500 (cows’ horn manure or the bouse de corne as it is known in France) is one of the most important treatments used in the biodynamic calendar. Biodynamic producers take a holistic approach to their vineyards and use a series of homeopathic style remedies and treatments in order to keep their vineyards and soils healthy. There is no concrete proof that this approach works although it’s fair to say that most of the world’s top vineyards have adopted the biodynamic approach.
The horns are buried in the ground on the winter equinox
High quality cow manure is put into cows’ horns (collected from cows that have calved at least once) and buried in the ground over the winter months. In the spring they are dug up and then carefully diluted with naturally collected rainwater which is dynamised (stirred continuously in one direction to create a vortex and then in the other direction) for one hour. Of course no cows are harmed during this process nor are they are dehorned expressly for this treatment. The horns are collected from animals that have reached the end of their life.
The horns will remain buried until the spring equinox
When the horns are dug up in the spring, the manure has completely broken down leaving a sweet, humus like substance, teaming with millions of microbes, yeasts, fungus, bacteria and actinobacteria. Sounds like that would be pretty beneficial to soil doesn’t it?
Preparation 500 is normally applied after dynamisation (ideally within an hour) and not before 5 o’clock in the evening. It requires around 100g diluted in 30-35 litres of water to treat one hectare of vines.
It’s great for soil structure, stimulates microbial activity in the soil, regulates the pH balance and favours seed germination and root development.
